Cortical dynamics as a therapeutic mechanism for touch healing.
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) January 1, 2007 Catherine E Kerr, Rachel H Wasserman, Christopher I Moore
Touch Healing therapies—treatments involving tactile contact or guided somatic attention—are common across cultures and increasingly used in mainstream medicine for chronic pain, yet their mechanisms are poorly understood. This review proposes that their effectiveness stems from neural plasticity in somatosensory cortical maps. Key shared features include light touch, directed somatosensory attention, a behaviorally relevant and relaxed context, and repeated sessions—all elements known to reorganize sensory cortex. Meditation practices may provide training that resists maladaptive somatic representations. The model yields predictions for how Touch Healing induces cortical plasticity and dynamics in pain relief.