Bedford ‘Professional Hugger’ spreads news about the benefits of touch

Every two weeks, Samii Wood is with a group of strangers, for “embracing the puddle”.

The parties saw attendees melt into a bunch of mats and blankets, providing each other with a platonic touch and comfort.

Samii, 41, is a professional hug who also offers one-on-one hug therapy.

She believes Human touch Not only comforting, but also has measurable health benefits.

“Your serotonin levels, which is the hormone you feel good, are also enhanced, and so are your oxytocin levels, which is your love and binding hormone,” she said.

She added that touch can also lower your stress hormone cortisol levels and “regulate the nervous system.”

Sami’s clients sometimes suffer from neurological problems, post-traumatic stress disorder, or loneliness.

“People think my service will be full of creepy guys,” she said.

“It’s not like that. I have all kinds of ages, men and women.”

Pep Valerio, 36, of Bedford, has been attending Samii’s hug puddle for several months.

“It’s a rehabilitation without words. You don’t need to know people’s problems; you just know your touch is helping them,” he said.

Samii describes how participants imagine certain scenarios to provide a specific emotional context in a group meeting.

“Sometimes, I say, ‘Imagine the person you hugging is the one you want to hug the most’.”

“It always suffocates me, and we have both men and women who are actually just crying at each other.”

One-to-one meetings meet more individual needs.

They can simply sit together and chat with their arms until they lie down and spoon.

It may also involve other culture touches, such as back strokes or cradles.

Some people may get attention for people paying for it, but Sammy stresses that it is “clothing, platonic, parenting service.”

To maintain all participants, she screened the clients before introducing them and had them sign a consent form that clearly stipulates the boundaries.

“It’s very dominant, so they tell me what they want and what they’re happy with. It’s a constant conversation,” Sammy said.

She acknowledged that intimate contact could lead to arousal, but in these cases she implemented breakthroughs or changes in positions to refocus clients on the nurturing aspects of the meeting.

There is no regulatory body for this treatment in the UK, but professionals like Samii can get certified from it Embrace International Professionals (CPI).

The institution insists that its members observe “moral touch protocols” that rely on informed consent.

Although many practices may adhere to professional standards, an environment that is abused and exploited can be an easy one.

Samii said people could report any misconduct to police, local authorities or CPI.

The body was founded by health expert Claire Mendelsohn, whose website “recognizes the regulatory needs within the industry.”

CPI is now a registered university of the Association for Complementary Medicine and has been approved by the International Institute of Complementary Therapists.

Samii watched a documentary showing how popular it is overseas and discovered hug therapy.

But in the UK, she found people less willing to touch and touch.

She blamed the common pandemic and lockdown on the same time making people “long it” but also “more afraid of it.”

She explained: “In the US and Europe, it’s huge, not a lot here, but we do need it and people don’t go to professional hugs like me if we don’t.

“We think we’re all connected because we’re online, but that’s why we’re even more disconnected.

“We’re all looking for this connection and saying ‘I just want to be caught by someone, I want to be hugged. I want to be seen and put down the wall and have that.”

Touch can benefit your physical and mental health. According to the paper by Danish neuroscientist Dr. Julian Packheiser and his colleagues are from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.

They found that there was no difference in the health benefits of adults between the touch of familiar people or health care professionals.

However, Sophie Scott, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of London, believes that despite the proven benefits of touch, the relationship between the people involved is important.

She refers to another study saying: “They put people on scanners and physically hurt them; you can see how the brain responds to pain.

“But when a partner holds their hands, they respond less to pain. So there are chemical changes that make you feel better, but this is not a random person; that is your partner.

“For someone who is doing professional, I’m a little worried that you need to build this relationship. You’re not only going to let anyone hold your hand.

“People like to take out their hairstyle or manicure. These are all neutral parts of the body. Hugs may be closer to their dangerous areas.

“I mean people need to feel safe. If they aren’t safe, that’s a high opponent.”

Many other studies highlight the benefits of touch and its potential for benefits Physical and mental health.

Mr. Valerio has been exploring alternative methods of rehabilitation, e.g. tapping and Tai Chi, when he encountered hug therapy.

“It relieves stress and promotes relaxation and solidarity,” he said.

Samii created a safe environment by playing a soothing soundtrack and allowed people to participate in hug-based warm-up exercises from the start, he said.

“Once you do a few practices and break these walls, it feels like the most natural thing on the floor, embracing a lot of strangers,” he said.

“Just based on the hug-based exercises we do and some of the emotions that bring, people are crying before we get stuck in the hug puddle.”

He also participated in one-on-one exercises with Samii, which he said allows for “a deeper bond.”

“The spoon feels fragile, especially a man who is a woman’s spoon. It allows you to experience and hold it,” he said.

“After that, I felt held, I felt supported, I felt as if some of the burden had been relieved, the wall had been lowered.”