{"id":3387,"date":"2012-06-25T06:35:37","date_gmt":"2012-06-25T10:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/?p=3387"},"modified":"2012-06-25T12:09:43","modified_gmt":"2012-06-25T16:09:43","slug":"hugs-for-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/06\/hugs-for-health.html","title":{"rendered":"Hugs For Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/files\/2012\/06\/hugs.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3388\" title=\"hugs\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/107\/2012\/06\/hugs-300x165.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"165\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I was raised in a family in which nurturing touch was everpresent. Besides my parents and younger sister, our extended family included grandmothers, aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as those who I consider &#8216;family of choice&#8217;. I can be sure that I met the requirements described above.\u00a0 In my teens, I was\u00a0in a youth group (USY-United Synagogue Youth) and at our weekend retreats, there were usually puppy piles of willing cuddlers.\u00a0 When I attended Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), I worked for a counseling center called Together, Inc which was an appropriately named organization, since affection was overflowing there too.\u00a0 For many, sadly, that isn&#8217;t the case. Most people live and work in low touch environments in which their healthy touch needs aren&#8217;t met. Babies who don&#8217;t receive hugs, cuddles and kisses, fail to thrive and many die. As a mental health social worker for many years, I\u00a0have witnessed the outcome in terms of depression, anxiety, addiction, high risk behaviors\u00a0and suicidal ideation among those who are touch starved or for whom touch was abusive or non-consentual.<\/p>\n<p>As a single\/widowed adult, I have many friends who are cuddle buddies, and on whom I can count to provide support and love in that form.\u00a0\u00a0I also facilitate a workshop called Cuddle Party which is about communication, boundary setting and safe, nurturing, consentual touch. As such, I have also seen the flip side&#8230;the miracles that\u00a0occur when folks get to immerse themselves in this kind of nourishment. They lighten up emotionally and physically and I can literally see a shift in their appearance and demeanor. They have expressed verbally that it really does make\u00a0 a difference in the ways they view themselves and touch itself.\u00a0 Relationships heal,\u00a0intimacy deepens, new friendships are forged. The world becomes a more\u00a0welcoming place. \u00a0As a hugger by genetics and choice (I always ask first, since becoming a CP facilitator:), I see it as some of the most potent medicine for what ails us.\u00a0 I know that\u00a0 hugging binds people together, when words aren&#8217;t enough.I&#8217;ve long\u00a0had a fantasy of holding CP&#8217;s at the\u00a0White House and the U.N. Anyone have connections?<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks ago, I carried around my FREE HUGS sign for the Raise The Vibration Event in Philadelphia and was delighted to have shared heart-hugs with 100 + people on a day that carried with it rain, wind-gusts and then brilliant sunshine. I&#8217;m convinced that smiling, hugging people bring out the beams. What was cool was watching people I had hugged, &#8216;pay it forward&#8217; by hugging others. Seeing that becoming a world wide phenom.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of world-wide; last night, I\u00a0carried on a cyber conversation with\u00a0a Cuddle Party facilitator in\u00a0 Capetown, Africa named Barry Du Plooy, who sounded enthusiastic about being a Cuddle ambassador in that region. What an amazing way to unite folks on a continent that has seen war and division, hatred and racism. Hugs speak in a common language. He is the 71st person who became certified since its creation\u00a0 by relationship coaches Reid Mihalko and Marcia Baczynski in 2004.\u00a0\u00a0I was #27.\u00a0 Adults from all walks of life and relationship status attend. A few weeks ago, I had the joy of co-facilitating with the effervescent, bubbling over with bliss Monique Darling who came to the East Coast from San Diego. Such a beautiful web of connectivity was\u00a0woven amongst those gathered. I like to say that although the facilitator creates the safe container, the participants co-create the experience.\u00a0 We laughed, cried, hugged, snuggled, cuddled and spooned. Amazing conversations take place when the walls come down. Safe, nurturing touch really does have that kind of power.<\/p>\n<p>So today, I invite you to embrace yourself, the beings in your life and and go out and\u00a0throw your arms around the world.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cuddleparty.com\">www.cuddleparty.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>One of my favorite songs about hugging written by Fred Small and performed here by Rabbi Yossi and Pastor Paul. The Hug Song \u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/youtu.be\/0W0lMk70Y-8\">http:\/\/youtu.be\/0W0lMk70Y-8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was raised in a family in which nurturing touch was everpresent. Besides my parents and younger sister, our extended family included grandmothers, aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as those who I consider &#8216;family of choice&#8217;. I can be sure that I met the requirements described above.\u00a0 In my teens, I was\u00a0in a youth&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,8,70,49,22,811,14,25,4,30,51,17,23,38],"tags":[524,1905,1906,993,1565,321,1912,627,1904,1857,1910,64,1911,1855,994,1909,1913,1915,1914,626,1908,1907],"class_list":["post-3387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-attracting-what-you-desire","category-bliss","category-communication","category-community","category-friendship","category-healing","category-health","category-how-to-invite-bliss","category-hugging","category-inspiration","category-love","category-mental-health","category-relationships","category-the-importance-of-healthy-touch","category-transformation","tag-africa","tag-barry-du-plooy","tag-capetown","tag-cuddle-party","tag-fred-small","tag-glassboro-state-college","tag-i-want-a-hug","tag-inc","tag-marcia-baczynksi","tag-monique-darling","tag-pastor-paul","tag-philadelphia","tag-rabbi-yossi","tag-raise-the-vibration","tag-reid-mihalko","tag-rowan-university","tag-the-hug-song","tag-the-u-n","tag-the-white-house","tag-together","tag-united-synagogue-youth","tag-usy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Hugs For Health - The Bliss Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/06\/hugs-for-health.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hugs For Health - The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I was raised in a family in which nurturing touch was everpresent. Besides my parents and younger sister, our extended family included grandmothers, aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as those who I consider &#8216;family of choice&#8217;. I can be sure that I met the requirements described above.\u00a0 In my teens, I was\u00a0in a youth&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/06\/hugs-for-health.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bliss Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snuggleyoga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-25T10:35:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-06-25T16:09:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/files\/2012\/06\/hugs-300x165.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EdieWeinstein1\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hugs For Health - The Bliss Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/06\/hugs-for-health.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hugs For Health - The Bliss Blog","og_description":"I was raised in a family in which nurturing touch was everpresent. 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She has also contributed to several anthologies and personal growth books. Edie has interviewed such notables as Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, don Miguel Ruiz, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Marianne Williamson, Grover Washington, Jr. Noah Levine, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Weaver, Ben and Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She calls herself an Opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility. Edie is the founder of Hug Mobsters Armed With Love, which offers FREE HUGS events on a planned and spontaneous basis. www.opti-mystical.com.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.opti-mystical.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snuggleyoga","https:\/\/x.com\/EdieWeinstein1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/author\/eweinstein"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3387"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3396,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3387\/revisions\/3396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}