Seminars, Classes, Consultations

Most of us are deficient in one of life's essential nutrients!
The nutrition of
Giving and Receiving Touch!

The Transformational Touch Project is designed to liberate The Powers of Touch from the fears, misgivings and misguided taboos around touch.

Touch news 2010: check out this link to hear or see an NPR segment on touch: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128795325

The mission of Transformational Touch is to help us give and receive more touch, touch that expresses love and is given with wisdom and care. 

The Powers of Touch

Touch is a fundamental need. For many of us it is not met and we are touch-deprived.  In his book (Healthy Aging: A Life Long Guide to your well-being) Andrew Weil puts it this way, “Touch is a basic requirement for optimum health: touch-deprived babies, both animal and human, do not develop normally. This need does not diminish with age…. I urge you as strongly as possible to find ways to touch and be touched as you move through life.”

Weil goes on to say that treating yourself to a massage on a regular basis is a “perfectly good” way. Indeed, the massage world grows. You may have seen chair massages in airports.  In addition healing touch forms grow in popularity: including acupressure, Cranial Sacral Therapy and Quantum Touch. In 2007 I took a one-day seminar that introduced me to Comfort Touch. It is designed for the ill and elderly. Energy touch related work grows, too.  Reiki is recognized by many as are Therapeutic Touch and Pranic Healing.  Google any of these to find out more.

What is different about the Transformational Touch Project?

All the methodologies mentioned above involve a trained person touching a client or patient.  As great as they are, they are not fulfilling the everyday need for us to touch each other. 

There are many kinds or POWERS OF TOUCH.  We have already mentioned Healing.  Others include touch that relaxes, arouses, heals, comforts and relieves.  And, it is fair and important to recognize that touch can also hurt, violate or maim. It is these harmful powers of touch that have steered us away from the positive powers of touch as a means to keep us safe.

The ultimate power of touch is that of Transformational Touch. What does this mean? The Transformational Touch Project is about creating the environment where we can gain the maximum benefits of touch nutrition in our everyday lives.  Given the current socialization around touch, this requires some unlearning, raising Touch Consciousness and gaining Touch Intelligence.

Touch Consciousness -- TC

Most of us are not very touch conscious. Raising touch consciousness is a necessity to help transform the fears of touch into the transformational powers of touch.

I like to tell my students that each of us is unique when it comes to touch.  We have our own touch personality that comes from our touch history, good and bad. Our Unique Touch Blueprint is influenced by how and where we were raised and by our nationality. And, of course, by our unique set of touch experiences throughout life. And, our Unique Touch Blueprint is influenced by our genetics and how sensitive or insensitive we are based on the state of our unique nervous system.  What do I mean?  Well, some people "jump" easily or are startled easily while others are not.  The same is true for touch: some people are much more sensitive to touch then others.  This point will be made again and merits repeating. 

In the Transformational Touch Project we have tools that help people develop and understand their Unique Touch Blueprint. We help people understand their Unique Touch Blueprint before we start practicing touch. This is a part of becoming Touch Conscious. 

Touch Intelligence -- TQ

We are not very smart about touch.  The same was true about emotions.  Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence, published in 1995, started changing that. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is being used in the corporate world to develop leaders. In the December 18, 2006 issue of TIME Magazine, which featured "How to Build a Student for the 21st Century," they write about the need for Social Intelligence and that EQ is "as important as IQ."  Goleman's book: Social Intelligence:the New Science of Human Relationship came out in paperback in 2007. 

The impact of this work is amazing when you think that Goleman's book came out only in 1996.  Touch Intelligence, TQ, needs to be a part of our Social Intelligence. 

Touch Intelligence plays into what the HeartMath Institute refers to as heart intelligence and intuitive intelligence. 

Growing our Touch Intelligence happens on body, mind and spirit levels.

Mind TQ is about the intellect and also about the way the brain works and responds to touch.  

Body TQ: Our bodies have a touch intelligence most of us do not even think of.  Bodies are designed to be touched and touch.  Touch works with our skin, the largest organ of our body, influences our hormonal system, our emotions, our nervous system, communicates with our brain – depending on how we are touched. 

Our hands and fingers are especially important.  Most of us do not realize all the sending and receiving they do. How we use our hands influences our brains.  

Spirit TQ: One could say that our Spirits touch each other -- certainly our energy bodies touch each other. 

More on all of these in TTP Programs.

Transformational Touch Project Vision and Mission

Vision

We will be happier, healthier and more able to reach our potential when we regularly give and receive conscious, intelligent, heart-felt touch.

Mission

1.    Raise Touch Consciousness and Touch Intelligence

2.    Teach us how to be a good touchers and how to receive touch

3.    Teach simple to learn, nurturing touch techniques to help us grow in our relationships, help relieve stress, create greater well-being and to help us evolve and be all that we can be.

4.    Help us give and receive nurturing touch on a regular basis.

Touch Educations meets Touch Practice

Transformational Touch Project Programs provide a safe and gentle environment to fulfill this mission.  A keystone to the process is the powerful ritualistic touch exchanges.  The first of these is the SRS Exchange.

SRS Exchange

Prior to teaching this simple practice we take time to understand The Powers of Touch and what it takes to have them.  We raise Touch Consciousness and Touch Intelligence. We develop a Unique Touch Blueprint for all involved.

The SRS Exchange is a safe, ritualistic, simple touch exchange. The exchange starts with a verbal and energetic exchange. This set-up prior to physical touch creates a chance for alignment and shared intention. Then, the SRS Exchange can better utilize the powers of the nervous system, the energy bodies and this holistic touch process.  After some preliminary practice, the SRS Exchange can be done in less than 20 minutes. 

Purposefully, we are not describing the actual SRS process here.  It requires verbal instruction as well as hands on demonstration 

Potential benefits include 

Creating inner balance

Reducing stress levels

A calm and more focused mind

Improved health

Cells moving from protection to growth

A more loving heart

Practice at being totally present for another

Positive patterning of energy and the nervous system

And, this is just a beginning 

Applications 

The Transformational Touch Project and Programs have various applications. Some of the applications are for professionals who touch clients or customers in their work.  Some are for healing.  Perhaps the biggest opportunity is to create Touch Intelligent Communities.  What would that look like -- I'll describe it and post information on Touch Intelligent Communities here, soon.  Touch Intelligent communities offer the opportunity for more touch in our everyday lives and the health and well-being that can spring from loving touch. 

Retirement Homes and Villages, Assisted Care, Nursing Homes  and the Elderly: Since research shows that the elderly who have pets enjoy happiness and health benefits, it is our intention to introduce the work of the Transformational Touch Project to this market.

Medical Offices: In some setting addressing the first and second aspects of the mission statement may be sufficient, that is raising Touch Consciousness and Touch Intelligence. Picture a doctor or dentist touching you in a more conscious and intelligent way.  Picture an office where everyone is Touch Conscious and Intelligent. Examples: Once an eye doctor strained my neck when he pushed back my head to put drops in my eyes.  He was totally unaware.  A dental hygienist laid her arm on my breast. 

Healing Applications: There are healing applications. Research indicates that massage therapy helps those with diabetes, eating disorders and so much more (See http://www6.miami.edu/touch-research/).  More recently, I am aware of Neurofascial Process (NFP). To much to explain here, NFP is a sophisticated yet easy to do form of touch therapy, healing and emotional release.  

Our hypothesis is that the Touch Consciousness, Touch Intelligence work and the SRS Exchange will have many health benefits like reducing stress hormones, helping those with diabetes and more.  Research has not been conducted on the SRS Exchange.    

The fact that TTP and SRS fulfill the need to touch and be touched is important and a distinction from many touch therapy modalities.

Couples and Family Therapy:  The SRS Exchange is a profound means to get those who are having difficulties to relate in a new and healing way. The set-up for the SRS exchange and all touch exchanges provides practice in presence, listening and really taking someone’s in.  It is an opportunity to let go and let love and touch help.

On the Path 

Everyday people who care about Personal Growth and those on the Path to Transformation: Those who simply want to have a happier, healthier life and those who are a transformational path with find higher benefits from the TTP Programs and SRS Exchange and increased touch in their lives.  The energy and touch process, the balanced touch repetitions add a dynamic that is meditative that influence hormones and the brain. 

About Ani Colt

I have been keenly aware of the importance of touch since childhood and started doing massage on my father’s neck and shoulders as a young girl.  After twenty years working with different touch modalities including massage, Reiki, Pranic Healing and Quantum-Touch, I realized that touch can offer more. Key is getting us to touch each other vs. going to a “professional.”  I started the ART of Touch in 2002 which evolved into the HeART of Touch and now is the Transformational Touch Project and Programs.

My twenty years as a new product marketing and marketing research consultant to Fortune 500 Companies created a propensity to look for insights and ways to fulfill consumer needs and desires.  My many years on the spiritual path enhance my desire to help people and the world.

Ways to Get Started

Interactive Talks

“The Power of Touch” one to two hour seminar, an interactive talk, is a great way to learn about the many powers of touch and what it takes to have touch power.

Consultations and Individualized Programs and Classes

Intended for Friends, Couples, Families, Communities, Places of Business, Share Living Quarters including Schools, Retirement Homes, Health Facilities, Faith Communities, and Youth Centers.

Classes and Programs can be individualized to meet your needs and situation. Contact me to start a dialogue or for a proposal.

Private Session Available

Contact Me

It's all about helping us touch each other to claim

The Powers of Touch