Keep in touch: The importance of touch in infant development

In a great number of cultures in the world, touch, through the medium of massage, has been understood as being vital for the development of young infants (and often their mothers too). However it is only within the last few decades that Western scientists, professionals and developmentalists have understood the power of touch in illness and health, stress reduction, brain formation and the development of attachment. This article discusses the evidence from animal experiments, infant-mother studies and suggests it has relevance for psychoanalytic clinical work.