Understanding Healing Touch

Author: Bret Gordon

In the study of martial arts, it is important to recognize that the ability to heal is just as vital as the ability to cause harm. This balance is expressed through Kappo 活法, the healing methods traditionally practiced alongside martial disciplines. One approach I have written about in the past is Reiki 霊気, which is often described as a method of healing through the laying-on of hands. Before you dismiss this as New Age nonsense, in the article "The Biology and Neuroscience of Ki," I explored the scientific foundations behind what is often referred to as “Ki energy,” explaining how different forms of energy-based healing influence the body in measurable ways. Definitely take time to read that article before this one.

At the same time, I included a caution for those of Abrahamic faith traditions: there is a line between practices that work within the natural order and those that drift into metaphysical territory. Unfortunately, much of mainstream Reiki has moved in a direction that I cannot reconcile with my own beliefs. For this reason, I now refer to my personal practice as Te Ate Ryoho 手当療法, which simply means “hands-on healing method.” This terminology reflects my focus on natural, restorative touch grounded in science and tradition, without the metaphysical overtones that have become associated with Reiki in its modern presentation.

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Nearly every culture going back to antiquity has described using the laying-on of hands in some manner for healing purposes. That is the foundation of Te Ate Ryoho. If you have ever bumped your elbow and immediately grabbed onto it to soothe the pain, you have done Te Ate Ryoho. Instinctively we understand that this touch creates warmth, which increases the blood flow to the area and, like the breathing exercises of Kiko, brings fresh oxygen and nutrients to assist in healing the injury. It also helps to calm the nerves in the area that are sending pain signals to the brain, easing the sensation as the pain subsides.

Of course, that is just scratching the surface of Te Ate Ryoho, and the modality was certainly created for more than easing the pain when you bump your elbow. Applying pressure to an open wound to promote coagulation, which expedites the healing process, is another rudimentary form of Te Ate Ryoho.
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The human body generates a subtle but powerful bioelectric field, created by the constant electrical activity of the heart, brain, muscles, and nervous system. Every cell in the body communicates through electrical impulses, and this energy forms a dynamic field that extends beyond the skin, sometimes called the “aura” in traditional systems, though it is measurable through modern instruments like ECG and EEG.
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In Te Ate Ryoho, this electrical nature of the body forms the foundation for therapeutic touch and energetic healing. Practitioners are not channeling an external force, but rather interacting with the body’s own electromagnetic field, stimulating and guiding its natural healing processes. By placing the hands on or near the body with focused intent and awareness, a practitioner can influence the flow of bioelectric energy, an effect made possible through somatic empathy and the neurological signaling that occurs through touch. The skin is rich with sensory nerve endings, and physical contact activates complex feedback loops between the nervous systems of both individuals. These loops allow for the subtle exchange of emotional, physical, and energetic information. In therapeutic touch, the practitioner's calm, regulated nervous system can help co-regulate the recipient’s, transmitting cues of safety, relaxation, and healing through direct contact.
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In this sense, Te Ate Ryoho is not mystical, but rooted in the body’s inherent electrical intelligence and its capacity to respond to subtle energetic input.

In a typical Te Ate Ryoho session, the recipient is either seated or lying down fully clothed while the practitioner places their hand in various positions across the body. Prolonged physical touch, like hugs or other comforting gestures, boosts dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. For those who are unfamiliar with what these hormones do:

• Dopamine is the pleasure hormone that makes an individual feel good.
• Serotonin is an antidepressant hormone that elevates mood, controls anxiety, and reduces feelings of loneliness.
• Oxytocin is the love hormone that relieves stress and boosts heart health. It also helps in losing weight, lowers blood pressure, fights diseases, increases libido, reduces stress, and gives us a feeling of comfort.

​So immediately we can begin to understand how sessions of prolonged physical touch can improve the overall emotional health of the recipient. When they finish their session, they feel good, they’re less anxious, and they’re comfortable.

In addition to localized healing touch for a specific injury or ailment, Te Ate Ryoho is centered around the seven energy centers of the body. Commonly referred to as chakras, these are believed to be energy centers within the body that regulate the flow of life force. The chakras are more than just concepts from Eastern mysticism. They correspond closely to the major glands of the endocrine system, aligning both in their physical locations and their roles in regulating the body’s physical functions, as well as significant points along the nervous system. This connection highlights how ancient wisdom and modern science intersect in understanding human energy and health. The seven chakras and their correlated functions are:

Root Chakra

• Location: Base of the spine.
• Emotional Associations: Safety, security, survival instincts, grounding, and stability.
• Imbalance: Fear, insecurity, anxiety, financial worries, disconnection from the body.
• Biological Correlation:
  • Adrenal glands - Produce hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that help the body respond to stress and regulate metabolism.​
  • Coccygeal nerve plexus - Controls the lower limbs, pelvic organs, and bowel and bladder function, providing motor and sensory signals to the hips, thighs, and feet.

Sacral Chakra

• Location: Lower abdomen, below the navel.
• Emotional Associations: Creativity, sexuality, pleasure, relationships, and emotional expression.
• Imbalance: Guilt, shame, emotional volatility, creative blocks, difficulty with intimacy, and unhealthy attachments.
• Biological Correlation:
  • Reproductive glands - Generate sex hormones that govern reproduction, sexual development, and secondary sexual characteristics.
  • Sacral nerve plexus - Primarily responsible for movement and sensation in the pelvis, buttocks, genitals, thighs, calves, and feet. It also influences sexual function and pelvic organ control.

Solar Plexus Chakra

• Location: Upper abdomen, near the stomach.
• Emotional Associations: Personal power, confidence, self-esteem, willpower, and motivation.
• Imbalance: Self-doubt, powerlessness, low self-esteem, digestive problems, fatigue, control issues.
• Biological Correlation:
  • Pancreas - Regulates blood sugar levels by producing insulin and glucagon.
  • Celiac plexus - Often called the “abdominal brain,” it manages the function of many abdominal organs including the stomach, liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines.

Heart Chakra

• Location: Center of the chest.
• Emotional Associations: Love, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, and connection.
• Imbalance: Grief, jealousy, anger, difficulty connecting with others, lack of self-love, heart issues.
• Biological Correlation:
  • Thymus gland - Plays a vital role in immune system development by producing T-cells that fight infection.
  • Cardiac plexus - Regulates the heart’s rhythm and rate, as well as some functions of the lungs and blood vessels near the heart.

Throat Chakra

• Location: Throat.
• Emotional Associations: Communication, self-expression, speaking one's truth, and listening.
• Imbalance: Suppression of emotions, difficulty expressing truth, shyness, throat problems, thyroid issues.
• Biological Correlation:
  • Thyroid gland - Controls metabolism, energy production, and growth through thyroid hormone secretion.
  • Cervical plexus - Controls the muscles and skin of the neck, shoulders, and diaphragm, playing a role in breathing and head movement.

Third Eye Chakra

• Location: Forehead, between the eyebrows.
• Emotional Associations: Intuition, insight, wisdom, imagination, and perception.
• Imbalance: Confusion, lack of clarity, anxiety, headaches, vision problems, difficulty trusting intuition.
• Biological Correlation:
  • Pituitary gland - Often called the “master gland,” it regulates other endocrine glands and controls growth, reproduction, and metabolism.
  • Optic nerves - Transmit visual information from the eyes to the brain.

Crown Chakra

• Location: Top of the head.
• Emotional Associations: Spiritual connection, higher consciousness, enlightenment, and sense of purpose.
• Imbalance: Disconnection, isolation, lack of purpose, mental fog, headaches, sleep disorder.
• Biological Correlation:
  • Pineal gland - Produces melatonin, which regulates sleep-wake cycles and influences circadian rhythms. When functioning properly, it enhances cognitive abilities and intelligence.
  • Brain and Central Nervous System - The brain and CNS coordinate all voluntary and involuntary bodily functions, thought processes, and consciousness.

Te Ate Ryoho facilitates the stimulation of endocrine glands and nerve plexuses by modulating bioenergetic fields associated with the chakras. When a practitioner applies focused energy over a chakra, it may influence the autonomic nervous system via the corresponding nerve plexus, promoting parasympathetic activation and reducing sympathetic overdrive. This modulation can enhance neuroendocrine communication, thereby improving hormonal secretion from the related glands.
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Additionally, by restoring energetic homeostasis and reducing subtle energetic blockages, Te Ate Ryoho may optimize neuronal signaling pathways, enhance vascular flow, and support the regulation of physiological processes governed by these neurovascular structures.