The clinical picture of depressive disorders is characterized by a plethora of somatic symptoms, psychomotor retardation, and, particularly, anhedonia. The number of patients with residual symptoms or treatment resistance is high. Touch is the basic communication among humans and animals. Its application professionally in the form of, e.
Here, we investigated the effects of a specially developed affect-regulating massage therapy ARMT vs. Furthermore, oral statements from all participants were obtained in semi-structured interviews. The results might be interpreted within various models.
The concept of interoception, as well as the principles of body psychotherapy and phenomenological aspects, offers cues for understanding the mechanisms involved. Within a neurobiological context, the significance of C-tactile afferents activated by special touch techniques and humoral changes such as increased oxytocin levels open additional ways of interpreting our findings. Keywords: C-tactile fibers; affect-regulating massage therapy; affective touch; body psychotherapy; depression; interoception; massage therapy; pain; psychoactive massage.
Abstract The clinical picture of depressive disorders is characterized by a plethora of somatic symptoms, psychomotor retardation, and, particularly, anhedonia.
