More Than Touch: The Healing We Carry in Our Hands

By Leila Briggs

I have had my own moments with anxieties creeping in the last few weeks. When I choose to be present with my anxiety—when I allow it to speak to me—more than once I have seen the image of my own hands in my mind’s eye. Steady. Still. Reminding me that even when everything else feels uncertain, there is something within me that knows how to hold, how to help, how to heal.

There is something quietly powerful about our hands. They hold, create, comfort, and heal. Think about the gentle touch of a parent soothing a crying child or the steady hands of a healer applying care. Our hands often speak louder than our words.

Touch is one of the most primal ways we connect, and it is through our hands that this connection becomes real. A handshake, a caress, a firm grip in times of crisis—all are small gestures that express a depth of emotion words can rarely match.

Science tells us that touch can lower stress, reduce pain, and promote well-being. It's why healing modalities in Hospice are so well received. A light touch often becomes an anchor point and a reminder of love for those leaving the physical world behind. There is something almost sacred in the way hands can offer comfort.

You do not have to be a trained healer to use your hands to heal or help. Every one of us carries the ability to comfort, to connect, to care—just by being present. And it starts with our hands.

Even in our darkest moments—when we feel backed into a corner, lost or powerless—we often forget that we still have our hands. These hands still carry the quiet strength to soothe, to create, to reach out. Even in the darkness, our hands remember how to heal.

When I was just starting college, one of my favorite songs was by Jewel, entitled "Hands." Every time I have seen my steady hands reflected back to me in my mind's eye, I have thought of this song. I had no idea it was foreshadowing my adult life and career. Or that it was revealing a deep truth within me that I still hold close today.

"We are God's eyes,

God's hands,

God's mind."

Our hands carry energy. Our hands carry power.

They express care. They pass on love. They remind us that we are not alone. The next time you extend your hand—to help, to heal, or to hold—know that you are offering more than just a gesture. More importantly, know those hands are capable of adding love and beauty to this world.