Intercessory Touch
What is "Intercessory Touch"?
[ in-ter-ses-uh-ree ] [ tuhch ] verb:
the act of connecting with another individuals through the medium of a third party.
"I cannot reach him from here. Would you mind giving him a pat on the back for me?"
the act of encouraging another person to validate something positive they accomplished.
"That was awesome! Would you mind giving yourself a pat on the back?"
The goal of Intercessory Touch is to build a connection with others using the physical gesture of appropriate touch. However, the key is the clinician never physically touches the client, but encourages the client to give themselves a pat on the back, if alone, or have a trusted caregiver offer a pat on the back when validating thoughts, feelings, or actions from the client.