Brown Brown & Associates 'What's New' Blog

By Matthew Nolan B.Sc., LMT, MTI, CEP, CPT

‘Reach out and touch someone’… some of you may be old enough to remember when AT&T used this as their marketing slogan.  In these more modern days we have a number of technological advances that allows for us to remain in ‘contact’ with our friends, families and well, just about anyone and everyone!  While high-tech has made it possible to keep up minute-by-minute with the world, our need for plain, old-fashioned touch is just as important.  In his landmark book, ‘Touching’, Ashley Montagu calls touch the ‘mother of the senses’ and states that it is the first of our senses to become ‘functional’ during fetal development.  He also recounts how in the early 1900’s doctors in medical institutions could not understand how mortality rates for infants admitted was almost 100% for each institution.  It wasn’t until Dr. Fritz Talbot was visiting a hospital in Germany that he discovered a ‘secret’.  He witnessed an old woman carrying around a baby on her hip and when he inquired as to who she was, found out that when a baby wasn’t doing well and the medical team did everything they could, they called her in and she would ‘turn the child around’.   Dr Talbot brought back to the U.S. the concept of touching infants; holding them, rocking them, stroking them.  Amazingly infant mortality rates dropped from about 35% to just10% in one year!

Dr. Tiffany Fields established the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School Of Medicine in 1992.  Her goal:  to really understand the importance of touch by creating studies that look at the impact of touch throughout a lifespan.  Touch is so powerful that she list the benefits on the website (www.miami.edu/touch-research) and includes this statement:  (touch) “enhances attentiveness, alleviates depressive symptoms, reduces pain, reduces stress hormones and improves immune function.”

In 1996, a study was completed that looked at the effect of a 15 minute chair massage vs. just relaxing in a chair for 15 minutes.  The study compared EEG patterns and math computations.  The results showed that while both groups showed signs of relaxation, the massaged group increased their accuracy on math computations as well as the speed of the computations!  Additionally, the massaged group scored lower on job stress at the end of the five week study.  

Even ‘casual touching’ can be important.  In a study that has been replicated numerous times in different settings, people rate service higher if there is some form of touch involved.  In one such study, cashiers are instructed to place a person’s change directly in their hand and for the next customer just place the change on the counter.  Researchers then stop the customer and ask about the service they have received.  People receiving the change in their hand rate the service higher than the person who had to pick up their change from the counter.  An article published in the New York Times (Feb 23, 2010) outlined even further evidence of the power of touch.  In that article they describe a research paper that studied NBA teams and the interactions within teams.  The authors of the paper, Mr. Michael Kraus, Ms. Cassy Huang and Dr. Keltner reported that ‘good teams tended to be touchier than bad ones.  The most touch-bonded teams were the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.’  

I dare say that if the better performers are touching more than lesser ones, perhaps we should emulate the winners… can I get a high five here? 

 Matthew Nolan B.Sc., LMT, MTI, CEP, CPT, holds a Bachelor of Science from State University of NY, College at Cortland, 1982.  Major:  Physical Education (Kinesiology) with emphasis in Exercise Science, and is a Certified Personal Trainer, Licensed Massage Therapist, Massage Therapy Instructor, and Continuing Education Provider, Texas.  Matt has over 1,000 hours of training in a variety of massage and bodywork techniques.  He has taught in Texas, Montana, and Wyoming, and offers continuing education classes and consulting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.  Specializing in Clinical and Orthopedic Massage, his practice is located in Richardson Texas (a northern suburb of Dallas) both in private practice as well as partnering with area chiropractors in assisting their patients. Clients include athletes as well as people from all walks of life.  Contact Matt at www.p2kfitness.massagetherapy.com, email p2kfitness@aol.com, or 214-676-8512.  His office is located at 2060 N. Collins Blvd, #201, Richardson, 75080.

Brown, Brown & Associates, the leading architectural firm for new or revitalization church construction in the Dallas and surrounding area, enters its third era of continued dedication and devotion to benefit area congregations. The architectural group was established in 1946 by John Hall Brown, Sr., and quickly gained repute for its work in church construction for new buildings or revitalization projects in Dallas and the surrounding areas. Brown, [...] Continue Reading…

Earth movers and construction crews were on site for First Baptist Church – Carrollton’s new Sports Complex project, an enormous undertaking of softball and soccer fields, walking trails, concession and gathering area, and more!!!

Aerial photography shows the scope of FBC-Carrollton's Sports project!!

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New digital sign provides direction, information, and updates.

Holy Covenant United Methodist church lights the night with new sign technology to provide direction, updates, and announcements as well as focused lighting to brighten the visits of guests and members.

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DRAWING – CLICK TO VIEW: Southlake Master Plan – Lower Level

DRAWING – CLICK TO VIEW: Southlake Master Plan – Upper Level

We are pretty excited about the changes at Southlake Church – see what you think!

· The youth stage was rotated to allow more natural light and overflow seating
· The stage [...] Continue Reading…

Doug Allison shares the early vision for the Master Planning effort.

For some time, Southlake Church, Southlake, Texas, has been envisioning its future impact on youth, the membership, and the community –  investigating the church’s needs and best next steps.  Now with their leadership’s input the [...] Continue Reading…

Tree of Life Fountain hosted its first baptism recently.

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