Memory Recall and Non-Sexual Physical Touch Intervention in Couples with Trauma History

Touch has been associated with promoting feelings of trust, intimacy, and positive affect in romantic relationships. Yet trauma related symptoms, such as restricted affect and anhedonia, may be a barrier to feelings of intimacy and connectedness in couples when one or both partners have a history of trauma (Riggs, 2014). The primary author’s clinical experience as a licensed therapist inspired the current study. Based on the author’s clinical work with couples, physical touch often becomes associated with avoidance of physical and emotional intimacy. This study aims to understand how non-sexual physical touch influences feelings of connectedness and intimacy among single- and dual-trauma couples. Biofeedback measures will be collected while couples will engage in a memory recall and non-sexual physical touch intervention. The data collected from the current study may provide valuable insight into the objective and subjective experiences of intimacy and connectedness in single- and dual-trauma couples. (Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Adam Jones