The essence
From the fourth color on, digestion becomes "upper": the body can take in almost any food, and the deciding factor is what is happening around a person while they eat. The body seems to "touch" its surroundings with all its sensitivity, and that determines how well food is absorbed.
Note that "calm" and "nervous" describe not someone's character but the setting they need. A calm person in a lively setting that suits them can feel great, and the other way round. Another trait of the fourth color is a tendency to shape the setting to fit: asking everyone to quiet down, or stirring up a table that is too quiet.
Left orientation — Calm
The calm arrow needs a balanced, quiet atmosphere without rush or tension. If people at the table argue, hurry or there is a lot going on, digestion suffers, even if the person is calm inside. Often the simplest solution is to eat alone or in a small, quiet circle.
Right orientation — Nervous
The nervous arrow, by contrast, needs stimulation: conversation, music, movement, a lively crowd. These people often find it hard to sit through a meal; eating on the go, talking on the phone or in a busy place comes naturally. Food becomes part of a stream of impressions rather than a ritual of its own.
The right arrow is receptive and peripheral: it does not focus on the food but takes in everything around it along with the meal.
How to apply it
- Notice in which atmosphere eating feels easiest, and after which you feel heavy.
- Calm: try at least one meal a day in quiet, without news or hurry.
- Nervous: allow yourself to eat on the move, in company, with music, without calling it "wrong".
- If the right atmosphere is impossible to arrange, simply eat separately, in the way that suits you.
The trap
The main trap of Touch is imposing your atmosphere on others: the calm demand silence from everyone, the nervous try to liven up people who need peace. Family dinners turn into a battlefield. Another trap is transference into the theme of Appetite (the 1st color): the person suddenly starts policing the order of foods, although their real theme is the setting. And remember, this is not a medical regimen: for health issues, follow a doctor's advice.