The OP was getting into a more specific aspect of this.
Like if you have a transport spell that is self, and extend it to touch, when you touch the person, they can now transport themselves, rather than the caster being able to transport them.
So making a healing self spell touch would not heal the target, it would grant the target the ability to heal themselves. . .with healing, that's mostly semantics, unless the target doesn't want to be healed, but with a "Mind's Door" Leaving I or "Movement" Fly I it's the difference between moving someone (potentially into danger) or granting them the ability to move themselves.