Healing Touch (HT) is a gentle, energy-based complementary therapy using light touch or near-body touch to balance a person's energy system, promoting relaxation, reducing stress/pain, and supporting the body's natural healing for mind, body, and spirit, often used alongside conventional care for conditions like anxiety, surgery recovery, and chronic pain. Practitioners use hand movements above or lightly on the body to clear energy blockages, helping people feel centered, calm, and more resilient.
How it works
Energy Field: It's based on the idea that a vital energy (like Qi or Prana) flows through and around the body, and imbalances can cause illness.
Hands-On/Off Technique: Practitioners use their hands to clear, balance, and energize the human energy field, either with light touch or several inches above the body.
Focus: Aims to restore harmony and support the body's self-healing abilities.
What it helps with
Decreased anxiety, stress, and restlessness.
Pain reduction and improved sleep.
Faster recovery from surgery or chemotherapy.
Increased sense of calm and well-being.
Key features
Non-invasive: It's a gentle, complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.
Often done by Nurses: Many trained nurses offer Healing Touch in hospitals and clinics as part of integrated care.
Client-Centered: Sessions are personalized, with touch adjusted based on the client's comfort (light touch, no touch, etc.).
International Association of Counselors - IACT Hypnosis and Past Life Certification instructor
Dr. Waldo Vieira, Institute of Projectiology and Conscientiology IIPC (Manifestations of consciousness start beyond the physical brain and the human body)
Therapeutic Touch TT Marie Tortorella, RN, LMT, studied with Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz
Healing Beyond Borders Healing Touch Certification Program Level 3 by Carol Schoennaker RN, BSN, HNB; Maryknoll NY, based on Barbara Brennan
Healing Touch is a form of energy therapy that is being used in hospitals and other healthcare organizations to facilitate healing. This Healing Quest episode highlights the Healing Touch Program at Greenwich Hospital. Healing Touch is given by trained volunteers throughout the hospital.
Beth Wright (bethwright.net) Greenwich, CT
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Difference between Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch
Healing touch is an energy-based therapy that works by manipulating the "biofield"—a subtle energy field believed to surround and penetrate the human body. Practitioners use gentle hand movements either on or just above the body to clear blockages and restore balance to this energy system.
Core Principles of Action
Energy Field Re-patterning: Healing touch is based on the concept that health depends on a balanced flow of energy. Practitioners aim to re-pattern this field to support the body’s natural self-healing abilities.
Clearing Blockages: Stress, illness, and trauma are thought to cause "congestion" or blockages in energy centers (chakras) and pathways (meridians). Techniques like "magnetic passes" use hand motions to "comb" through the field and remove these disruptions.
Relaxation Response: Physically, the therapy induces a deep relaxation response, which can lower heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels, creating an optimal environment for physical recovery.
What Happens During a Session
Centering: The practitioner begins by entering a meditative, "heart-centered" state to focus their intention on the patient's well-being.
Assessment: They "scan" the patient's energy field by moving their hands inches above the body to detect sensations like heat, cold, or tingling, which may indicate imbalances.
Treatment: Specific techniques are applied, such as:
Chakra Connection: Touching various points on the body (often joints) to balance energy centers.
Magnetic Clearing: Sweeping hand motions above the body to "cleanse" the field.
Grounding: The session ends by "grounding" the patient to help them return to a fully alert state.
Research and Medical Context
Clinical Use: It is frequently used in hospitals and hospices as a complementary therapy for cancer care, surgery recovery, and chronic pain management.
Scientific Status: While studies show it effectively reduces anxiety, stress, and perceived pain, the existence of the human biofield has not been definitively proven through traditional scientific measurement. Some researchers attribute its effects to the placebo effect or the benefits of compassionate human presence.
Recognition: It is recognized as a "biofield therapy" and nursing intervention by organizations such as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).