More about Therapeutic Touch

Background and Underlying Principles of Therapeutic Touch

Therapeutic Touch is a modern interpretation of several ancient healing practices. TT was developed in1972 by Professor Emeritus of Nursing Dolores Krieger PhD, and natural healer, Dora Kunz, as an extension of professional skills for health care practitioners. Initially Professor Krieger taught Therapeutic Touch to nurses completing their masters and doctoral studies at New York University.

From there TT expanded to a variety of health professionals including doctors, psychologists, counselors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, ambulance personnel, carers, massage therapists and now is taught in the community for use with family and animal care. TT has since extended world wide and is practiced in over 80 countries including Canada, UK, New Zealand and Australia in mainstream and complementary health care, as well as in the home and workplace.

Therapeutic Touch has been practiced and taught in Australia since the early 1980’s in settings including universities, hospitals, aged care, palliative care and veterinary care.

Underlying Principles of Therapeutic Touch

Therapeutic Touch, as with many other energy based modalities such as Chinese medicine acupuncture, reiki, kinesiology, and homeopathy, is based on the fundamental assumption that there is a universal life energy that sustains all living organisms. Interruptions to the flow and balance of this energy result in impaired well being and eventually illness. Therapeutic Touch seeks to restore and rebalance the rhythmical patterns and transfer of energy to the individual, creating an environment where the body’s healing process is naturally accelerated (Krieger, 1993).

Therapeutic Touch as with other related forms of energy based healing, is a branch of what Dr Larry Dossey calls Era III medicine. Era III medicine incorporates therapies which work with the deep or quantum level of the person – through interface with the energy system of the body. Modern science and ancient understandings are beginning to come together to both explain and expand knowledge in this area. For instance, recent research has demonstrated that pulses of electro-magnetic energy are emitted from the hands of the TT practitioner at a frequency which has been demonstrated to stimulate bone and tissue healing. These findings support
TT research which has shown that healing of fractures (call us for information) can be accelerated. (Dossey,1993; Hall,1998; Krieger,1993; Oschman, 2000, 2003).

The practice of Therapeutic Touch is distinctive in the emphasis upon the conscious use of compassionate intent combined with the ability to enter a profoundly centered or meditative state. It is from this state of inherent balance and focused healing intent that the practitioner is able to locate imbalances in the energy field, facilitate a symmetrical and rhythmical flow of energy through the field and evaluate the recipient’s energy field to ascertain the level of balance achieved (Krieger 1993).

More about a Therapeutic Touch treatment

Therapeutic Touch is a gentle and non invasive process which may take between little as 10 and as long as 30 minutes (including the rest period). During a treatment, you will remain fully clothed and can be either seated or lying down.

The key elements of the Therapeutic Touch process are:-

Centering
Assessment
Re-balancing (including clearing, modulating and transferring energy)
Evaluation
Rest

The practitioner centers by entering a quiet focused state and sets their intent to promote healing.

Your health and wellbeing status will be assessed. Part of this assessment process involves the use of the hands to ascertain the state of the energy field that usually extends 5-10cm around the body. Differences in sensory cues such as areas of heat or cold felt in the energy field plus intuitive cues are used to identify how your energy field can be re-balanced.

The Practitioner hands, combined with their focused and compassionate intent are then used to balance your energy field by clearing, transferring or modulating the energy. The Practitioner hands may be placed lightly on or just above your body.

Evaluation determines when the session is completed and is best followed by a rest period of 10 to 20 minutes. Treatment times are much less with the small, frail, sick, elderly and with pregnant women.

People often report a sense of deep relaxation, peace and calm during and following a session. Therapeutic Touch is a transpersonal process and can help to tap into a person’s deeper needs, understandings and their ability to achieve harmony and balance in life.

The number of treatments required is very variable. Therapeutic Touch can be used very effectively in a first aid or emergency situation while chronic or long term conditions may require regular sessions of TT over an extended period of time.

TT is not a cure all, rather an approach that facilitates the body's natural healing processes. TT has also been found to benefit animals with some Australian practitioners specializing in this field.

Therapeutic Touch, Health and Wellbeing

Therapeutic Touch has a wide variety of applications. TT can be used to enhance wellbeing in everyday life, to promote healing and enhance the ability to deal with times of illness and stress.

Therapeutic Touch can be incorporated into mainstream health care practice in hospitals – requiring only minutes to achieve a profound effect. TT also combines well with other modalities including acupuncture, in general medical practice and psychotherapy.

The effects of Therapeutic Touch are not dependent on the recipient’s belief or knowledge of the practice. TT has been used to calm crying babies and has been effective in special care nurseries and paediatrics in promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety.
Therapeutic Touch is a valuable aid to labouring women. Couples taught to use TT on each other have demonstrated enhanced relationships. One mother to be stated that she felt “safe, comforted, and relaxed” as long as TT was being used - (Dawson & Hall, 1998)
Therapeutic Touch certainly combines very well with modern health care. TT has been shown to reduce anxiety in cardiovascular patients, to reduce tension headache and enhance the immune response. TT provides benefits in terms of balancing the effects of drugs or surgery for example, reducing nausea associated with chemotherapy and facilitating the healing process. With early discharge, TT can assist the transition for the client and can be taught to family care-givers.
Therapeutic Touch is being used in aged care facilities for dementia care and has been found to reduce vocalization and wandering behaviour, as well as reduce pain and improve wellbeing (Gregory & Verdouw, 2005)
Therapeutic Touch enhances and expands therapeutic practice of many kinds. Health care practitioners report that TT brings increased sensitivity and ability to work with energy flow and combines well with a variety of therapies from massage and acupuncture to psychotherapy and modern medicine.
Understanding energy dynamics within and between people can also benefit teachers, relationship counselors, and life, leadership and business coaches.
As an added bonus, clients and their families can be taught how to use Therapeutic Touch to promote wellbeing, for first aid and as part of health care.
Therapeutic Touch can also be used for self care and personal development as a meditative and healing process.
Therapeutic Touch is often described as a healing meditation. Not surprisingly regular practitioners of TT report substantial benefits in their own lives, including enhanced wellbeing and accelerated personal development.

Therapeutic Touch: Professional Aspects

Literature

There is an extensive body of literature on Therapeutic Touch ranging from books by the co- developers Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz and other practitioners, to several hundred articles, doctoral dissertation, conference papers, videos, CD’s, web-sites and books, plus chapters and sections in literature on complementary therapies.

With regard to Australia, Therapeutic Touch has been the subject of a number of articles, conference papers and presentations. In addition there are a number of research articles in refereed journals.

Therapeutic Touch, TTAA teachers have been very active in this process.

A comprehensive overview of TT is presented in a chapter by Jane Hall in 'Complementary Therapies in Nursing and Midwifery' (2001), Ausmed publications. TT is discussed extensively in a recently published chapter on energy therapies by Geraldine Milton in 'Complementary Therapies and the Management of Diabetes and Vascular Disease. A Matter of Balance' (2006), John Wiley and Sons.
Sue Gregory has published and spoken widely on TT. A number of educational videos have been developed by Sue Gregory with a special focus on using TT in aged care. Sue has just published 'Silver energy:Healing for elders'(2008) with Chery Ann Hoffmeyer on the use of TT and other complementary therapies for aged and dementia care. Therapeutic Touch has been presented on national television, the most recent being ABC TV on Second Opinion, 5th July and 6th Sept 2005 with a story by Sue Gregory.

Research and Evidence Based Practice

Therapeutic Touch is one of the most widely researched complementary therapies available (NHPAI Archives).

Since its development as a nursing tool by Krieger and Kunz over 25 years ago (Krieger 1993, 1997), Therapeutic Touch has gained wide acceptance in the nursing, medical and general population arenas. In part, its popularity and efficacy is acknowledged through such venues as its use within the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Centre, a leading cardiac surgery facility in the United State’s (Oz 1999). A simple search of the academic databases provides a wealth of well-documented research into the use and efficacy of TT as a holistic, complementary therapy (see references for examples).

These findings reflect that fact that Therapeutic Touch grew out of a research program and has continued the rigour of such an approach from its inception. There are now over 40 doctoral and masters theses, 60 research projects and thousands of case studies which demonstrate the value of TT.

Overall research studies have shown Therapeutic Touch to: reduce anxiety, stress and pain; induce deep relaxation; accelerate healing; and promote profound personal growth.

Many studies, projects and case reviews have explored the use of Therapeutic Touch.
For a fully referenced listing, of the existing studies and research material on Therapeutic Touch, please contact Therapeutic Touch Association of Australasia on info@therapeutictouch.org.au