For people dealing with chronic pain and immune system disorders, the healing modality known as Therapeutic Touch (TT) may provide relief that traditional medicine cannot.  It may also provide healing benefits for people suffering from emotional stress and anxiety. Therapeutic Touch is a contemporary interpretation of several ancient healing practices.  It was developed in the early 1970’s by Dolores Krieger, a registered nurse and PhD Professor Emerita at New York University and Dora Kunz, known as a natural healer.   The technique is based upon the theory that our bodies are made of energy, and that disease is a condition of energy imbalance and disorder. 

Therapeutic Touch seeks to bring balance and order to the body’s energy field through a process of energy exchange during which the practitioner uses the hands as a focus to facilitate the healing process.  It is said to relieve pain, enhance well being and comfort while reducing stress and anxiety, thereby promoting calmness and the body’s ability to heal itself.  It has been used as a complementary therapy in treating individuals with arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, headaches, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, pre and post surgery, HIV/AIDS and depression.  It is used to help reduce the symptoms of chemotherapy and radiation therapy in cancer patients and also for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in returning war veterans. 

Like many practitioners of Therapeutic Touch, Rebecca Good is a registered nurse. She also has a Masters degree in Counseling and is certified as a Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.  She began her nursing career treating returning Vietnam War veterans.  Rebecca has been a Therapeutic Touch practitioner for more than 30 years, citing its ability to heal the whole person.  

“True healing means healing the body, mind, emotion and spirit”, says Rebecca.  “Therapeutic Touch empowers the body to heal itself.  It treats the whole being.”   Key to the process is the compassion and intention of the practitioner, which might be one reason why so many of them are nurses.

“The process involves being ‘centered,’ and totally present with the patient,” says Rebecca.  “Then we provide an assessment and an energetic plan of care.”   How does a therapy session work? Rebecca offered to provide a demonstration.  I sat fully clothed as she moved her hands in smooth rhythmic motions within a few inches of my body, commenting on the various levels of energy that she could detect.  She also did some "hands on" smoothing of my upper back and shoulders and stimulated the arches of my feet to enhance the flow of energy. The process is always individualized and does not exceed 30 minutes for the actual treatment. Some of the sensations that may be experienced are changes in temperature, tingling, and relaxation.  I did not feel any significant changes during the session, although I did feel more relaxed.  But later I noticed that my chronic low back pain from ankylosing spondylitis was lessened. 

While some dismiss Therapeutic Touch as quackery, practitioners point to clinical studies that document the positive effects of Therapeutic Touch for reducing pain and anxiety in the elderly population, for reducing pain in amputees suffering from “phantom limb” pain, and a recent study that demonstrated the positive effects of Therapeutic Touch on the proliferation of normal human cells in a laboratory setting. 

Therapeutic Touch is practiced at numerous hospitals and clinics across the country, and in private practice    Rebecca recommends that anyone interested in receiving treatments screen holistic practitioners appropriately including qualifications, experience and fees.

For more information about Therapeutic Touch, or to find a qualified practitioner or teacher, you can visit the official website of the Nurse Healers Professional Associates International.
Hartford Hospital also has a section devoted to Touch Therapy.  Or visit Rebecca’s website.