Healing Touch

Healing touch heals energy, strengthens spirit

For proponents of healing touch, all people are naturally healthy.  Proponents of healing touch believe that there is an energy or life force flowing around and through all living organisms. When the person is healthy, the energy flows in and out of the body in a balanced way. Healing touch practitioners believe that negative thinking can disturb the energy field and contribute to a person's illness. The purpose of healing touch is to help restore the patient's natural healthy energy field. In doing so, healing touch can influence a person's physical, emotional, and spiritual health.  These beliefs are similar to the beliefs underlying other forms of energy medicine.  In particular, there are great similarities between healing touch and the healing practices known as  therapeutic touch and Reiki.

The use of healing touch emerged in its current form fairly recently.  Nurses started using a specific form of healing touch in the 1970's.  Healing touch was developed as a compassionate aid to medical treatment. Today a number of nursing schools offer classes in healing touch and it is often used with conventional medical treatment. It is effective both before and after surgery to help comfort and calm surgical patients.

 Nurses who use "healing touch" believe the balance of energy experienced by a patient can be restored and aid in the healing process. They use their hands to attempt to rebalance the patient's life energy force. Healing touch does not require the nurse to touch the patient. The nurse simply moves their hands inches above the patient's body.  Nurses claim healing touch is especially effective for patients who have wounds, general infections, or are suffering from pain and anxiety. As we know, anxiety and stress are important contributors to many physical ailments.

Patients have related stories of pain relief, reduced stress and decreased anxiety, and faster healing because of a nurse practiced healing touch therapy. Families have also been helped while staying with a critically ill family member. Physical touch is not necessary for healing touch therapy, but many experience emotional and spiritual healing by a gentle, understanding, and appropriate touch by a caring medical caregiver. Some may consider healing touch a placebo, but others will gladly verify the usefulness of healing touch therapy.

There are no known risks for the patient if a nurse uses healing touch along with conventional medical intervention. But, most agree that it is not appropriate for patients who have life-threatening or serious diseases. Healing touch can be an important part of a holistic approach to healing, but it should not be used as a replacement for conventional medical care. Healing touch should be used only in combination with regular medical care.