Experiences of administering and receiving therapeutic touch in intensive care.

Abstract

This article describes the experiences of a practitioner who administered therapeutic touch (TT) to two patients in an intensive care unit and the experiences of the two patients who received TT. The experiences are presented as two case studies. Each of the patients presented in the case studies received either five or ten treatments of TT lasting five minutes each. Following each administration of TT the practitioner described what she sensed verbally and in writing. However, owing to the medical conditions of the patients, only brief interviews were conducted in which the patients were asked to describe their experiences of receiving TT. The experiences, which have been reflected in the case studies, indicate TT assists patients to relax, brings comfort and a sense of peace. Much like meditation, TT helps patients become more in touch with themselves. They come to understand more about themselves and reality. TT is recommended as a practice which could contribute to the psychological well-being of patients in intensive care as it promotes relaxation, comfort and a sense of peace.