Therapeutic Touch Practitioners Research Articles

Somatic countertransference experiences of nurse therapeutic touch practitioners: A content analysis

Somatic countertransference experiences of nurse therapeutic touch practitioners: A content analysis

A Practice-Based Theory of Healing Through Therapeutic Touch: Advancing Holistic Nursing Practice.

For nearly 50 years, Therapeutic Touch (TT) has contributed to advancing holistic nursing practice and has been recognized as a uniquely human approach to healing. This narrative explores the development of a practice-based theory of healing through TT, which occurred between 2010 and 2016. Through the in-depth self-inquiry of participatory reflective dialogue in concert with constant narrative analysis, TT practitioners revealed the meaning of healing within the context of their TT practice. As the community of TT experts participated in an iterative process of small group and community dialogues with analysis and synthesis of emerging themes, the assumptions and concepts central to a theory of healing emerged, were clarified and verified. Exemplars of practice illustrate the concepts. A model of the theory of healing illuminates the movement and relationship among concepts and evolved over time. Feedback from nursing and inter-professional practitioners indicate that the theory of healing, while situated within the context of TT, may be useful in advancing holistic nursing practice, informing healing and caring approaches, stimulating research and education, and contributing to future transformations in health care.

Therapeutic Touch® in a geriatric Palliative Care Unit – A retrospective review

Complementary therapies are increasingly used in palliative care as an adjunct to the standard management of symptoms to achieve an overall well-being for patients with malignant and non-malignant terminal illnesses. A Therapeutic Touch Program was introduced to a geriatric Palliative Care Unit (PCU) in October 2010 with two volunteer Therapeutic Touch Practitioners providing treatment. ObjectiveTo conduct a retrospective review of Therapeutic Touch services provided to patients in an in-patient geriatric palliative care unit in order to understand their responses to Therapeutic Touch. MethodsA retrospective medical chart review was conducted on both patients who received Therapeutic Touch as well as a random selection of patients who did not receive Therapeutic Touch from October 2010–June 2013. Client characteristics and the Therapeutic Touch Practitioners' observations of the patients' response to treatment were collected and analyzed. ResultsPatients who did not receive Therapeutic Touch tended to have lower admitting Palliative Performance Scale scores, shorter length of stay and were older. Based on a sample of responses provided by patients and observed by the Therapeutic Touch practitioner, the majority of patients receiving treatment achieved a state of relaxation or sleep. ConclusionsThis retrospective chart review suggests that implementation of a TT program for an inpatient geriatric Palliative Care Unit is feasible, and appears to be safe, and well-tolerated. Moreover, patient responses, as recorded in the Therapeutic Touch practitioners' session notes, suggest beneficial effects of Therapeutic Touch for a significant number of participants with no evidence of negative sequelae. Therefore, the use of TT in this difficult setting appears to have potential value as an adjunct or complementary therapy to help patients relax.

Therapeutic Touch Has Significant Effects on Mouse Breast Cancer Metastasis and Immune Responses but Not Primary Tumor Size.

Evidence-based integrative medicine therapies have been introduced to promote wellness and offset side-effects from cancer treatment. Energy medicine is an integrative medicine technique using the human biofield to promote well-being. The biofield therapy chosen for study was Therapeutic Touch (TT). Breast cancer tumors were initiated in mice by injection of metastatic 66cl4 mammary carcinoma cells. The control group received only vehicle. TT or mock treatments were performed twice a week for 10 minutes. Two experienced TT practitioners alternated treatments. At 26 days, metastasis to popliteal lymph nodes was determined by clonogenic assay. Changes in immune function were measured by analysis of serum cytokines and by fluorescent activated cells sorting (FACS) of immune cells from the spleen and lymph nodes. No significant differences were found in body weight gain or tumor size. Metastasis was significantly reduced in the TT-treated mice compared to mock-treated mice. Cancer significantly elevated eleven cytokines. TT significantly reduced IL-1-a, MIG, IL-1b, and MIP-2 to control/vehicle levels. FACS demonstrated that TT significantly reduced specific splenic lymphocyte subsets and macrophages were significantly elevated with cancer. Human biofield therapy had no significant effect on primary tumor but produced significant effects on metastasis and immune responses in a mouse breast cancer model.

New Insights on Therapeutic Touch: A Discussion of Experimental Methodology and Design That Resulted in Significant Effects on Normal Human Cells and Osteosarcoma

Our purpose is to discuss the study design and innovative approaches that led to finding significant effects of one energy medicine therapy, Therapeutic Touch (TT), on cells. In the original published studies, TT was shown to significantly increase human osteoblast DNA synthesis, differentiation, and mineralization; increase in a dose-dependent manner the growth of other human cell types; and decrease the differentiation and mineralization of a human osteosarcoma-derived cell line. A unique feature of the study's methodology and design that contributed to the success of the findings was that a basic level of skill and maturity of the TT practitioner was quantified for producing observable and replicable outcomes in a test administered to all TT practitioners. Only those practitioners that passed the test were selected for the study. (2) The practitioners were required to keep a journal, which appeared to promote their ability to stay centered and replicate their treatments over months of cell experimentation. (3) The origin of the cells that the practitioners were treating was explained to them, although they were blinded to cell type during the experiments. (4) Only early passage cells were used to maintain a stable cell phenotype. (5) Standard protocols for performing TT in the room were followed to ensure reproducible conditions. (6) Placebo controls and untreated controls were used for each experiment. (7) The principal investigator and technicians performing the assays were blinded as to the experimental groups, and all assays and procedures were well established in the laboratory prior to the start of the TT experiments. The absence of studies on the human biofield from mainstream scientific literature is also discussed by describing the difficulties encountered in publishing. These roadblocks contribute to our lack of understanding of the human biofield and energy medicine modalities in science. In conclusion, this report seeks to encourage well-designed, evidence-based studies on the human biofield and the therapeutic potential of the human biofield.

A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial Examining the Safety and Efficacy of Therapeutic Touch in Premature Infants

To explore the hypothesis that nontouch therapy such as therapeutic touch (TT) reduces stress to a clinically important degree and is safe to use in preterm infants. A pilot randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Two groups of 10 infants were enrolled and randomly assigned to treatment or nontreatment groups. Gestational age was less than 29 weeks. Demographic descriptions of the 2 groups were statistically similar. The observer and staff were blinded to assignment; the TT practitioner was blinded to observed measurements. Each infant received either TT or no therapeutic touch (NTT) for 5 minutes on 3 consecutive days at the same time of day, behind a curtain. Heart period variability (HPV) was measured 5 minutes before, during, and after the treatment phase. Examination of the parameters of oxygen saturation and episodes of apnea demonstrated no increase in adverse events in TT group compared with NTT group. Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance on HPV revealed differences in the interaction of group assignment with low-frequency, high-frequency, and low-to-high- frequency ratio interaction (F2,143 = 8.076, P = .000) and for group, day, and low-frequency, high-frequency, and low-to-high-frequency ratio (F2,288 = 3.146, P = .015), and in the posttreatment time period (F1,16 = 6.259, P = .024), reflective of greater parasympathetic activity in TT group. In this pilot trial, HPV showed an increase for the TT group compared with the NTT group. The study reveals no adverse effects of TT in preterm infants.

Motivations for consulting complementary and alternative medicine practitioners: A comparison of consumers from 1997–8 and 2005

BackgroundUse of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and especially CAM practitioners, has continued to rise in recent years. Although several motivators of CAM use have been identified, little is known about how and if the motivations for using CAM have changed over time. The purpose of the current study was to compare the reasons for consulting CAM practitioners in consumers in 1997–8 and eight years later in 2005.MethodsSurveys were displayed in CAM and conventional medicine offices and clinics in Ontario, Canada in 1997–8 and again in 2005, and self-selected participants returned the surveys by mail.ResultsIn 1997–8, 141 CAM consumers were identified from the 199 surveys returned, and 185 CAM consumers were identified from the 239 surveys returned in 2005. Five of the six CAM motivations were more likely to be endorsed by the 2005 CAM consumers compared to the 1997–8 CAM consumers (all p's < .0001). In 1997–8 the two top reasons for using CAM were that CAM allowed them to take an active role in their health (51.8%), and because conventional medicine was ineffective for their health problem (41.8%). In 2005, the treatment of the whole person (78.3%) was the top reason for using CAM followed by taking an active role in one's health (76.5%). The 2005 consumers were less educated, had slightly more chronic health complaints, had been using CAM for longer, and were more likely to consult chiropractors, reflexologists, and therapeutic touch practitioners than the 1997–8 consumers. Otherwise, the socio-demographic and health profiles of the two groups of CAM consumers were similar, as was their use of CAM.ConclusionCompared to consumers in 1997–8, consumers in 2005 were more likely to endorse five of the six motivations for consulting CAM practitioners. A shift towards motivations focusing more on the positive aspects of CAM and less on the negative aspects of conventional medicine was also noted for the 2005 consumers. Findings suggest that CAM motivations may shift over time as public knowledge of and experience with CAM also changes.

A close look at “a close look at therapeutic touch”

A widely publicized article in the Journal of the American Medical Association purported to refute therapeutic touch. The article is carefully examined; it is concluded that the reported research does not justify the JAMA authors’ conclusions but that further research is necessary and desirable to settle the question of whether therapeutic touch practitioners can detect a human energy field.

Exploring the self‐healing potential of therapeutic touch

AbstractTo counter the dissatisfaction and alienation that many nurses experience, many have begun to broaden their horizons and, in what has been referred to as “an effort to return to the human”2, have turned to complementary therapies to enrich and deepen their contact with patients. Although Therapeutic Touch (TT) is often described as a complementary therapy, it is an approach to care which is based on a profound shift in consciousness in the practitioner. It is a core quality relevant to all healing and healthcare practices, rather than a complementary therapy3. It is more intricate and complex than cause and effect and goes beyond being simply a skill for nurses to learn. The ability to become an effective TT Practitioner appears to be dependent on the spiritual development of the individual. Therefore TT is more than another therapy. This paper explores some of these issues and draws a link between the healing, health and wellbeing of the practioner and the practice of TT, based on a small scale study of a group of TT advanced practice students.Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Influences of a relaxation intervention on perceived stress and power spectral analysis of heart rate variability.

This study was designed to determine whether power spectral analysis (PSA) of heart rate variability (HRV) can detect change in autonomic tone following a relaxation intervention called therapeutic touch (TT). Thirty healthy subjects underwent TT by one of three TT practitioners using the steps developed by Krieger and Kunz (The Therapeutic Touch, Prentice-Hall, 1979). Both subjects and TT practitioners were monitored by continuous electrocardiographic monitoring (Holter) before (15 minutes), during, and after (15 minutes) TT was administered. Subjects and TT practitioners completed a visual analogue scale (VAS) of perceived stress before and after TT. Change scores for VAS and PSA of high-frequency/low-frequency (HF/LF) ratios were compared for the 2-minute interval before TT began and the end of TT and the end of the recovery period, using t tests. VAS scores decreased (less stress) from before to after TT for both subjects (p < 0.0005) and TT practitioners (p < 0.0005). Mean HF/LF ratios increased significantly to reflect greater parasympathetic dominance from before TT to the end of treatment for subjects (p = 0.006), but not for TT practitioners. However, further analysis revealed that this change was due to an exaggerated HF/LF response from four outliers (p < 0.0005). Data collected in this study did not reveal differences between these four subjects and the rest of the sample. There were no significant changes in HF/LF ratios from the end of TT to end of recovery for either group. Further research is needed to determine why some subjects may have greater change in autonomic tone in response to relaxation in order to be able to predict who will demonstrate physiologic response to relaxation interventions.

A survey of therapeutic touch practitioners.

Therapeutic touch is the name of a specific nursing technique that was devised by Dr Dolores Krieger, an American nurse, in the early 1970s. This article provides a brief overview of therapeutic touch, and describes the responses received to a survey exploring the views and experiences of its practitioners in Britain.

A close look at therapeutic touch.

Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a widely used nursing practice rooted in mysticism but alleged to have a scientific basis. Practitioners of TT claim to treat many medical conditions by using their hands to manipulate a "human energy field" perceptible above the patient's skin. To investigate whether TT practitioners can actually perceive a "human energy field." Twenty-one practitioners with TT experience for from 1 to 27 years were tested under blinded conditions to determine whether they could correctly identify which of their hands was closest to the investigator's hand. Placement of the investigator's hand was determined by flipping a coin. Fourteen practitioners were tested 10 times each, and 7 practitioners were tested 20 times each. Practitioners of TT were asked to state whether the investigator's unseen hand hovered above their right hand or their left hand. To show the validity of TT theory, the practitioners should have been able to locate the investigator's hand 100% of the time. A score of 50% would be expected through chance alone. Practitioners of TT identified the correct hand in only 123 (44%) of 280 trials, which is close to what would be expected for random chance. There was no significant correlation between the practitioner's score and length of experience (r=0.23). The statistical power of this experiment was sufficient to conclude that if TT practitioners could reliably detect a human energy field, the study would have demonstrated this. Twenty-one experienced TT practitioners were unable to detect the investigator's "energy field." Their failure to substantiate TT's most fundamental claim is unrefuted evidence that the claims of TT are groundless and that further professional use is unjustified.

Wound healing and complementary therapies: a review.

A series of five innovative experiments conducted by Wirth et al. which examined the effect of various complementary healing interventions on the reepithelialization rate of full thickness human dermal wounds was assessed as to specific methodological and related factors. The treatment interventions utilized in the series included experimental derivatives of the Therapeutic Touch (TT), Reiki, LeShan, and Intercessory Prayer techniques. The results of the series indicated statistical significance for the initial two experiments and nonsignificance or reverse significance for the remaining three studies. This review article examines the methodological designs of the series of studies, along with the TT practitioners' phenomenologically based journal reports, to provide potential contributing correlative factors for the differential results obtained. These factors include: (1) methodological design restrictions, (2) a transference/inhibitory effect (3) the influence of experimental assistants, (4) healer visualization /imagery techniques, (5) variations in subject populations, and (6) a potential cancellation effect. While the placebo controlled double-blind methodological designs used in the series were as stringent as those used in other fields of scientific inquiry, the overall results of the experiments were inconclusive in establishing the efficacy of the treatment interventions for accelerating the rate of reepithelialization of full thickness dermal wounds.

Non-contact therapeutic touch intervention and full-thickness cutaneous wounds: a replication

The study described here utilized a randomized double-blind methodological protocol in order to examine the effect of non-contact therapeutic touch (NCTT) on the healing rate of full-thickness human dermal wounds. This study is the fifth experiment in a series of extensions based on the original research design, and is an exact methodological replication of the second study in the series. Thirty-two healthy subjects were randomly divided into treatment and control groups and biopsies were performed on the lateral deltoid and assessed at day 5 and day 10. Treatment and control group conditions included 5 min of exposure to a hidden non-contact therapeutic touch practitioner, who was working through a one-way mirror, and control exposure, respectively. The results of the study indicated a statistically significant rate of wound re-epithelialization at day 10, although in the opposite direction from that hypothesized. While the study was inconclusive in demonstrating the efficacy of non-contact therapeutic touch therapy, the findings of the experiment were nevertheless considered important because of the possible inhibitory response exhibited by the treatment group. This response was indicated by data analysis which demonstrated that the treated group exhibited no fully healed wounds by day 10, in comparison to the control group which exhibited four fully healed wounds. This fact, coupled with the observation that the healer's ill health resulted in the treatment group subjects experiencing adverse physiological reactions during the healing sessions, indicated that an inhibitory effect had occurred. The study is the first of its kind to indicate an inhibitory effect utilizing a randomized double-blind methodological protocol wherein the healer was physically isolated from the subjects, and the participants were concomitantly unaware of the physical and psychological state of the healer.

Haematological indicators of complementary healing intervention

The effect of Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, LeShan, and Qigong Therapy in combination on haematological measures was examined in an exploratory pilot study utilizing a randomized, double-blind, within-subject, crossover design. Fourteen subjects were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions for two one-hour evaluation sessions separated by a 24-hour period. Six blood samples were taken from each subject — three during the treatment condition and three during the control condition — for a total of 84 separate analyses. Blood samples were taken prior to the commencement of each evaluation session as well as at 30- and 60-minute intervals and analyzed using an i-STAT point-of-care clinical analyzer. Treatment intervention included a distant healing element — with Reiki and LeShan healers working conjunctively — as well as an inperson healing period wherein a Qigong and Therapeutic Touch practitioner worked independently through a one-way mirror. The subjects were blinded to the treatment intervention as well as to the nature of the experimental protocol in order to control for suggestion, expectation of healing, and the placebo effect. The results demonstrated that the treatment had a significant effect versus the control condition for urea nitrogen values at time point two (P = 0.02), as well as significance for blood glucose values at time point one (P = 0.03) and time point two (P = 0.0001). The findings of the study are considered preliminary in nature, however, due to the fact that the significant effects demonstrated may have been influenced by several factors other than the treatment intervention including: psychophysiological factors, the incorporation of meditation into the experimental protocol, dietary and measurement variability elements, the experimenter effect, and the utilization of subjects who were students/patients of the Qigong practitioner.

Therapeutic Touch as Energy Exchange: Replication and Extension

This study replicated and extended previous published research which suggests that therapeutic touch involves an energy exchange. The theorem that eye and facial contact between therapeutic touch practitioners and subjects should not be necessary to produce the effect of anxiety reduction was deduced from the Rogerian conceptual system and tested. This theorem was not supported. Numerous explanations for the failure of the hypotheses to be supported are posited, among them the impact of the research design, effects related to the investigator as practitioner, and medication. The influence of medication in particular is so pervasive in the sample that it would seem to be the most reasonable explanation.