Therapeutic Touch     

Healing through physical touch conveys a sense of companionship, comfort and communication. Therapeutic Touch is based on the belief that a universal life force is at the core of all living things. This life force projects a field of energy that does not stop at the skin's surface but continues to radiate around the body. When the energy created by the life force is blocked or misdirected, pain or disease is created.

Derived in part from the ancient practice of laying on of hands, Therapeutic Touch is a consciously directed process which aims to redirect the flow of energy. Practitioners use their hands to detect and clear blockages, thus easing a patient's pain.

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Philosophy:

Therapeutic Touch postulates that there is an equilibrium between the inward and outward energy flow in healthy people. Disease or illness is seen as an imbalance or disruption in the energy field. This human energy field extends beyond the skin, and is visible through Kirlian photography.

Treatment is not performed in any religious setting and practitioners do not need to possess any extraordinary powers. Reciipients do not even need to believe in the effectiveness of Therapeutic Touch for it to have an effect. They are merely asked to relax and lt the redirection or exchange of energy happen. 

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Treatment:

Therapeutic Touch is also known as rebalancing and intervention. The goal is to restore balance to the patient's energy field, which then allows the patient to recover their own healing powers.

Practitioners begin a healing session with a brief meditation during which they visualize the patient as a healthy human being. The healer than sweeps their hands a few inches above the patient, moving from head to toe, feeling for unusual areas of heat or pressure spots where energy is blocked. This sweeping is sometimes repeated for a second time to check for disturbed areas. The Law of Opposites is the healer's guide in assessing the patient's state; warm areas should be cooled, directing energy towards an area that seems deficient or empty, trying to balance the patients energy field so it all feels uniform and flowing. Visualizing the energy field helps in location disturbed areas and reestablishing the proper balance. 

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Effectiveness:

Therapeutic Touch can be explained as a relaxation technique used to relieve pain, decrease anxiety and promote a sense of well-being. It may be practiced by any practitioner who has successfully completed a beginners workshop addressing the cognitive and experimental aspects of Therapeutic Touch.

Therapeutic Touch should be considered a process that is always individualized and usuall does not exceed 30 minutes. Young children, infants, pregnant women, people with psychiatric disorders, and the elderly are more sensitive to the interaction.

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