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Therapeutic Touch

A Therapeutic Touch treatment is a process that is always individualized and usually does not exceed 30 minutes in length. Your practitioner may ask you to sit in a chair or lie down; whichever is more comfortable for you. It is not necessary to disrobe.

Exact methods vary between practitioners, but generally they will pass their hands over your body from head to toe, front and back, holding them 2 to 4 inches from the skin. This is done to assess the condition of the human energy field. They may then use rhythmic sweeping motions of the hands, as if they are smoothing out wrinkles in your energy field. The practitioner may or may not touch you physically.

Therapeutic Touch promotes relaxation and a sense of comfort and well-being. Research has shown that Therapeutic Touch is effective in decreasing anxiety, altering the perception of pain, and mobilizing the individual's own healing energies to restore balance and order. It can help facilitate the body's natural healing processes, such as wound healing, mending fractures, and fighting infections. Symptoms that are associated with stress are particularly sensitive. It is not unusual to see such signs of tension release during a treatment as perspiration, crying, a slowing of breathing, physical relaxation, and a decrease in heart rate.

The response to treatment varies with the individual. You may notice a change immediately or it may take hours or even days. Although one treatment is often sufficient, it is usually helpful to have regular treatments, especially for chronic problems, since the response can be cumulative. Because Therapeutic Touch facilitates relaxation, it can be useful in health maintenance and is therefore not limited to the treatment of illness.