I have already mentioned I am an RN. Several years ago I became interested in an alternative healing modality called Therapeutic Touch. I heard about TT first on an Unsolved Mysteries show. It was vaguely interesting and I put it to the back of my mind. That same month I saw an article in Reader's Digest about the same thing. Everyone knows the best medical advice comes from Reader's Digest! Again, it was interesting, and again I put it to the back of my mind. A few weeks or a month later one of the nursing journals had, you guessed it, an article about TT. That same week my hospital quarterly publication came out with the continuing education offerings, and there it was again. (Someone telling me something?) This time I did more than put it to the back of my mind and signed up for the class. I was more than a little scepticle, but have always believed in possibilities, so I attended with an open mind. (As open as I can manage that is!)
I learned about the beginnings of TT in this country by two women, one an RN, Dolores Krieger, and one a natural healer, Dora Kunz. Dora Kunz used TT in the healing of animals that people brought to her with remarkable results. Dora was one of a few gifted people that could see the auras that surround all living creatures. The aura is an electro- magnetic field that shows colors and hues, brightness and dark depending on a person's physical, mental, and emotional health. Dora found that by placing the hands on the outside of this energy field and moving in certain ways she could effect the field. Later she decided to see if this could be taught, and found out that others had the same results without seeing the aura.
We learned some meditation techniques to make us more receptive to our patients and that energy field. Feeling somewhat silly I practiced on other students in the class. I could feel a tingling sensation on the palms of my hands. One instance when I forgot to center myself in meditation I became genuinely nauseated.
I have since taken the intermediate classes and use TT in my nursing profession in places where I think it appropriate. I also have used it with my fellow nurses and many of them have been helped with things such as relieved headaches to muscle strain. One nurse had been having some trouble with pain in her ankle. She was relieved of the pain. She later had the ankle x-rayed and found a hairline fracture. I wish I could say this process healed the fracture but it did not. It did make her more comfortable though. (One important aside here, that persistent pain should always have a medical consultation.) One nurse stated to me the next day that she had one day with no back pain and had not had that happen for awhile, after a ten minute session with TT.
Therapeutic Touch begins with a brief meditation or centering. That is too difficult to explain here. Than begins an assessment of the clients energy field. I will feel a slight tingling in my palms as I begin. I can feel a congested area as very warm or a low energy area as very cool. I have felt energy being pulled out of my palms into an area of coolness. I am balancing the clients energy, not using my own, using energy that is all around us. After I have made my initial assessment, I start smoothing out the energy field. I do this by passing my hands about 2-3 inches over the clients body. I do this usually several times and than I check the soles of the feet, opening them to allow this energy to flow freely. This is part of the assessment too, to tell me if the energy is balanced or uneven. I have felt many different things here. One side might be pulsing through the bottom of the foot, while I either don't feel anything from the other side or a milder sensation. My goal here is to have the energy moving freely through both feet with the same speed. The client usually starts to feel better once this energy is moving freely again. The final stage is to reassess for any blocked or cool areas, and if none are felt, I am done. The whole process usually takes 15-20 minutes. I want to emphasize here that Therapeutic Touch is a non-invasive hands off healing practice, though some practitioners choose to incorporate a neck or back massage that works well, in conjunction with TT.
I will have some links about alternative medicine here. You may email me for further information. You can usually find a Therapuetic Touch practitioner at your local hospital or school of nursing. Most universities that teach in health areas are incorporating this into their curriculum. The least that can be said for this type of therapy is a general feeling of relaxation experienced by all participants. The most is complete relief of pain. Pain, is increased by muscle tightness and as the muscles tighten the pain becomes worse. It is easy to see how relaxing can alleviate the pain. There have also been some studies done to the blood of both the practitioner and the client and a larger amount of T Cells are usually found. T Cells are instrumental in immune system response. Since practicing TT, I personally have been ill less often and for a shorter duration at one time. As I use the energy field to help my clients I am also being made the beneficiary of that same energy.
TT seems to work whether you believe in it or not.Testimonials and pictures/*/ Testimonials page 2
6/2/02
There continues to be studies on the benefits of T.T.; One study is in the Wichita area on the usefulness of T.T. on relieving pain in Fibromyalgia. I will bring you more information as I have it.
8/1/04
Kirlian photography is a way of representing the energy of the body in visual form. Since discovered by inventors Semyon and Valentina Kirlian in 1939, the technique has been researched and refined by independent labs and health practitioners throughout the globe.
More can be read about Kirlian photography here:Kirlian photographyand here:Kirlian Photography/UK.
page visits since April 24, 2001
updated August 1, 2004
Promised Links:
(authors note: All medical conditions should be seen by a physician, TT does not replace good medical advice, but can work along side of modern medicine.
author's note 2: Contents may be used for review purposes or personal use with full acknowledgement given to this site!
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