Healing Touch is a form of energy therapy that manipulates the energy fields around the human body to promote health and healing. Healing Touch therapy is classified as a biofield (energy field) therapy by the National Institutes of Health.
Healing Touch therapy is used in hospitals, hospices, clinics, long-term care centers and nursing schools around the world as a complement to traditional medical care and other forms of treatment.
Unlike many other forms of energy therapy, the Healing Touch program originated within the medical community. Janet Mentgen, the founder of Healing Touch, was a practicing nurse for 43 years, beginning her career as a nurse with the U.S. Navy, and then working as an emergency room and home health nurse. Mentgen was sensitive to her patient's energies and noticed the positive effects of touch therapy in her work. She started to develop energy therapy techniques, and began using them in her work beginning in 1980.
Continuing her private practice, Mentgen began teaching her energy therapy and touch therapy techniques, and eventually formalized the Healing Touch program in 1989.
Healing Touch is actually more an energy therapy than a touch therapy. In Healing Touch therapy, practitioners use their hands to bring balance to their clients' energy fields, so actually touching a client's body isn't always necessary. The steps involved in a typical Healing Touch session, which usually lasts about an hour, are as follows:
As a form of energy therapy, Healing Touch is non-invasive and non-toxic. Practitioners and patients attribute a wide variety of benefits to Healing Touch, including:
Healing Touch can be used in conjunction with other forms of therapy and medicine, such as traditional medicine, psychotherapy, acupuncture and more. Those with serious medical conditions should consult their healthcare providers before starting Healing Touch therapy.
Healing Touch Program. (n.d.). Janet Mentgen and the Healing Touch story. Retrieved August 4, 2010, from http://www.healingtouchprogram.com/about/janet.shtml
Johnston, L. (2009). Healing Touch. Retrieved August 4, 2010, from http://www.healingtherapies.info/Healing-Touch.htm
Kelsey, A.B. (n.d.). What is Healing Touch? Retrieved August 4, 2010, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-healing-touch.htm
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (2009). What is CAM? Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/
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