T Therapeutic Touch Deblina Roy and Sujita Kumar Kar Department of Psychiatry, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, UP, India Synonyms Biofield therapies Definition An alternative therapeutic intervention, which purports to manipulates the energy field of the client through a non-touch technique for relieving the distress Introduction Therapeutic touch is a therapeutic procedure that has been in use for the past few decades. It is a therapy from the alternative system of medicine (O’Mathúna 2016). This technique was developed by Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz (Straneva 2000). During the “therapeutic touch” procedure, the therapist move his/her hand over the body of the patient to manipulate the energy field and restore the balance of the surface energy field (O’Mathúna 2016). The word “therapeutic touch” is a misnomer, as, during the procedure, there is no actual skin to skin (body to body) contact between the therapist and the client; however, there occurs contact between energy fields of the therapist and client. It is also known as an energy-based treatment modality. It has been considered as an important intervention modality intended to provide holistic care in nursing practice (Hanley et al. 2017). Therapeutic touch is often used for facilitating subjective well-being, comfort, and relaxation to patients with various illnesses (Engebretson and Wardell 2007; Meehan 1998). It has been recognized as a complementary therapy by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Basis of Therapeutic Touch Existing evidence explaining the mechanism of action of “therapeutic touch” is not well understood by the current scientific knowledge. Explanations and claims regarding “therapeutic touch” by the therapists and clients still remain controversial due to its nonscientific nature (Meehan 1998). The theoretical explanations about therapeutic touch center around manipulation of energy field of the body of the client by the therapist (Umphred 2013). As per the existing explanatory models, the human body has an open energy field, which remains balanced in state in a healthy individual due to equal distribution in a biological symmetrical body. From this perspective, any imbalance in the body’s energy field results in © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 T. K. Shackelford, V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_784-1 2 Therapeutic Touch development of illness/disease (Umphred 2013). The ancient Indian as well as Chinese system of medicine emphasizes the existence of a body energy system and its relevance in maintaining the healthy body and mind. On this basis, therapeutic touch technique was founded and gained its popularity. its efficacy (Robinson et al. 2007). Nevertheless, some evidence suggests that therapeutic touch has been effective in alleviating the mood symptoms and emotional problems among otherwise healthy women with respect to objective standardized inventories and biomarkers (Lafreniere et al. 1999). Clinical Use of “Therapeutic Touch” Process of Therapeutic Touch The therapeutic touch technique has been used in treatment of various physical illnesses, ranging from wound care to pain, cardiovascular diseases, cancer treatment, as well as terminal illnesses (Monroe 2009; O’Mathúna 2016; Snyder 1997; Tabatabaee et al. 2016; Umphred 2013). In pain management, therapeutic touch was found to be effective, and as there are no risks associated with it, it may be considered as a useful therapeutic intervention in pain management (Monroe 2009). This therapy has been found effective for symptom relief and is hypothesized to work upon the immune system and improve the immune functioning although it is important to note that the evidence for such an effect is not very concrete (Jain et al. 2015). Similarly, therapeutic touch has been studied in patients with anxiety disorder. A Cochrane database review revealed that the existing evidence in support of therapeutic touch is not sufficient and emphasized that extensive research with sound methodology is necessary to provide evidence of The process of “therapeutic touch” is a soft, noninvasive general and sophisticated approach. It is individualized to meet the needs of the healing partner (client in need of healing). The process of how the therapeutic touch intervention is purported to occur is by transferring of the energies (field of energies that normally surround bodies of living organisms) (Fig. 1). The therapist, who is trained and certified to perform the therapeutic touch, performs this therapy. They attempt to alter the paradigm of their consciousness to enable their hands to pattern the energies of the sick or painful body part. The procedure requires the healer to stand or sit and the client to lie down or sit in relaxed state. The therapist first assesses the energy patterns by moving his/her hands over the receiver from 2 to 6 inches away from the body. Then, the therapist makes hand movements for correcting the imbalance in energy fields so that the energy can flow freely and heal the person internally (Umphred 2013). During the process, the therapist (healer) sweeps the energy over the Therapeutic Touch, Fig. 1 Depiction of a typical “touch therapy” session Therapeutic Touch body from the area where it is congested. This particular activity is known as “unruffling the energy field” (Umphred 2013). These therapies usually last 20 to 30 minutes followed by a period of rest. By therapeutic touch procedure, the therapist creates a conducive environment which facilitates the process of healing. Phases of Touch Therapy The procedure of touch therapy encompasses of the following phases: 1. 2. 3. 4. Centring Assessing Intervention balancing and rebalancing Evaluation and closure Centring: To bring one’s energy awareness by meditation, guided breathing, imagery, and changing their energy fields to bring a conscious change. Assessing: Here the therapist assesses the changes in the pattern of the energies by moving his/her hands in 2–6 inches above the body from the head to feet following a rhythm and symmetrical manner. Therapists have reported the feeling of warmth, tingling, and presence of blockade, pulling, and coolness during assessment of clients, which purportedly indicates that deviations in the energy systems are present. Intervention balancing and rebalancing: In this phase the therapist balances the energy fields as per assessment and balances the excess energies and restores lost energy. They make sweeping movements over the areas affected. Evaluation/closure: The therapist intuitively decides (using their professional expertise) when to terminate the session. The ongoing assessment of the energy fields and continuous feedback from the individuals determine the end of the therapy (Koopsen and Young 2009). Conclusion Therapeutic touch is one of the important interventions practiced by nurses as a part of the 3 holistic therapies. It considers individuals as a whole and as having potent ability to heal oneself. Although there is lack of strong scientific evidence on the mechanism of action of the therapy, it has shown promising results in managing pain and promoting healing. There is need of extensive research to understand the basis of this therapy. Cross-References ▶ Bodywork ▶ Energy Based Therapeutic Intervention ▶ Healing Touch References Engebretson, J., & Wardell, D. W. (2007). Energy-based modalities. Nursing Clinics of North America, 42(2), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2007.02.004. Hanley, M. A., Coppa, D., & Shields, D. (2017). A practicebased theory of healing through therapeutic touch: advancing holistic nursing practice. Journal of Holistic Nursing: Official Journal of the American Holistic Nurses’ Association, 35(4), 369–381. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0898010117721827. Jain, S., Hammerschlag, R., Mills, P., Cohen, L., Krieger, R., Vieten, C., & Lutgendorf, S. (2015). Clinical studies of biofield therapies: Summary, methodological challenges, and recommendations. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 4(Suppl), 58–66. https://doi. org/10.7453/gahmj.2015.034.suppl. Koopsen, C., & Young, C. (2009). Integrative health: A holistic approach for health professionals. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Lafreniere, K. D., Mutus, B., Cameron, S., Tannous, M., Giannotti, M., Abu-Zahra, H., & Laukkanen, E. (1999). Effects of therapeutic touch on biochemical and mood indicators in women. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.), 5(4), 367–370. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.1999.5.367. Meehan, T. C. (1998). Therapeutic touch as a nursing intervention. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28(1), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.1998.00771.x. Monroe, C. M. (2009). The effects of therapeutic touch on pain. Journal of Holistic Nursing: Official Journal of the American Holistic Nurses’ Association, 27(2), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010108327213. O’Mathúna, D. P. (2016). Therapeutic touch for healing acute wounds. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 5. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002766.pub4. Robinson, J., Biley, F. C., & Dolk, H. (2007). Therapeutic touch for anxiety disorders. The Cochrane Database of 4 Systematic Reviews, (3), CD006240. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/14651858.CD006240.pub2. Snyder, J. R. (1997). Therapeutic touch and the terminally ill: healing power through the hands. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 14(2), 83–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/104990919701400207. Straneva, J. A. (2000). Therapeutic touch coming of age. Holistic Nursing Practice, 14(3), 1–13. 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