Le therapeutic touch is an approach that recalls the ancient practice oflaying on of hands, without religious connotation however. This is probably one of theenergy approaches the most scientifically studied and documented. Various studies tend to show its effectiveness in reducing anxiety, pain, and postoperative side effects and chemotherapy, for example.

The method is also approved by many associations ofnurses including the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ), Nurses of the Order of Victoria (VON Canada) and the American Nurses Association. It is applied in very many hospitals and taught in more than 100 universities and colleges, in 75 countries around the world¹.

Despite its name, the therapeutic touch does not usually involve direct touch. The practitioner usually keeps his hands about ten centimeters from the body of the patient who remains clothed. A therapeutic touch session lasts 10 to 30 minutes and normally takes place in 5 stages:

• The practitioner centers himself internally.
• Using his hands, he assesses the nature of the recipient’s energy field.
• It sweeps with wide movements of the hands to eliminate energy congestion.
• It re-harmonizes the energy field by projecting thoughts, sounds or colors into it.
• Finally, it reassesses the quality of the energy field.

Therapeutic touch practitioners explain that body, mind and emotions are part of a energy field complex and dynamic, specific to each person, which would be quantum in nature. If this field is in harmonyis health; disturbed is disease.

The therapeutic touch would allow, thanks to a energy transfer, rebalance the energy field and promote health. According to critics of the approach, the very presence of an “energy field” has never been scientifically proven and the benefits of therapeutic touch should only be attributed to a response psychological positive or to the effect placebo².

To add to the controversy, according to the theorists of therapeutic touch, one of the essential components of a therapeutic touch treatment would be the quality of centration, ofintention and compassion of the speaker; which, it must be admitted, is not easy to assess clinically …

Le therapeutic touch was developed in the early 1970s by a “healer,” Dora Kunz, and Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., a nurse and professor at New York University. They collaborated with physicians specializing in allergy and immunology, neuropsychiatry as well as with researchers, including Montreal biochemist Bernard Grad of the Allen Memorial Institute at McGill University. This one carried out numerous studies on the modifications which healers could generate, in particular on bacteria, yeasts, mice and laboratory rats.^3,4.

When it was first created, therapeutic touch quickly became popular with nurses because of their contact privileged with suffering people, their knowledge of bodies human and their compassion natural. Since then, probably because of its great simplicity (you can learn the basic technique in 3 days), therapeutic touch has spread in the general population. In 1977, Dolores Krieger founded the Nurse Healers – Professional Associates International (NH-PAI)⁵ which still governs practice today.

Several randomized clinical trials have evaluated the effects of therapeutic touch on different issues. Two meta-analyzes, published in 1999^6,7, and several systematic reviews^8-12 , published until 2009, have concluded possible efficiency. However, the authors of the majority of research highlight various anomalies methodological, the few well-controlled studies published and the difficulty in explaining the functioning of therapeutic touch. They conclude that it is not possible at this stage of the research to confirm with any certainty the efficacy of therapeutic touch and that further well-controlled trials would be needed.

 Reduce anxiety. By restoring energy fields and inducing a state of relaxation, therapeutic touch could help provide a feeling of well-being by reducing anxiety.^13,14. The results of several randomized clinical trials have shown that, compared to a control group or a placebo group, therapeutic touch sessions were effective in reducing anxiety in pregnant women. addicts¹⁵, institutionalized elderly¹⁶, patients psychiatrized¹⁷, large burned¹⁸, from patients to care intensive¹⁹ and children infected with HIV²⁰.

On the other hand, no beneficial effect was observed in another randomized clinical study evaluating the effectiveness of therapeutic touch in reducing pain and anxiety in women having to undergo biopsy you breast²¹.

Two randomized trials also evaluated the effects of therapeutic touch in healthy subjects. These tests show results contradictory. The results of the first²² indicate that therapeutic touch sessions with 40 health professionals and students did not have a positive effect on theanxiety in response to a stressful period (exam, oral presentation, etc.) compared to a control group. However, the small sample size of this trial may have reduced the possibility of detecting a significant effect of therapeutic touch. Conversely, the results of the second test²³ (41 healthy women aged 30 to 64) demonstrate a positive effect. Compared to the control group, women in the experimental group had decreases in anxiety and tension.

 Improve the well-being of people with cancer. In 2008, 90 patients hospitalized for treatment of chemotherapy received, for 5 days, a daily treatment of therapeutic touch²⁴. The women were randomly divided into 3 groups: therapeutic touch, placebo (imitation of touch) and control group (usual interventions). The results showed that the therapeutic touch applied in the experimental group was significantly more effective in reducing pain and fatigue compared to the other two groups.

A control group trial published in 1998 evaluated the effects of therapeutic touch in 20 subjects aged 38 to 68 years with terminal cancer²⁵. The results indicate that therapeutic touching interventions lasting 15 to 20 minutes administered for 4 consecutive days induced an improvement in the sensation of well-being. During this time, patients in the control group noted a reduction in their well-being.

Another randomized trial compared the effects of therapeutic touch and Swedish massage during the bone marrow transplant process in 88 subjects with cancer²⁶. The patients received therapeutic touch or massage sessions every 3 days from the start to the end of their treatments. Subjects in the control group were visited by a volunteer to participate in a friendly conversation. Patients in the therapeutic touch and massage groups reported a superior comfort during the transplant process, compared to those in the control group. However, no difference was observed between the 3 groups with regard to postoperative complications.

 Relieve pain related to surgery or painful treatment in hospitalized patients. By inducing a feeling of comfort and relaxation, therapeutic touch could be a complementary intervention to conventional pharmacological treatments to control the pain of hospitalized patients.^27,28. A well-controlled randomized trial published in 1993 offered one of the first measures of the benefits of therapeutic touch in this area.²⁹. This trial involved 108 patients who had undergone surgery major abdominal or pelvic surgery. A reduction in postoperative pain was observed in patients in the “therapeutic touch” (13%) and “standard analgesic treatment” (42%) groups, but no change was observed in patients in the placebo group. In addition, the results indicated that the therapeutic touch prolonged the time interval between the doses of analgesics requested by the patients compared to those in the placebo group.

In 2008, a study evaluated therapeutic touch in patients undergoing for the first time a bypass coronary³⁰. The subjects were separated into 3 groups: therapeutic touch, friendly visits and standard care. Patients in the therapy group showed lower anxiety levels and shorter hospital stays than those in the other 2 groups. On the other hand, no significant difference in the use of drugs or the incidence of cardiac rhythm problem after surgery was observed.

The results of another randomized trial of 99 major burns hospitalized patients showed that, compared to a placebo group, therapeutic touch sessions were effective in reducing the pain¹⁸. However, no difference was observed between the 2 groups with regard to drug consumption.

These results do not allow us to recommend the use of therapeutic touch alone to reduce postoperative pain. But they do indicate that in combination with standard care, it could help decrease pain or reduce drug intake. pharmaceuticals.

 Relieve pain associated with arthritis and osteoarthritis. Two clinical trials evaluated the effects of therapeutic touch against pain perceived by subjects suffering from arthritis and osteoarthritis. In the first, involving 31 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, reductions in the degree of pain were observed in subjects in the therapeutic touch group compared to subjects in the placebo and control groups.³¹. In the other trial, the effects of therapeutic touch and progressive muscle relaxation were evaluated in 82 subjects with degenerative arthritis.³². Although both treatments induced a decrease in pain, this decrease was greater in the case of progressive muscle relaxation, indicating greater effectiveness of this approach.

 Reduce symptoms in patients with dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. A small trial where each subject was their own control, carried out with 10 people aged 71 to 84 with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease³³ was published in 2002. Subjects received 5-7 minutes of therapeutic touch treatments, 2 times a day, for 3 days. The results indicate a decrease in the state ofagitation subjects, a behavioral disorder observable during dementia.

Another randomized trial, including 3 groups (therapeutic touch 30 minutes per day for 5 days, placebo and standard care), was carried out on 51 subjects aged over 65 with Alzheimer’s disease and suffering from behavioral symptoms. senile dementia³⁴. The results indicate that therapeutic touch induced a decrease in non-aggressive behavioral symptoms of dementia, compared to placebo and standard care. However, no difference was observed between the 3 groups in terms of physical aggression and verbal agitation. In 2009, the results of another study supported these findings by suggesting that therapeutic touch may be effective in managing symptoms such asagitation and stress³⁵.

 Decrease headache pain. Only one clinical trial investigating headache symptoms has been published^36,37. This randomized trial, involving 60 subjects aged 18 to 59 years old and suffering from tension headaches, compared the effects of a session of therapeutic touch to a placebo session. Pain was reduced only in subjects in the experimental group. In addition, this reduction was maintained for the next 4 hours.

 Accelerate wound healing. Therapeutic touch has been used for several years to aid in the healing of wounds, but relatively few well-controlled studies have been performed. A systematic review published in 2004 highlighted 4 randomized clinical trials, all by the same author, on this subject.³⁸. These trials, including a total of 121 subjects, reported conflicting effects. Two of the trials showed results in favor of therapeutic touch, but the other 2 gave the opposite results. The authors of the synthesis therefore concluded that there is no real scientific proof of the effectiveness of therapeutic touch on wound healing.

 Contribute to the treatment of anemia. Only one randomized clinical trial has been published on this subject (in 2006)³⁹. In this trial, involving 92 students with anemia, the subjects were separated into 3 groups: therapeutic touch (3 times 15 to 20 minutes per day, 3 days apart), placebo or no intervention. The results indicate rising rates ofhemoglobin and hematocrit as much in the subjects of the experimental group as in those of the placebo group, unlike the control group. However, the increase in hemoglobin levels was greater in the therapeutic touch group than in the placebo group. These preliminary results indicate that therapeutic touch could be used in the treatment of anemia, but further studies will have to confirm this.

 Relieve chronic pain. A pilot study published in 2002 compared the effects of adding a therapeutic touch intervention to cognitive behavioral therapy aimed at reducing pain in 12 subjects with chronic pain.⁴⁰. Although preliminary, these results indicate that therapeutic touch could improve the effectiveness of treatment techniques. relaxation to reduce chronic pain.

 Help relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia. A controlled pilot study published in 2004, involving 15 subjects, evaluated the effect of therapeutic touch⁴¹ on the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Subjects who received therapeutic touch treatments reported improvements in pain felt and quality of life. However, comparable improvements were reported by subjects in a control group. Other tests will therefore be required in order to be able to assess the real effectiveness of the approach.

Le therapeutic touch is practiced primarily by nurses in hospitals, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers and seniors’ residences. Some therapists also offer the service in private practice.

A session generally lasts from 1 hour to 1 ½ hour. During this, the actual therapeutic touch should not last more than 20 minutes. It is generally followed by a period of rest and integration of about twenty minutes.

To treat simple ailments, such as tension headaches, often one meeting is enough. On the other hand, if it is a question of more complex conditions, such as chronic pain, it will be necessary to plan several treatments.

There is no formal certification of stakeholders in therapeutic touch. Nurse Healers – Professional Associates International have established standards training and practice, but recognize that practice is very subjective and almost impossible to assess “objectively”. It is recommended to choose a worker who uses the technique regularly (at least twice a week) and who has at least 2 year of experience under the supervision of a mentor. Finally, since the compassion and the will to heal seem to play a determining role in therapeutic touch, it is very important to choose a therapist with whom you feel in affinity and in full partner to buy.

Learning the basic technique of therapeutic touch is usually done in 3 days of 8 hours. Some trainers claim that this training is not sufficiently complete and instead offer 3 weekends.

To become professional practitioner, you can then participate in various professional development workshops and practice under the supervision of a mentor. Various associations such as the Nurse Healers – Professional Associates International or the Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario approve training courses that lead to the titles of Qualified Practitioner or Recognized Practitioner, for example. But whether it is recognized or not, personally ensure the quality of the training. Check what is theexperience real trainers, as practitioners as well as teachers, and do not hesitate to ask for references.

West Andree. Therapeutic touch – Participate in the natural healing process, Editions du Roseau, 2001.

A very comprehensive guide written with heart and passion. Theoretical foundations, conceptual framework, state of research, techniques and fields of application, everything is there.

The creator of therapeutic touch has written several books on the subject. One of them has been translated into French:

Warrior Dolores. Guide to therapeutic touch, Live Sun, 1998.

Videos

Nurse Healers – Professional Associates International offer three videos presenting therapeutic touch: Therapeutic Touch: The Vision and The Reality, by Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz, The Role of the Physical, Mental and Spiritual Bodies in Healing by Dora Kunz, and A Video Course for Health Care Professionals by Janet Quinn.

The Therapeutic Touch Network of Quebec

The website of this young association is only in English for the moment. The organization is affiliated with the Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario and offers various training courses. General information and list of members.

www.ttnq.ca

Nurse Healers — Professional Associates International

The official website of the association founded in 1977 by the creator of therapeutic touch, Dolores Krieger.

www.therapeutic-touch.org

Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario (TTNO)

It is one of the most important associations in the world in the field of therapeutic touch. The site is full of information, studies, articles and links.

www.therapeutictouchontario.org

Therapeutic Touch -Does it work?

A site that offers many links to sites that are either favorable, or skeptical, or neutral in relation to therapeutic touch.

www.phact.org/e/tt