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Results for “Therapeutic Touch”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

The state of research on the effects of therapeutic touch.

Therapeutic Touch is investigated using an integrative review of the literature. Using Ganong's (1987) methodology, the article explores the research question, What is the state of development of research regarding Therapeutic Touch? by analyzing primary research reports from 23 articles in 14 referred journals. The findings of the review indicate positive regard for the use of Therapeutic Touch. All research points to the need for further study in this area. Research methods used are satisfactory, but more rigorous methodologies would promote a more scientific contribution to the body of literature on Therapeutic Touch.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
PubMed1999

The surgical significance of therapeutic touch.

Therapeutic touch (TT) is believed to help promote relaxation, reduce pain, accelerate the healing process, and alleviate psychosomatic illness. Patients who undergo surgery frequently experience stressors such as anxiety and pain. Although there have been limited studies on the use of TT in the surgical arena, it is a stress-reduction method that should be explored further. This article discusses studies that examined the use of TT in reducing anxiety and pain.

Consciousness↗
PubMed1993

Multi-site electromyographic analysis of non-contact therapeutic touch.

Therapeutic Touch (TT) has been an active change agent within the field of medicine since its introduction as a nursing intervention in 1975. A critical factor which has been missing from the research conducted in this area, however, is definitive scientific evidence or documentation that TT has an objective quantifiable impact upon the physiology of the subject. This study utilized a randomized ABAC methodological design to investigate the effect of TT without contact (NCTT) upon autonomic and CNS parameters. The subjects were blinded to the true nature of the experimental protocol as well as the fact that a healing study was being conducted in order to control for placebo and expectation effects. The impact of NCTT was assessed by multi-site surface EMG recordings located at the Frontalis, Cervical 4 paraspinals, Thoracic 6 paraspinals, and Lumbosacral 3 paraspinals. Autonomic indicators of physiological activity were also monitored and included hand and head temperature, heart rate, and end tidal CO2 levels. The results demonstrated that all of the autonomic indicators showed a general trend towards lower levels of arousal over time. The data also showed that three of the four muscle regions monitored--C4, T6, and L3 paraspinals--indicated a significant reduction in energy during and following the NCTT treatment sessions for a majority of the subjects. For example, the C4 EMG showed a significant NCTT treatment effect (F = 10.31; df = 1; p < .009 level), while the T6 EMG (F = 13.49; df = 1; p < .004) and L3 EMG (F = 4.74; df = 1; p < .05) also demonstrated significance. In addition to the habituation effects seen in the autonomic variables, the implications of neutralization of postural homeostasis and lowering of emotional arousal are discussed along with consideration of the Eastern concept of "nadis."

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Should nurses practice therapeutic touch? Should nursing schools teach therapeutic touch? .

This article argues that in the current setting of nursing practice, therapeutic touch should be treated as a religious practice. The article examines the religious sources of the ideas and documents the connection with the teachings of particular religious groups. Recognizing therapeutic touch as a religious issue requires new kinds of approaches in the practice and teaching of therapeutic touch in nursing.

Curriculum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A survey of therapeutic touch practitioners.

Therapeutic touch is the name of a specific nursing technique that was devised by Dr Dolores Krieger, an American nurse, in the early 1970s. This article provides a brief overview of therapeutic touch, and describes the responses received to a survey exploring the views and experiences of its practitioners in Britain.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

A close look at therapeutic touch.

CONTEXT: Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a widely used nursing practice rooted in mysticism but alleged to have a scientific basis. Practitioners of TT claim to treat many medical conditions by using their hands to manipulate a "human energy field" perceptible above the patient's skin. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether TT practitioners can actually perceive a "human energy field." DESIGN: Twenty-one practitioners with TT experience for from 1 to 27 years were tested under blinded conditions to determine whether they could correctly identify which of their hands was closest to the investigator's hand. Placement of the investigator's hand was determined by flipping a coin. Fourteen practitioners were tested 10 times each, and 7 practitioners were tested 20 times each. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Practitioners of TT were asked to state whether the investigator's unseen hand hovered above their right hand or their left hand. To show the validity of TT theory, the practitioners should have been able to locate the investigator's hand 100% of the time. A score of 50% would be expected through chance alone. RESULTS: Practitioners of TT identified the correct hand in only 123 (44%) of 280 trials, which is close to what would be expected for random chance. There was no significant correlation between the practitioner's score and length of experience (r=0.23). The statistical power of this experiment was sufficient to conclude that if TT practitioners could reliably detect a human energy field, the study would have demonstrated this. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-one experienced TT practitioners were unable to detect the investigator's "energy field." Their failure to substantiate TT's most fundamental claim is unrefuted evidence that the claims of TT are groundless and that further professional use is unjustified.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Touching with intent: using therapeutic touch.

Nurses have always used touch in their care. Therapeutic Touch describes using touch with an intent to help. It offers nurses the opportunity to develop another dimension in their care.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Massage therapy and therapeutic touch in children: state of the science.

OBJECTIVE: To review and critique the research on the effect of massage therapy and therapeutic touch in children, and to describe clinical implications and make suggestions for future study. DATA SOURCES: Studies were obtained through online computer searches of CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychInfo, and SocioFile. Key words used were tactile, kinesthetic, massage therapy, touch, therapeutic touch, infants, and children. STUDY SELECTION, DATA EXTRACTION, AND SYNTHESIS: Fourteen massage therapy studies were selected because they met the following 3 criteria: investigated massage therapy in children; were published in refereed nursing, allied health, or infant and child development journals between 1969 and 1999; and were quantitative in nature. Studies were divided according to developmental age for analysis: neonates, preschool, and older children. Five therapeutic touch studies, 3 quantitative and 2 qualitative, were selected because they were the only empirical reports about the effect of therapeutic touch in children to date. In addition to critiques, the therapeutic touch studies were examined for the following 10 characteristics: study purpose/hypotheses, background/literature review, sample selection method, study design/random assignment, independent variable/length of treatment/control and confounders, dependent variables/measurements, outcomes, study limitations, and implications for future research. CONCLUSIONS: More research exists to support the use of massage therapy than therapeutic touch in children. A set of common findings across 2 decades of study suggests that massage therapy may be useful in the care of infants and children. Because massage therapy and therapeutic touch seem to elicit similar parasympathetic effects, therapeutic touch may be useful. There is insufficient evidence, however, to recommend its use in children without qualifications.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Touch the pain away: new research on therapeutic touch and persons with fibromyalgia syndrome.

This pilot study tested the effectiveness of 6 therapeutic touch treatments on the experience of pain and quality of life for persons with fibromyalgia syndrome. Its findings support that subjects who received therapeutic touch had a statistically significant decrease in pain for each pretherapeutic to posttherapeutic touch treatment, as well as significant improvement in quality of life from pre-first to pre-sixth treatment. Therapeutic touch may be an effective treatment for relieving pain and improving quality of life in this specific population of persons with fibromyalgia syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of therapeutic touch with rehabilitation clients.

Therapeutic touch is a holistic nursing strategy that can be incorporated as an adjunctive therapy in rehabilitation nursing practice. Therapeutic touch is a derivative of "laying on of hands" that is based on doctoral nursing research and involves the intentionally therapeutic interaction of energy between the nurse and client. Research has demonstrated its effectiveness in eliciting the relaxation response. In this article, specific case studies are used to illustrate when therapeutic touch may be used, how it is implemented as an adjunctive therapy in a nursing process framework, and how it is documented in the nursing care plan.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Therapeutic touch: a healing modality.

Therapeutic touch is a nursing intervention pioneered more than 20 years ago. A substantial body of literature encompassing theory, clinical practice, and research exists on this energetic healing modality. This article examines the scientific basis for healing through the human energy field, including the basic assumptions from which therapeutic touch was developed and a summary of related research. It also discusses integration of therapeutic touch into clinical practice and identifies resources for further exploration.

Anxiety↗
PubMed2000

Therapeutic touch coming of age.

Therapeutic Touch, a meditative healing practice created by Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz, is adapted from the "laying on of hands" for the purpose of helping or healing others. The history of the technique and its influence on the health care system are chronicled in an effort to establish the role Therapeutic Touch has played in transforming people's lives.

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Therapeutic touch. A holistic approach to perioperative nursing (continuing education credit).

1. A technique of noncontact touch called Therapeutic Touch (TT) is beneficial for relieving anxiety in hospitalized patients; enhancing spousal sharing and emotional support during childbirth; increasing hemoglobin levels; lowering postoperative pain; decreasing tension headache pain; decreasing premature neonate's stress response; and increasing the rate of healing for full thickness dermal wounds. 2. There are four observable physical changes that occur in a TT recipient: His or her voice drops several decibels, respirations become slower and deeper, audible signs of relaxation (ie, sigh) are expressed, and a peripheral flush is readily perceived on his or her face. 3. The individual may experience an immediate response, although it may take hours or even days for any change to occur. An essential premise of TT, however, is that the practitioner be compassionate. This compassion must be a caring intent--not personal--and without attachment to the outcome. The TT treatment is rarely tiring for the practitioner and can be rewarding if practiced correctly.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1998

Therapeutic touch: an extension of professional skills.

Therapeutic touch, developed 25 years ago by Dolores Krieger, RN, PhD, and Dora Kunz, continues to gain ever wider acceptance in the health care field for one reason--it works. In our high-tech dialysis world of invasive, often painful procedures, therapeutic touch offers a welcome reprieve for patients and staff alike. For patients it has decreased restlessness, anxiety, fear and the pain from cannulations and central venous catheter insertions. Besides helping the recipients, therapeutic touch also affects the practitioners, with most practitioners reporting a greater sense of calm and well-being, in addition to the personal satisfaction of being able to offer a treatment that brings such relief to stressed-out patients. This article will introduce therapeutic touch and its use in the clinical setting.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Complementary therapies. Therapeutic touch: a nursing function.

Therapeutic touch has been practised for some time, but like most complementary therapies, it carries images of being 'unscientific' for many sceptical practitioners. The author defines the therapy, then summarises some of the research which measured its effectiveness. Therapeutic touch, she believes, helps patients to get themselves into the best state for self-healing to occur.

Complementary Therapies↗