Alternative Medicine
Balance your energy field
Healing touch therapy is based on the belief that people have fields of energy that connect and react to the environment around them. It proposes that imbalances or blockages in those energy fields cause illness and pain. Common forms include Reiki, Qigong, and Therapeutic Touch.
How healing touch works is not known. It is theorized that it affects patients through the connection of energy fields within and outside of the body. There is some evidence that it can reduce pain and improve joint mobility, reduce stress, and trigger a sense of well-being.
Rubdown not included
Healing touch is not a massage. In fact, it may not involve practitioner to patient contact at all. During this energy therapy, the practitioner’s hands hover above the body, moving slowly from head to toe, pausing in specific energy centers to clear blocks and energize and balance the energy flow surrounding the body. A session can last from 10 to 40 minutes. Expect to fall into a relaxed state. You may even fall asleep.
Reported benefits of healing touch therapy
* Reduces stress
* Increases energy
* Calms anxiety and depression
* Enhances recovery from surgery
* Hastens wound healing
* Relieves side-effects of chemotherapy
* Strengthens the immune system
* Supports grief management
* Deepens spiritual connection
* Eases acute and chronic conditions
* Creates a sense of well-being
Action Step
If you are considering healing touch therapy, talk with your medical doctor first. It is generally considered safe, but some patients have reported side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, restlessness, and irritability.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
