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Healing Touch is defined as energy therapy that is used to assist in mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. It harnesses your own energy to support healing.

Like any holistic treatment, there are detractors; however, Healing Touch is already being used in long-term care facilities and hospitals, in addition to in hospices, private practices, and spas.

It was founded in 1989 for nurses, health care professionals, and massage therapists as a continuing education program. It is taught in medical and nursing schools, as well as in universities.

WebMD delves into a study in which a group of women were being subjected to the threat of electric shock, and just by touching the hands of their husbands saw an immediate decline in their anxiety levels.

There are a variety of symptoms that can be treated using Healing Touch, and a variety of the issues that HT can be used to treat include, but are not limited to:

• Pain reduction
• Stress reduction
• Increased immunity
• Reduction of symptoms of anxiety
• In cancer care
• Surgery recovery

Healing Touch was endorsed in 1997 by the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) and if you would like to find a practitioner, you can search their website to find one in your area.

There are a number of energy therapies in addition to healing touch, such as:

• Therapeutic Touch
• Reiki
• Qigong

These have not been studied as extensively as more traditional therapies; however, the new SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) offers promise for researching and studying the energy therapies.

Moreover, many of these techniques have been used for thousands of years by shamans, and other Asian healers.

These are the same ancient healers who brought us yoga and acupuncture. The principles of Healing Touch are based on the same philosophies.

What can you expect from a Healing Touch session?

1. Once you have found a reputable practitioner, they will start you off with a centering process. The idea behind this is to calm the mind and for the practitioner to be fully focused on the patient.
2. This is followed by attunement, which is when the practitioner focuses their intention on the highest good of the patient.
3. The practitioner will then begin by scanning your energy field, this will generally involve passing hands along the surface of your body, and this gives them the opportunity to note any imbalances. These generally present as tingling, heat or cold, pressure, or heaviness.
4. This allows the practitioner to select the correct technique for your needs. This will either involve making sweeping hand motions around the body, or place their hands on the patient’s body. This process should balance and realign the energy flow, which could have been disrupted by a number of issues, including pain, stress, or illness.
5. Once your session is complete the practitioner will assess the energy field again, this is to ensure there has been a change in imbalances.
6. When your treatment has concluded, the practitioner will bring you back to an alert state using a process known as grounding. You will be invited to offer feedback and discuss what self-care techniques you can employ, as well as whether that includes further sessions with the practitioner.

To prepare for a session ensure that you wear comfortable clothing, as you stay fully clothed during treatment and it can last up to an hour.

Attend prepared to discuss what it is you are looking to benefit from this treatment; your needs and expectations will dictate what method of approach your Healing Touch practitioner will employ.

You will also be asked to complete a health questionnaire on your first visit.

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