Jefferson Review. June 11, 1998

byToni Gilbert

Most people know very little about the healing art of Therapeutic Touch. This article is meant to inform the general public about such a practice as well as its acceptance in traditional medicine.

This complementary healing energy treatment relieves pain and boosts the immune system to speed healing. In the process of this treatment the practitioner uses their hands as sensors to assess and balance the energy field surrounding the body in order to promote the body's own natural ability to heal.

Hands on manipulation for healing is probably older than any other healing tradition. The oldest written records go back three thousand years to China, but of course it is much older than that. Touch and the "laying on of hands" are human intuitive tendencies that seem to be in our genetic makeup.

Though the concept may sound esoteric, Therapeutic Touch is now being offered to patients in major hospitals throughout the country. A growing body of research to prove these hands on therapy's positive effects is substantial.

Recent scientific studies have proven what intuitive people have known all along, that our bodies generate and contain energy. Delicate modern instruments like the electroencephalogram (EEG) and specialized cameras give is concrete proof of the presence of this subtle energy field. This energy fluctuates and one can have more or less of it on any given day. When one is ill or in pain this energy is affected.

Working with the flow of energy though the body promotes healing. This energy can be directed or encouraged to move through and around the body in such a way as to have an impact on the physical structure and function of the body as well as on emotional well being. This work may involve hands-on contact or may be done with no contact with the physical body.

A typical session may last anywhere from ten to thirty minutes during which one can sit in a chair or lay down. The practitioner uses their hands to sense energy blockages around the body and direct healing energy from himself or herself to the client. The majority of client's report feeling deeply relaxed (some fall asleep) or are energized. They will get the exact amount of energy they need.

Some believe, it is as important for people to develop an awareness that the energy flow in and around their body is just as important to physical health and psychological well-being as the flow of breath and it is essential to the healthy functioning of the body, mind and spirit.

If you feel you might benefit from energy work, you may go to an acupuncturist, which some insurance companies pay for (more proof that this energy exists), or seek out an energy work practitioner who works with modalities such as Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, Reiki or Polarity Therapy.