Healing Touch is a biofield therapy. It uses touch to influence the human electro-magnetic field. These non-invasive techniques use the hands to clear, energize and balance the human and environmental energy fields, thus affecting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health and healing. The goal is to restore harmony and balance in the energy system, placing the client in a state for maximum self-healing.
The "energy system" of the human body is utilized by the Eastern practices of medicine; one example of treatment using this body system is Acupuncture. Traditional medical treatments around the world and throughout history have employed the benefits of human touch in this manner. Modern science is "catching up" with traditional medicine, and many studies show that Healing Touch and similar "energy" therapies reduce pain, quicken recovery from injury and illness, improve mental health and clarity, bring emotional balance, support immune function, stimulate the relaxation response, and a wide range of other benefits.
Healing Touch was developed by nurses led by Janet Mentgen, RN, BSN. It became a certificate program of the American Holistic Nursing Association in 1990. It is now a nationally accredited program, and its methods are evidenced-based and approved by both the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Joint Commission. It is practiced in hospitals, cancer treatment centers, private practitioners, and various health care institutions internationally.
