searching for Evidence of Physiological Change

Abstract

Therapeutic touch, first described by Krieger in 1975 as an act of healing or helping that is akin to the ancient practice of laying-on hands, is proving to be a useful adjunct to orthodox nursing practices. It is being taught as an intrinsic part of the master's curriculum in nursing at New York University, is the subject of continuing education courses and workshops at universities throughout the United States, and has been a part of inservice programs for nurses at several hospitals in the country. Basic to therapeutic touch is the concept that the human body has an excess of energy. The person who administers therapeutic touch engages in an effort to direct his own excess energies for the use of the ill person, who can be thought of as being in less than an optimal energy state(1). This transfer of energy is intentional and is motivated by an interest in the needs of the patient. The state of consciousness in which this is done can best be described as