FAQ
ABOUT HEALING TOUCH
What is Healing Touch?
Healing Touch is a therapy that helps to restore and balance energy that has been depleted due to stress, illness, injury, grief, medical conditions, surgery or medical treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. The goal of Healing Touch is to restore harmony and balance in the human energy system by creating an optimal environment to enable the body's innate tendency for healing to occur. The HT practitioner uses gentle, light or near-body touch to clear, balance, energize and support the human energy system, impacting body, mind and spirit. Healing Touch is a complementary, integrative energy therapy that can be used in conjunction with traditional therapies. It is accepted, validated and utilized in hospitals, hospice, long term care, integrative health centers, private practices and clinics.
How can Healing Touch help me?
Healing Touch theory states that “people’s health and quality of life are affected by the health of their energy systems” and that “all life experiences are recorded and stored in the energy system which includes the physical body and multidimensional energy body.” Chronic stress, or even a single life event, can impact the healthy function of our individual energy system. Even when illness, injury, loss, grief, or other difficult life transitions are in our past, it can take a long time to feel fully recovered. When energy flow remains impacted, it can diminish how we feel and function over time. As a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner, I am trained to help restore your individual energy system to a state of vibrant, healthy and unobstructed flow. When energetic balance returns, and you begin to feel better, it is easier to manage day to day and make strides in your healing. Healing Touch can help: reduce pain, ease anxiety, relieve stress and depression, provide support during chemotherapy, strengthen and immune system, create a sense of well-being, reduce the effects of trauma and chronic pain, enhance recovery from surgery, deepen spiritual connection, and support the dying process.
Healing Touch a substitute for standard medical treatment?
No. Healing Touch is a complementary/integrative modality that can be used in conjunction with standard or holistic medical care. Please continue to consult your doctor for your medical questions and care. Healing Touch does not replace standard medical care or guarantee cures. We distinguish between the terms cure and healing. Cure implies the resolution of particular symptoms or medical conditions. Healing, on the other hand, applies to body, mind and spirit balance and wholeness. Someone in excellent physical health may still feel the need for healing in other areas of their life. Likewise, even on their death bed, someone may experience peace and healing on deep spiritual and emotional levels. You should continue to consult with your doctor and follow their advice, even while you are receiving Healing Touch.
What is energy healing?
Throughout history, cultures around the world have relied on energy therapies to help support wellness and healing. Many people are familiar with the benefits of acupuncture, shiatsu, martial arts, tai chi, qi gong and yoga. There are also many ancient and modern styles of hands-on healing. These can also help to balance the natural flow of energy within and around the body. Healthy and unobstructed energy flow can foster healing on many levels. Common terms for this natural energy are energy, life force, chi, ki, prana, bio-field, universal energy, subtle energy or spirit. Energy healing may be called energy therapy, bio-field therapy and energy medicine, among other terms. Within the general field of hands-on energy healing, there are many styles. Some are similar to one another in theory, technique and training, and some are quite different. The human energy system has a structure, comprised in part by chakras (energy centers), meridians (energy tracts), and energy fields (aura). These aspects of our energy system are connected and interrelated. Acupuncturists work with the meridians to support healthy energy flow. Other modalities may also work with the meridians, plus the chakras, energy fields or a combination. Life experiences can impact the flow of energy throughout the body and energy field, leaving us feeling imbalanced, stressed or depleted. Energy healing can help to clear and re-vitalize the individual energy field, which then can support overall well-being.
What happens when our energy system becomes depleted or imbalanced?
When our energy system is depleted we feel tired, we have difficulty coping and it is difficult for our immune system to function properly. When our energy system is off balance, the energy that usually flows through and around our bodies becomes congested. For example – pain is congested energy. When an individual has pain, the practitioner focuses on removing the energy congestion so that the pain level is reduced. Think of times when you have been stressed and how it affected your body. You may have experienced muscle tightness in your neck and shoulders, developed a headache or had discomfort in other parts of your body. Stress causes congestion in our energy system. Healing Touch techniques help to relieve that congestion.
How does our body respond to energy therapy such as Healing Touch?
Healing Touch promotes relaxation. When your body relaxes endorphins are released from the brain, which helps the muscles to relax. When the muscles relax circulation is improved and the increased blood flow elevates oxygen levels throughout the body. This in turn allows nutrients to be absorbed more efficiently, enzymes are built to aid digestion, hormones are regulated, and toxins are released from the body. This allows healthy cells to regenerate and promotes a sense of well-being which then supports healing and regulates the immune system.
Why do you say that Healing Touch effects body, mind, emotion and spirit?
We are integrated beings and we cannot separate the physical from the emotional, mental or spiritual aspects of ourselves. When we are physically ill, we are also affected emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Likewise, when we are stressed or emotional about something we often feel it in our physical body such as developing a headache or we have a change in digestion or have difficulty sleeping. Our body, mind, emotion and spirit are who we are as a whole person and we need to take care of that whole person. Healing Touch affects the whole person.
Is Healing Touch connected to any particular religion or faith?
While Healing Touch is not aligned with any particular religion or faith, many people feel it supports their personal connection to higher source or higher self. Spiritual support may be felt in the experiences of peace, serenity, clarity, inspiration, insight and connection.
What is the history of Healing Touch Program?
The Healing Touch Program was founded in the 1980s by Janet Mentgen, a holistic nurse. Her personal mission was to develop a training program that would help restore compassionate care within the medical setting. As an energy sensitive nurse, she made an exhaustive study of past and contemporary energy healing practices from around the world. She also created her own techniques. She first taught Healing Touch as a complementary continuing education program for nurses. The Healing Touch Program now trains lay people as well as medical professionals worldwide. It is a standardized 5 level program which includes a year long mentored apprenticeship. It is backed by a professional Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice. Healing Touch Program is endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Association and is an accredited provider of continuing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Healing Touch Program has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Where is Healing Touch offered?
Healing Touch is offered in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, long-term care facilities, private practices, hospices, and spas. Healing Touch was founded in 1989 as a continuing education program for nurses, massage therapists, other health care professionals, and lay persons. Today, Healing Touch is taught in universities, medical and nursing schools, and other settings around the world.
What Research is available on Healing Touch?
Healing Touch (HT) is one of many energy-based modalities that is being increasingly studied. Many science disciplines are turning to the study of subtle energies in their quest to understand the phenomena of energy-based therapies. One can look to new literature within almost every discipline to find the shifting openness to the belief in subtle energies and its impact on our lives (Jain & Mills, 2010; Anderson & Taylor, 2011). The science of physics and psychoneuroimmunology are publishing increasingly sophisticated theories and research about energy. Knowledge in these areas is ever expanding. Many studies in Healing Touch modalities have been funded by internationally recognized funding bodies such as the National Institute of Health, NASA and special interest groups. Published and unpublished studies and pilot studies have been conducted looking at the impact of biofield therapies on many disease conditions and symptoms such as: cancer, heart disease, palliative (hospice) care, elder care, immunological endocrine conditions (HIV and diabetes), headaches, postoperative wounds, pediatric conditions, alcoholism, premenopausal syndrome and dementia. Symptoms explored have included but are not limited to: pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, agitation, stress and nausea. The Healing Touch Research and the Healing Beyond Borders websites are available to provide documented research on Healing Touch and related modalities.
What is the difference between Healing Touch and Reiki?
Healing Touch and Reiki are two energy therapy modalities that aim to facilitate healing. Reiki is an ancient system that activates the flow of universal vital energy in the patient. This modality uses a more generalized approach to balancing the energy body. Healing Touch is a program that uses different, very specific techniques to treat patients' different medical conditions and gives structure to the curative treatment.
What is heart-centered healing?
Heart-centered healing is coming from a place of compassion for another person and setting your intention for them for their highest good. Energy medicine is based on the idea that all things contain energy and all energy is connected. Even our thoughts and emotions have energy and can be used to shift how we feel on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. Parents and caregivers are natural candidates to perform Healing Touch because of their instinctual ability to love, nurture, and heal.
ABOUT HEALING TOUCH SESSIONS
How long is a session?
A standard full length session is typically an hour long. First sessions typically last an hour and a half.
What happens during a Healing Touch session?
The first session involves a consultation in addition to the Healing Touch session. The practitioner will ask a series of questions about your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health issues, and will answer questions about Healing Touch. Then you lay fully clothed on a treatment table while the practitioner gently places his or her hands slightly above or on the body. The session generally lasts 45 to 60 minutes, and people frequently report feeling deeply relaxed and peaceful during and after the session. Because there may be a cumulative effect of using Healing Touch over time, regular sessions are recommended.
Where does a Healing Touch session take place?
Healing Touch can be performed almost anywhere – in the home, hospitals, nursing homes, hospices or the practitioner place of business.
How many sessions are recommended?
The number of sessions for Healing Touch is dependent upon the needs of the client. After each session, the client's needs are re-assessed to plan the care appropriately. This will include the need for further treatments, referrals to other professionals, and instruction in self-care as needed and in collaboration with the wishes of the client. Some people benefit from receiving a few sessions close in time. Some enjoy a single session on an “as needed” basis to focus on self-care. It depends upon the client's goals and what they are going through. You can decide what works for you!
How often would I have to be seen?
If you have an acute condition, such as recent surgery or a recent injury, more benefit is derived by a Healing Touch treatment daily or every other day for three to five visits. If you have a chronic condition, the practitioner will suggest that you be seen once a week for three to five weeks as it sometimes takes up to three visits for there to be a noticeable benefit.
How soon will I notice results?
The energy shifts immediately with the integration, like a light being turned on in a dark room. The overall feeling of relaxation is commonly experienced. Pain relief is often reported after one session. Most people report that they feel much "lighter" after the session. That is because they literally are! Emotions such as depression, anger, guilt, etc. are often released. Once released, the void where those emotions were formerly held may be automatically filled with light, truth, love, forgiveness, and joy. With some issues, you will immediately notice they are no longer there because you are not worried about them anymore. That worry is replaced by peace. With other issues, although the energetic changes are in place, you may not recognize the change right away.
Do I have to undress/disrobe to receive a session?
No, you do not need to undress to receive a session. In Healing Touch sessions, the client will remain dressed but usually remove their shoes and any binding items such as a belt. Comfortable clothing is recommended.
Is Healing Touch like getting a massage?
The only way Healing Touch is like massage is that you lie on a treatment table for the session, if you choose. You can also sit on a chair to receive a treatment. Either way, you stay fully clothed but may be asked to remove your shoes. With massage, muscles are manipulated and pressure is applied. When doing Healing Touch the practitioner uses very light, gentle touch and/or makes sweeping movements with his/her hands near the body.
Healing Touch supports the relaxation response. What does that mean?
During times of stress, the body’s physiological self-care tendencies are temporarily inactivated as we switch from being in a state of “rest and restore” to “fight or flight”. This survival mechanism helps us escape from real danger. However, our stress response can remain turned on simply as a result of non-life threatening daily fatigue and strain. This can impact us physiologically and emotionally over time. Blood pressure, stress hormones, fat distribution, digestive problems, sleep disruption are just some areas in which an overworked fight or flight response can negatively impact our lives. Healing Touch sessions typically induce the deeply restorative relaxation response. This helps to quiet the fight or flight mode. The relaxation response not only feels good, it supports physiological recovery. It has a vitally important role in helping us return to a state of health and feeling of well-being. The relaxation response typically eases muscular tension, improves circulation, oxygenation and nutrition to tissues, assists in waste removal, helps balance the endocrine system and supports immunity.
What if I do not like to be touched?
All the Healing Touch techniques can be done without the practitioner directly touching you and will be just as effective. If you do not feel comfortable during a Healing Touch session, feedback is always encouraged and welcome. Please speak up. If you do not feel comfortable, your practitioner can increase/decrease pressure; provide you with blanket/remove a blanket; let you adjust your position; and/or stop working on the part of your body that is giving you discomfort.
Can I talk to my practitioner or listen to music during a session?
That is up to you. When the environment permits, soothing music may be played during the session. A session is your time to relax and the goal is to provide you with an environment that helps you do just that. You may also feel free to speak with your practitioner during a session. This is your time, however, and many times patients choose to simply lie quietly and receive a treatment.
Is Healing Touch for everybody/any age?
Healing Touch is beneficial to everyone and works as a complementary therapy to conventional medicine and other therapies. You can be any age to receive Healing Touch – from newborn to the elderly. Because Healing Touch techniques are so gentle, and can do no harm, there is no age limit. Healing Touch can even work on babies still in the womb.
Can Healing Touch be done long-distance?
Yes, because energy is not limited by time or distance, Healing Touch works just as powerfully whether working with someone one-on-one or at a distance.
Do I need a referral?
You do not need to be referred by a physician or other medical professional to receive a Healing Touch treatment. However, because Healing Touch is complementary to conventional medicine, medical professionals will often recommend that you receive Healing Touch treatments to improve your overall health and healing.
How much do Healing Touch sessions cost?
Healing Touch fees are similar to local massage therapy sessions. Sessions typically range from $50 - $150 a session depending on the experience of the practitioner. Some practitioners will offer package sessions for a reduced cost.
Don't you get tired from picking up people's negative energy?
While the flow of energy through the bio-field can become blocked or depleted, we regard the energy itself as neutral. Rather than removing “negative energy”, a Healing Touch Practitioner helps to ease energy blockages and restore vitality within their client's energy field. When the energy system returns to a state of balance, and a client’s goals for healing are supported, an innate tendency to move towards self-healing can occur. Florence Nightingale’s nursing theory states that "Patients are to be put in the best condition for nature to act on them.” Healing Touch Program teaches a similar philosophy. A Healing Touch Practitioner is trained to provide both compassionate care and healing techniques that can help restore health to the human energy field, which in turn, supports a client’s healing journey. We neither absorb our client’s energy, nor give up our own.
