Healing Touch
Key Points
- Healing Touch is an energy therapy using gentle, intentional touch that assists in balancing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
- Few studies are available of the impacts of Healing Touch. Preliminary evidence shows modest benefit for healing, biomarkers and some symptoms.
- Healing Touch is considered safe.
- Healing Touch should not be used in place of proven treatments in diagnosed conditions.
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According to Healing Touch International (doing business as Healing Beyond Borders, Educating and Certifying the Healing Touch®):
Healing Touch is a relaxing, nurturing, heart-centered energy therapy using gentle, intentional touch that assists in balancing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Classified by the National Institutes of Health as a biofield therapy and nursing intervention, Healing Touch may be used to address the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association diagnosis (NANDA-1) of “imbalanced energy field.”
The Healing Touch is a collection of standardized, noninvasive techniques that clear, energize and balance the human and environmental energy fields. Healing Touch assists in creating a coherent and balanced energy field, supporting one’s inherent ability to heal. It is safe for all ages and works in harmony with, is complementary to, and may be integrated with standard medical care.
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The practice and techniques of this energy therapy were developed in the 1980s by Janet Mentgen, who then founded Healing Touch International in 1989 as “a continuing education program for nurses, massage therapists, other healthcare professionals, and lay persons.”
Healing Touch is now practiced in a variety of settings including hospitals, long-term care facilities, private clinics, hospices and spas. Universities, medical and nursing schools and other facilities all over the world offer training in this energy-therapy technique. The Healing Touch Professional Association has practitioner and instructor certification.
What to Expect during a Healing Touch Session
From the Healing Beyond Borders description:
- First session, an initial consultation in addition to a Healing Touch session: the Healing Touch provider asks about your physical, mental and emotional situation, as well as answers questions about Healing Touch.
- Subsequent sessions: you lay fully clothed on a massage table while the HT provider gently places his or her hands slightly above or on the body. The session lasts about 40-60 minutes.
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Healing Touch International (HTI) lists the following potential benefits of Healing Touch:
- Reduced stress
- Reduced anxiety and depression
- Decreased pain
- Improved immune function
- Enhanced recovery from surgery
- Deepened spiritual connections
Proponents of Healing Touch say it may convey the following benefits to people with cancer:
- Provide a supportive environment for those undergoing cancer treatment
- Decrease some of the side effects of treatment
- Improve quality of life
- Provides a sense of comfort and connection during the challenges of cancer treatment
See the HTI website for links to more information about each of these benefits.
Recipients often report that they feel deeply relaxed and peaceful during and after the session. Regular HT sessions are recommended to gain a cumulative effect over time.
Clinical Practice Guidelines
Therapies based on a philosophy of bioenergy fields are safe and may provide some benefit for reducing stress and enhancing quality of life.
2009 evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for integrative oncology conclude that therapies based on a philosophy of bioenergy fields are safe and may provide some benefit for reducing stress and enhancing quality of life. Only limited evidence is available regarding their efficacy for symptom management, including reducing pain and fatigue. The Society for Integrative Oncology gives a strong recommendation for these therapies:
- For reducing anxiety: grade 1B (strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence)
- For pain, fatigue, and other symptom management: grade 1C (strong recommendation, low or very low quality evidence)
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The Society for Integrative Oncology 2017 clinical practice guidelines for patients with breast cancer recommend using Healing Touch. Based on evidence, Healing Touch is rated Grade C (at least moderate certainty that the net benefit is small; see Clinical Practice Guidelines and Standards of Care for a full description of grades).
These guidelines also state that as of spring 2017, there was insufficient evidence to form a clinical recommendation for using Healing Touch for anxiety/stress reduction or improving quality of life.
Treating the Cancer
Working against cancer growth or spread, improving survival, or working with other treatments or therapies to improve their anticancer action
Clinical Evidence
Few studies are available regarding the effects of Healing Touch on cancer outcomes. These studies provide early evidence of modest potential benefits:
- A prospective, randomized controlled trial in 2010 studied the effect of HT, relaxation training and usual care on cellular immunity support and treatment delay, among other outcomes. Women receiving chemotherapy and radiation for cervical cancer also receiving HT did not experience immune system depression compared to the other two groups
- Reviews of Healing Touch (HT) research in 2005 and 2013 noted improved biomarkers and accelerated healing.
Managing Side Effects and Promoting Wellness
Managing or relieving side effects or symptoms, reducing treatment toxicity, supporting quality of life or promoting general well-being
Clinical Evidence
Few studies have investigated Healing Touch specifically with people with cancer. However, a number of studies demonstrate positive benefit for symptoms such as stress, anxiety, depression and pain that are common in cancer survivors. Based on the paucity of research we can’t conclude that those benefits convey to people with cancer; however, information suggests that HT therapy is likely helpful in improving comfort and quality of life:
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Reviews:
- Reviews of HT research in 2005 and 2013 noted positive outcomes in reducing stress, anxiety and pain. Studies also show an increased sense of well-being.
- Systematic reviews of HT randomized controlled trials noted improved health-related quality of life.
Studies:
- A 2004 randomized controlled trial of women receiving radiation treatment for gynecological and breast cancer who were randomly assigned to either a Healing Touch or no therapy. The HT recipients “demonstrated better quality of life with significant differences in levels of vitality, pain and physical functioning.”
- A randomized, prospective, two-period, crossover study in 2003 tested the effects of massage therapy (TM) and Healing Touch (HT), compared to presence alone or standard care during cancer chemotherapy. Pain and mood disturbance were significantly reduced by massage and Healing Touch. Fatigue was also reduced in the Healing Touch group.
- A quasi-experimental study with random assignment into a Healing Touch or standard hospice care group investigated the effects of HT on quality of life of cancer patients in hospice. The results of the Healing Touch Assessment Form did not find any difference between treatments in quality of life or in symptoms in patients with end-stage cancer. However, in qualitative interviews participants receiving HT actually described many improvements compared to the control group, particularly with symptom control. The authors noted “it seems that there is some conflict in terms of what patients say about Healing Touch treatment and what benefits they actually seem to gain from it.” The authors think that study limitations, such as design, sample size and patients' deteriorating physical, mental and emotional status, may have contributed to these conflicting findings.
- A prospective, randomized controlled trial studied the effect of HT, relaxation training and usual care on mood, quality of life among other outcomes. Indicators of depressed mood in women receiving chemotherapy and radiation for cervical cancer decreased significantly in the HT group, but not in the other two groups.
Cautions
TRC Natural Medicines advises that even though the safety of Healing Touch has not been directly studied, no evidence indicates safety issues. They also caution that Healing Touch should not be used in place of proven treatments in diagnosed conditions..
Written by Laura Pole, RN, MSN, OCNS, and reviewed by Nancy Hepp, MS; most recent update on January 7, 2019. Note: BCCT has not conducted a review of evidence on Healing Touch. Information on this page comes from the Healing Touch International and other sources at noted.
- Healing Beyond Borders. What Is Healing Touch? Viewed June 28, 2018.
- Healing Beyond Borders. What Is Healing Touch? Viewed June 28, 2018.
- Healing Beyond Borders. What Is Healing Touch? Viewed June 28, 2018.
- Healing Beyond Borders. What Is Healing Touch? Viewed June 28, 2018.
- Deng GE, Frenkel M et al. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for integrative oncology: complementary therapies and botanicals. Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology. 2009 Summer;7(3):85-120.
- Greenlee H, DuPont-Reyes MJ et al. Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2017 May 6;67(3):194-232.
- .Lutgendorf SK, Mullen-Houser E et al. Preservation of immune function in cervical cancer patients during chemoradiation using a novel integrative approach. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2010 Nov;24(8):1231-40.
- Potter PJ. Energy therapies in advanced practice oncology: an evidence-informed practice approach. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 2013 May-Jun; 4(3), 139–151; Wardell DW, Weymouth KF. Review of studies of Healing Touch. Journal of nursing scholarship. 2004;36:147–154.
- Potter PJ. Energy therapies in advanced practice oncology: an evidence-informed practice approach. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 2013 May-Jun; 4(3), 139–151; Wardell DW, Weymouth KF. Review of studies of Healing Touch. Journal of nursing scholarship. 2004;36:147–154.
- Potter PJ. Energy therapies in advanced practice oncology: an evidence-informed practice approach. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 2013 May-Jun; 4(3), 139–151; Anderson JG, Taylor AG. Effects of Healing Touch in clinical practice: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Journal of Holistic Nursing. 2011;29:221–228.
- Cook CA, Guerrerio JF, Slater VE. Healing Touch and quality of life in women receiving radiation treatment for cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2004 May-Jun;10(3):34-41, as reported in Healing Beyond Borders. What Is Healing Touch? Viewed June 28, 2018.
- Post-White J, Kinney ME et al. Therapeutic massage and Healing Touch improve symptoms in cancer. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2003 Dec;2(4):332-44.
- Ziembroski J, Gilbert N, Bossarte R, Guldberg G. Healing Touch and hospice care: examining outcomes at the end of life. Alternative & Complementary Therapies 2003;9(3):146-151.
- Lutgendorf SK, Mullen-Houser E et al. Preservation of immune function in cervical cancer patients during chemoradiation using a novel integrative approach. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2010 Nov;24(8):1231-40.
- TRC Natural Medicines. Healing Touch (subscription required). Viewed June 27, 2018.
View All References
More Information
- Healing Touch International: What Is Healing Touch?
- Lutgendorf SK et al. Energy Medicine in Cancer. Chapter 15 in Abrams DI, Weil AT. Integrative Oncology, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2014.
- Potter PJ. Energy therapies in advanced practice oncology: an evidence-informed practice approach. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 2013 May-Jun;4(3):139–151.
- Finding a practitioner:
- Clinical Trials: Find a Study: enter a specific cancer or other condition in the Condition or Disease box, then enter Healing Touch in the Other Terms box
- Donald I. Abrams, MD, and Andrew T. Weil, MD: Integrative Oncology, 2nd Edition
- Wayne Jonas, MD: Your Healing Journey: A Patient’s Guide to Integrative Breast Cancer Care
- September 2018 Issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
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