In our fast-paced, stress-filled world, finding moments of stillness and healing can feel elusive. Yet for over five decades, Therapeutic Touch (TT) has provided a gentle and effective method for calming the mind, easing physical discomfort, and fostering a deeper connection between caregivers and those in need. This holistic healing approach continues to evolve and empower individuals, families, and health professionals around the globe.
Origins Rooted in Compassion
Therapeutic Touch was developed in the early 1970s through a collaboration between Dora Kunz, a natural intuitive healer, and Dolores Krieger, PhD, RN, a nursing professor at New York University. Kunz had long worked with subtle energy healing, and Krieger, deeply inspired by her work, sought to bring these principles into the medical world.
Together, they created a teachable, reproducible method that could be used by nurses and other caregivers to support patients in clinical settings. Their goal was to create a bridge between scientific care and intuitive healing. What emerged was a practice based on intentionality, compassionate presence, and the understanding that healing involves more than just treating symptoms—it involves supporting the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.
How Therapeutic Touch Works
Therapeutic Touch is a non-invasive, energy-based approach to healing. Practitioners use their hands, not to physically manipulate tissue, but to assess and support the human energy field—the dynamic field of life energy that surrounds and permeates the body.
A typical session begins with the practitioner centering themselves through breath and focused awareness. They then assess the energy field by moving their hands a few inches above the body. With practiced sensitivity, they detect areas that feel unbalanced, congested, or depleted. Through gentle, sweeping motions and the use of focused intention, the practitioner clears, balances, and modulates the energy flow. This promotes deep relaxation, enhances natural healing processes, and restores harmony within the system.
Sessions can be done in person or at a distance, and they are always guided by compassion, respect, and ethical care.
Benefits for Body, Mind, and Spirit
One of the most remarkable aspects of Therapeutic Touch is the wide range of benefits it offers. Many people report a sense of immediate calm during or after a session. This state of relaxation is not simply about feeling peaceful—it is a biologically restorative state that supports the parasympathetic nervous system, helping the body recover from stress and inflammation.
TT has been shown to be effective in helping with:
- Pain relief – including chronic pain, post-surgical discomfort, and joint stiffness
- Anxiety reduction – especially for patients undergoing medical procedures or facing life transitions
- Improved sleep – by calming the nervous system and easing restlessness
- Headache and migraine relief – through balancing congested energy and releasing tension
- Enhanced immune function – by supporting the body’s innate healing ability
- Stress relief – by calming the mind and grounding emotional energy
Because Therapeutic Touch addresses the whole person, it is also commonly used to support emotional and spiritual well-being, particularly in palliative care, hospice, and trauma recovery.
The Research Behind the Practice
Though rooted in intuitive practice, TT has been studied in clinical and academic settings for decades. Research published in journals such as Holistic Nursing Practice, Journal of Advanced Nursing, and Complementary Therapies in Medicine supports its effectiveness in reducing pain, anxiety, and stress. Studies with cancer patients, surgical patients, and long-term care residents have consistently shown positive outcomes.
One randomized controlled trial showed significant decreases in anxiety and pain for burn patients receiving TT. Another study on elderly patients with dementia demonstrated improvements in behavioral symptoms, including agitation and sleep disturbances.
Importantly, Therapeutic Touch is gentle, safe, and free of side effects, making it ideal for individuals with complex medical conditions or those who are sensitive to touch or medication.
A Tool for Families and Caregivers
While originally taught to nurses, TT has become a practice embraced by everyday people. With proper instruction, parents, spouses, caregivers, and friends can learn to offer Therapeutic Touch in home settings, providing comfort and care in ways that deepen connection and trust.
Imagine a parent calming a restless child at bedtime, a partner offering relief from a headache, or a caregiver bringing peace to someone in the final stages of life. Therapeutic Touch becomes more than a healing technique—it becomes a way to express presence, compassion, and love through conscious connection.
A Practice for Our Times
As stress-related illnesses and emotional burnout continue to rise, the need for simple, effective, heart-centered healing practices has never been greater. Therapeutic Touch offers a timeless solution—one that can be learned and shared by anyone who seeks to bring peace and well-being into the lives of others.
In training sessions across the world, new practitioners are learning to “center, assess, clear, and balance”—the core steps of the TT process. But more than technique, they are learning to be present, to listen with their hands and hearts, and to create a space where healing can unfold.
Whether you are a healthcare provider, a family caregiver, or someone seeking your own wellness path, Therapeutic Touch offers a way forward—a gentle invitation to align with the body’s innate wisdom and to bring balance where there was once pain or unrest.
In every session, TT reminds us of a simple truth: Healing begins with presence.
At the Greenwell Center, Dr Michelle Greenwell, PhD, CIH BioEW, provides Therapeutic Touch sessions as part of her private sessions for clients. She also uses concepts and techniques from TT for other programs that she offers. Award-winning author of the ‘Therapeutic Touch for Families‘ with co-authors Cherry Whitaker and Natascha Polomski, she can offer special workshops to families and caregivers wanting to learn these techniques for home use. Please reach out if you have any questions, or a group of people wanting to do a workshop together.
For those wishing to learn the Foundations of Therapeutic Touch, the first level of courses available, please see the schedule at ATTN or www.atlanticttn.ca. Courses are offered in-person and online.
ATTN is a partner of the Canadian Association of BioEnergetic Wellness, or CanBeWell.org, and offers special webinars and programs within the association also. As President of CanBeWell, Dr Michelle is thrilled to be sharing the benefits of Therapeutic Touch knowledge with other healing modalities.
Therapeutic Touch concepts will be a part of the new program launching in August. These sessions will be recorded for viewing later, or for those unable to join us during the scheduled class time. Self-Care at your fingertips…get ready to empower your wellness plan with programs from the Greenwell Center.
