Developed about 25 years ago by a nursing professor at the University of New York named Dolores Krieger and a natural healer, Dora Kunz. Nurses worldwide have been trained in the technique of therapeutic thouch to assist in treatment in the clinic and hospital setting usually as part of their nursing practice and as a complimentary therapy to improve healing.
Therapeutic touch is included in the complimentary medicine category under energy based therapies.
Other energy based therapies are Reiki, polarity, SHEN therapy, and Barbara Brennen chelation. The technique is derived from the theory that illness is cause by imbalances of the internal energy fields in each person. By improving the energy flow, healing can take place. The practitioner moves their hands above the skin surface of the person to detect the radiant energy fields from the body. The practitioner is trained to be able alter the flow of energy so that the energy flow is returned to balance.