Therapeutic touch was founded over 25 years ago by a New York University nursing professor Dolores Krieger and a natural healer, Dora Kunz. Over 70,000 nurses worldwide have been trained since it was introduced in 1972. The practitioner and the patient with nothing more than mindful intentions of healing have faith that detection and treatment of these energy imbalances will occur. This rerouting or interruption of the energy field allows the patients body energy to flow more evenly and thus achieve relief of symptoms, healing, and improved health.
Therapeutic touch is a contemporary interpretation of several ancient healing traditions.
The name therapeutic touch is misleading because during a treatment session the practitioner does not physically touch the patient. The practitioner with his or her hands about 2 inches above the patients clothed body uses his or her hands as an assessment tool to detect and treat energy field imbalances. The patient can be sitting or lying down. The session usually lasts from 10-20 minutes. Many patients have experienced relief after a few sessions of treatment.