China
Africa
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Psychobiological foundations of early sensory-motor development and implications for neonatal care
Published in Philip N. Murphy, The Routledge International Handbook of Psychobiology, 2018
Victoria Dumont, Maryse Delaunay-El Allam, Nadège Roche-Labarbe
Despite these encouraging reports, it is worth noting that therapeutic touch may also have adverse effects (Johnston et al., 2013). KMC was found safe in ventilated prematurely born children under thirty wGA (van Zanten, Havenaar, Stigt, Ligthart, & Walther, 2007), but some authors report that preterm infants aged twenty-eight wGA and younger have periods of oxygen desaturation when touched, or are unable to maintain their body temperature in KMC (Bauer, Pyper, Sperling, Uhrig, & Versmold, 1998; Scafidi, Field, & Schanberg, 1993). Although most neonates stay physiologically stable during and after massage, some experience physiological instability involving hypoxic episodes immediately after the session (Barnard, Brazelton, & Berry, 1990), suggesting that an over-stimulation point was reached that disturbs the physiological homeostasis of the newborn (Feldman, 2002), without the caregiver noticing. This underscores the need for further research to identify the most appropriate type and amount of touch for preterm infants depending on gestational age, health condition and pain level (Harrison, 2001).
Bioenergetic Therapies
Published in Hilary McClafferty, Integrative Pediatrics, 2017
Therapeutic touch is a technique that has become more widely recognized in the last 25 years. It has been used to promote physical healing, management of pain, and for reduction of anxiety, depression, and other stressors. By definition therapeutic touch involves the assimilation of energies, which are transferred by means of the healer’s hands, purportedly establishing a kind of association between the healer and patient (Mulloney and Wells-Federman 1996).
Energy Therapies for Physical and Occupational Therapists Working with Older Adults
Published in Ann Burkhardt, Jodi Carlson, Complementary Therapies in Geriatric Practice, 2014
Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a contemporary interpretation of several ancient health practices, one of which is the laying-on-of hands. Developed by Dolores Krieger, PhD, RN, professor emeritus at New York University and Dora Kunz, TT is a healing approach that is said to modulate or rebalance one’s energy field (Krieger, 1979). Like other approaches previously discussed, TT practitioners believe that disease reflects an imbalance in the human energy field and that balancing one’s energy field can support an individual’s own power for self-healing. Unfortunately, the name “Therapeutic Touch” is somewhat misleading, because most often the practitioner holds his/her hands several inches away from the client to assess and modulate the client’s energy field. Frequently, the practitioner never even “touches” the client. Krieger developed TT through her observations of healers throughout the world and her knowledge of Asian medical systems. Specifically, Krieger (1993) based many of the principles of TT on the ancient Hindu concepts of prana and chakras and proposes that every human being is an open energy system. This assumption implies that every person’s energy field extends beyond the physical body and is in constant interface with other energy fields (Krieger, 1993). Krieger (1997) has further suggested that the theoretical foundation of TT may be supported by the relatively new science of quantum physics, which deals with the emission and absorption of energy by matter (Capra, 1975). These concepts allow for the TT practitioner to be a modulator of energy flow and fields (Krieger, 1997).
Treating gynecological pain: key factors in promoting body awareness and movement in somatocognitive therapy (SCT). A case study of a physiotherapy student´s treatment approaches
Published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2022
Kristine Grimen Danielsen, Marit Fougner, Gro Killi Haugstad
The therapist also uses touch to provide feedback or promote awareness of a specific area of the body. The patient seems comfortable in these situations, using the therapist´s touch as a guide to be mindful and adjust. According to Leder and Krucoff (2008), a compassionate and skillful touch may have the potential to bridge the disruption between the self and the body which illness can cause, thus bringing about a healing process of re-integration. By promoting proprioceptive self-awareness, this “healing” touch can help to guide the patient to grow more “in touch” with herself: becoming more aware of bodily sensations other than pain, such as relaxation, comfort, and pleasure (Leder and Krucoff, 2008). The therapeutic touch, with or without a specific technique, may also have positive effects by decreasing stress and muscle tension, and thus decreasing pain and disability (Celenay, Kaya, and Ucurum, 2019; Crawford et al., 2016).
Learning professional touch: an exploration of pre-registration Physiotherapy students’ experiences
Published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2022
Meriel Norris, Emma Wainwright
Research completed to date does give us some insight. Within the world of healthcare, including physiotherapy, touch has been re-labeled and categorized in multiple ways. Several different forms of touch have been observed and named in physiotherapy practice, serving multiple purposes, including assistive, preparatory, for intervention, building rapport, perceiving information and security (Roger et al., 2002). The word touch itself is often avoided in practice, replaced with terms such as palpation, massage, mobilization, manipulation, and facilitation (Bjorbaekmo and Mengshoel, 2016; Moffat and Kerry, 2018). These terms most commonly fit the description of therapeutic touch (Paterson, 2007), denoting the professional laying-on of hands for a specific and therapeutic purpose.
The Perceived Credibility of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Survey of Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Published in International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2020
Olivia J. Green, Joseph P. Green, Patrick J. Carroll
It is important to emphasize that the ubiquity of an approach does not guarantee its effectiveness and that potential side effects and opportunity costs need to be weighed against any claim of benefits. It is not unusual for personal belief in the effectiveness of an approach to outweigh the empirical evidence supporting the practice. For example, mind-body practices, including prayer, have been touted to prevent or cure cancer despite the lack of evidence supporting this claim (Cassileth, 1999). Despite widespread belief that dietary supplements can ward off serious disease, including cancer, there is little evidence to support this assertion (Martinez et al., 2012). In addition, many dietary supplements (including St. John’s wort, ginkgo, ginseng, and garlic) are suspected to trigger adverse pharmacological effects associated with a number of prescribed medications (Izzo & Ernst, 2009), and many subscribers fail to appreciate the potential interaction between supplements and prescriptions (Chang & Chang, 2015). Therapeutic touch is another good example of how the degree of patient and professional belief in an approach does not parallel the scientific evidence supporting its use. Despite methodological criticisms and other challenges to studies supporting therapeutic touch including the failure to control for potential bias (e.g., Clark & Clark, 1984; Peters, 1999; Rosa et al., 1998), the practice is still popular among some health professionals, especially nurses. Chang and Chang (2015) reported that while about two thirds of nurses hold positive attitudes toward CAM in general, the vast majority did not possess an adequate understanding of potential risks associated with CAM and about half felt uncomfortable discussing CAM with their patients.