Therapeutic Touch

Domain XII · Complementary, energy & biofield · Dolores Krieger, Dora Kunz · 1972 · New York

What it is

Therapeutic Touch (TT, a registered mark) is a hands-near "energy healing" practice developed in the 1970s by Dolores Krieger, PhD, RN, professor of nursing at New York University, and the healer Dora Kunz; they began teaching it in 1972. Its theory drew on nurse theorist Martha Rogers' view of…

Format

• Session phases (TTIA seven-phase process, with the five-element equivalents).
• Format. One-to-one; partner seated or lying, clothed. The active phase usually does not exceed 20 minutes, followed by rest; one hospital programme gives shorter sessions for children. Sessions are individualised. One session may suffice, or a series may be offered; no fixed course length is…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Combining with psychotherapy. TTIA states TT can be used alone or with other healing modalities and lists integration into clinical and coaching settings in its advanced course, but publishes no protocol for psychotherapy. Practical options: (a) refer to an independent QTTP and keep therapy separate; (b) if you hold the training and your board permits, offer TT in a clearly separate, consented segment or…
• What it is. Therapeutic Touch (TT, a registered mark) is a hands-near "energy healing" practice developed in the 1970s by Dolores Krieger, PhD, RN, professor of nursing at New York University, and the healer Dora Kunz; they began teaching it in 1972. Its theory drew on nurse theorist Martha Rogers' view of humans as energy fields. Training was first developed for nurses and is now open to other health professionals…
• Training and certification route (TTIA, United States).

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (one line). A 2024 independent summary found no evidence of acceptable quality that TT is effective for any outcome studied in cancer care, and notes that the proposed energy mechanism is not supported by current science.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• distress, confusion, increased agitation; stop and orient.
• brisk or large movements near the face can feel intrusive; keep slow and wide.
• startle, bracing, held breath, looking away; these call for more distance or stopping.
• freeze responses (stillness, flat voice) that look like agreement; if in doubt, no touch.
• emotional release, tearfulness, memories surfacing, dizziness; pause, orient, and ask (see 4.16).

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.