Healing Touch

Using Hearts and Hands

To Heal
Our Little Ones

Wendy Rolf, RN, MSN,

CHTP/I, AHN-BC
What Is “Energy Medicine”
“Biofield Medicine” ?
 The Human Energetic Systems

Have 3 components: auric

field, chakras, meridians

How does the human process

the information in these fields?
Auras
Auras
Chakras
The chakra’s exist
through the body into
the aura
They are ports for
energy exchange with
the environment
They bring in energy,
broadcast emotions,
thoughts before they
are spoken
Meridians

Parallel pathways that

are low voltage
electrical conduits.
Conducts chi/universal
energy
Permeates body and
organs
Meridians
 Goal of Healing Touch

Goal restore harmony and balance

Healing Touch complements conventional
health care
 Healing Touch
A Sacred Healing Art
 Healing Touch
We use our hands, our hearts, our whole
selves.
 Healing–
Haelen: to make
whole
to make holy..

Physically
Emotionally
Mentally
Spiritually
It is NOT about the Technique

Person being healed is

most important part of the
equation

Expert healers use self as

instrument to change
energy flow in patient’s
system
 Requirements for Doing Healing Touch
Intentionality for the highest
health of the healee
Motivation to help another
Openness of mind
Openness of heart--
unconditional love
Letting go of expectations for
outcome
Then energy system is affected by:

environment
thoughts
emotions
actions
intentionality

Family Centered Care

Three sources of understanding:

• cultural tradition
• personal experience
• physics
Understanding energy
requires knowledge of:
electricity
electo-magnetism
quantum mechanics
 Energy Medicine
Spiritual Experiences
Image of a Universal
Master Healer….
"Children are the hands by which we take
hold of heaven."
Henry Ward Beecher
 Healing Touch
Where Science and the
Sacred Meet
Biofield Theory
Quantum Physics
Quantum Physics
Dr. Quantum:
Quantum Physics
Observer affects
outcomes.
– Quantum particles
change as soon as
observed or
measured.

Consciousness of
observer brought the
observed object into
being.
Hado—the energy of water

You Make Me Fujiwara Dam 

Sick,  before offering
I Will Kill You a prayer

Fujiwara Dam 
Untreated Love and after offering a
Distilled Water Appreciation prayer
Zero Point Field

•No vacuum or nothingness

•Space between is a hive of activity

Zero point field—an ocean of microscopic vibrations in the

space between things—one vast quantum field.
If this is true everything is connected like some invisible
web
 The Matrix
Zero-point energy
Energetic continuum
– Without form or vibration
– Moves faster than speed of
light
Slows into Tachyon- a vertical
stream
Interacts with Subtle
Organizing Energy fields and
begins creating the energetic
matrix from which all physical
forms are structured.
The Holoverse
Quantum theory states that
each part of the universe
contains all the information
present in the entire cosmos
itself.

The entire universe has to

be thought of as an
unbroken whole. The part contains the whole.
David Bohm
We are all made of the same
basic material at the most
fundamental level.
– Living beings are packets of
quantum energy constantly
exchanging energy
information in this energy sea.

– Thinking, feeling = quantum

information

– We resonate with the

world/universe
Non Locality
Strange property in subatomic world
– Individual electrons influence another quantum
particle instantaneously over any distance despite
there being no exchange of force or energy
– Suggests that quantum particles once in contact
retain connection even when separated
So the actions of one will always influence the
other no matter how far they get separated
THIS HAS BEEN DECISEVELY VERIFIED BY PYSICIST SINCE 1982
Coherence
 We are Light Beings

The body emits photons

 Healing Touch

Zero point
In their energy- “magic”
Coherence
Centering & Connecting
– Matching their energy
– Connecting with their matrix
– Setting Intention
– Quantum changes
NIH considers Healing Touch and other
types of energy medicine among the most
controversial of complementary and
alternative medicine practices.
 BIOFIELD RESEARCH

“Research is about learning and unlearning, about building on new

foundations and about changing thoughts, feelings and attitudes in light
of new evidence and in light of new experience.”
Early Studies
PICO Question:

P (population) Pediatric Post Operative

T&A Patients
I (intervention) Healing Touch
C (comparison) No Healing Touch
O (outcome)
Decrease post op anxiety
Decrease post op pain
Decrease emergence delirium /
emergence agitation
Decrease time to meet PACU
departure criteria
Surgery
Emotional
65% of all children undergoing anesthesia and
surgery develop extreme anxiety and fear
during the perioperative period

88% of all children undergoing anesthesia and

surgery develop new-onset postoperative
maladaptive behavioral changes
 Review of Literature
Weight of the Evidence

CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane, EBSCO, PUBMED, OVID, Centre for Reviews &
Dissemination, Healing Touch International, Healing Touch Program, Dissertations, &
NACHRI

1960-PRESENT
TERMS:
– Healing touch
– Reiki
– Bioenergy
– Energy medicine
– Energy therapies
– Energy healing
– Children
– Anxiety
– Anxiety in hospitalized children
– Relaxation
– Pain
– Surgery
– Emergence delirium
– Length of stay
Findings: 10 most recent & highest level
62 articles reviewed that addressed PICO question
• 3 Meta-analysis &
Systematic Reviews
• 3 Randomized
Controlled Trials
• 3 descriptive studies
• 1 Qualitative

3 CCHMC PACU staff surveys

1 CCHMC Retrospective Study
(Unpublished)

2 NACHRI Responses
Systematic Review (Jain & Mills 2010)

66 clinical studies -- Biofield

Therapies, TT, HT, Reiki.

Quantitative studies---RCT &

within subjects designs
 Findings

Biofield therapies show:

strong evidence for reducing pain intensity in pain populations

moderate evidence for reducing pain intensity in hospitalized

populations

moderate evidence for decreasing anxiety for hospitalized

populations
 Meta Analysis So, Jiang, Qin, (2008)

To evaluate the effectiveness of touch therapies

including HT, TT, & Reiki
Effectiveness acute and chronic pain
Determine adverse effects
Evaluate analgesic use.
RCT, CCT
24 studies, 1153 participants
 Findings
Evidence supports
the use of touch
therapies for pain
relief

No adverse effects
identified.
 Anxiety, Surgery, & Length of Stay
(MacIntyre, 2008)
The efficacy of Healing Touch in coronary artery
bypass surgery recovery: A randomized clinical
trial.
3 groups, control, visitors, HT (N-237)
Measured Post operative length of stay
Anxiety
 Findings
All HT patients showed a greater decrease in
anxiety scores than 2 other groups
HT-- significant decrease length of stay, out
patient.
Reports: relaxed or relaxing, energized,
peaceful.
 Studies with Children
Premature Infants
Whitley (2008) Double-blind RCT Pilot Trial Examining The
Safety And Efficacy Of TT In Premature Infants

Can non contact TT reduce

stress and is it safe to use in
preterm infants
– 20 infants less than 29
weeks
– Evaluated Oxygen
saturation,
– Heart period variability
(HPV)—used to evaluate
stress
– Adverse events, bradycardic
and hypoxic events
 Results

Significant greater variability in low-to-high frequency ratio

(supports increased relaxation)

No adverse effects
 Children/ Infants

Effect of 2 different forms of energy work (Yakson and Gentle

Human Touch) versus usual care on urine stress hormones
and behaviors in preterm infants: A quasi-experimental
study (Im, 2009)
3 groups
59 infants 26-34 weeks gestational age
measured urine stress hormones,
behavioral indicators, sleeping & awake states.
Results

Significantly lower
stress hormone
levels

Increased
percentage of
sleep states and
decreased
percentage of
awake and fussy
states
 Qualitative Study with Children
Hanley (2008)
Goal elicit descriptions of how TT is used with preterm infants, and
evaluation of TT with neonates.
Findings:
– The TT treatment is logical and dynamic
– Practitioners use strategies to self-monitor their emotional and
physical states during treatment to remain centered
– Practitioners reported infants responses increases:
• Respiratory functioning and oxygenation,
• Feeding and nutritional status
• Weight over time
• Time in deep sleep
• Relaxation: being “settled”
Practitioners reported neonates had decreases in:
• Heart rate and respirations
• Seizure activity
Practitioners reported behavioral changes
• Infants better able to organize complex tasks
• Infant ability to attend to situations and learn
• Improved developmental patterns
Changes in energy fields patterns– smoothed out, more integrated,
more coherent
The Impact of Healing Touch on Pediatric
Oncology Outpatients: Pilot Study
(Kemper, 2009)

N-9
VAS to assess relaxation, vitality, overall well-being,
stress, anxiety, and depression
Compared HT & rest period
Stress decreased significantly in HT group
 Descriptive Study: Comparison of
TT and casual touch in stress
reduction of hospitalized children
Kramer (1990)

Early study, evaluated stress reduction

children aged 2 weeks to 2 years.
Measures used were pulse Galvanic skin response and peripheral skin
temperature.

Results

TT had significant changes in values and needed less time to calm

children after stressful experiences.
 Healing Touch In our PACU
97% somewhat or strongly agree that patients feel more
comfortable when receiving Healing Touch
94.5 somewhat or strongly feel the patients are calmer when
they awaken from anesthesia
94.5% somewhat or strongly feel Healing Touch/Holistic
Health enhances patient and family coping.
 A Retrospective Database Review Of Pre-post Pain
And Comfort Scores In Post Operative Patients At
CCHMC
Clinical records of 1613 patients 0-21 years old who received post
operative healing touch therapy from October 2004-September 2007
 Impact of Healing Touch on Pain in Post-Op
Children at CCHMC

Asleep

pre
Awake
post

Crying

Awakening

0 2 4 6 8
 Impact of Healing Touch on Comfort in Post-
Op Children at CCHMC

asleep

pre
awake
post

crying

awakening

0 2 4 6 8 10 12
 Leveling the Evidence Today
Energy Therapy’s Effect on Pain, Anxiety, Emergence Delirium,
and Length of Stay in Children Having Surgery
Synthesis of Evidence
High grade of evidence to support the safety of Healing Touch with adults
and children (Jain,2010 [1a]; Lee, (2008) [1a]; So, 2008 [1a]; Whitley, 2008
[1a]).

High grade of evidence to support Healing Touch for pain and anxiety
with adults (Jain,2010 [1a]; Lee, 2008 [1a]; So, 2008 [1a]).
High grade of evidence to support the use of HT to decrease stress with
premature infants (Hanley, 2008 [2a]; Im, 2009[2b]; Whitley, 2008 [2a]).
Moderate evidence that Healing Touch may decrease the length of stay
(MacIntyre, 2008 [2a]).

Moderate evidence to support the use of Healing Touch with children’s

stress & anxiety (Kramer, 1990 [4b]; Kemper, 2009 [4a]; Zimmer, 2008
[Unpublished]).
 “Do the Work”

Connect with children

Connect with the families

Our work is our blessing

& joy.
A Sacred Time and Place for Healing
Therapeutic Presence
 Healing Touch
Let’s Do It

Center
Connect
Assess
Magnetic Passes
Treat
Evaluate
Infants
 The young child's
undeveloped brain
organizes in a "use-
dependent" way, mirroring
the pattern, timing,
nature, frequency, and
quality of experience.

Perry, B., 2006

Hospital environments, what
do these infants experience?
 The primary infant
relationship has been
shown to be the best
predictor of improved
developmental
outcomes for infants
Bondurant & Brinkman, 2003
Healing Touch in the Perioperative
Area
 AUTISTIC &
DEVELOPMENTALLY
DELAYED CHILDREN
 Bibliography
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No. 4 249-258.
•Im, H, Eunjung, K Effect of Yakson and Gentle Human Touch versus usual care on urine stress hormones
and behaviors in preterm infants: A quasi –experimental study. International Journal of Nursing Studies 46
(2009) 450-458.
•Jain, S & Mills, P (2010) Biofield Therapies: Helpful or Full of Hype? A best evidence Synthesis. Int. J.
Behav. Med. 17:1-16
•Kemper K, Flecher, N, Hamilton, C, McLean, T. (2009) The Impact of Healing Touch on Pediatric Oncology
Outpatients: Pilot Study. Journal of Society for Integrative Oncology, Vol 7, No 1 (Winter),:12-18

Kramer, N (1990) Comparison of Therapeutic Touch and casual touch in stress reduction of hospitalized children.
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Jackson, Michael: lyrics and music: Childhood
Jackson, Michael: lyrics and music: Heal The World
Google images for pictures throughout presentation.