AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Healing Touch energy therapy is a universal language of healing that weaves its threads through all cultures and settings. Wherever people are inspired and willing to introduce Healing Touch, and others are open to receive it, the benefits can be endless. General information is provided, leading to an exploration of the richness of the work as Healing Touch practitioners in many countries share their vision, passion, practice and experiences in the spreading of Healing Touch worldwide. The stories are given in their own words and provide insight into how one dedicated and passionate person can make a difference. Objectives of this chapter are as follows:

1. Define Healing Touch.

2. Explore the nature of healing as it applies across cultures.

3. Recognize commonalities among cultures.

4. Understand the global nature of healing through personal stories.

5. Identify models of healing used world-wide.

Healing Touch Definition

Healing Touch is a relaxing, nurturing energy therapy which can effect positive change in people's health and well-being. Using a holistic or "whole person" approach, the practitioner uses gentle touch either on or off the body to assist in restoring harmony and balance in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the self. Healing Touch is based on a heart centered, caring relationship between a practitioner and person. People receiving Healing Touch are clothed and are typically reclining, but they may also be seated. Practitioners gently place their hands either directly on the body or work above the body. During the session the person may experience any number of sensations, such as changes in skin temperature, feeling enlivened or calmed and relaxed, becoming more deeply connected to self and others, soothed, peaceful, comforted, and empowered. Sessions may be as short as a few minutes or extend up to an hour.

The mechanism by which Healing Touch works is unknown, but it is thought to interact with the energy field that permeates and surrounds the individual's body. The energy centers located over the joints and major nerve plexuses of the body are called the chakras. The practitioner focuses on clearing the energy field and chakras, bringing about harmony and balance, and generally causing a relaxation effect. This, in turn, supports the body's natural healing ability and self-healing process.

Healing Touch does not require physical manipulation of the body and is safe for all ages. Healing Touch works in harmony with standard medical care as well as with other complementary, holistic and integrative therapies.

Healing Touch offers the benefits of reducing stress and promoting relaxation and calm. It is often used in the surgical setting or with medical procedures and has been shown to enhance recovery, wound healing and decrease pain. It is a beneficial complementary therapy for injuries, eases symptoms from acute and chronic conditions, and creates a sense of well-being. Healing Touch is also used in cancer supportive care, decreasing the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, easing emotional issues, and supporting quality of life and transitions. Some experience a deepening spiritual connection.

Healing Touch grew out of the holistic nursing practice of Janet Mentgen, RN, in the 1980s, in Denver, CO, United States of America (USA), and contains the work of an array of healers and ancient traditions. In 1989, with Janet's support and guidance, Healing Touch was further developed as a continuing education certificate program through the education committee of the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA), and entitled the AHNA Healing Touch Certificate Program. Janet and other early instructors then began their life work in spreading Healing Touch around the United States and internationally. In 1996, Janet Mentgen founded Healing Touch International, Inc. (HTI), with Healing Touch education and credentialing as its mission and with her vision of service in spreading healing light worldwide. The continuing education program was renamed the HTI Healing Touch Certificate Program, and certification credentialing was also transferred to HTI. Janet remained actively involved until her passing in 2005. In 2013, HTI was renamed Healing Beyond Borders: Educating and Certifying the Healing Touch™ (HBB).

The HTI Healing Touch Certificate Program offered by HBB contains five levels of classes that are standardized and similar around the world. Completion of the program can then lead to certification as an HTI Certified Healing Touch Practitioner (CHTP). This training usually takes a minimum of two years to complete and includes a one year mentorship program. Further development can lead to Instructor Certification (CHTI).

Introduction to an International Perspective

By Rosalie Van Aken, RN, PhD, CHTP/I

This section explores the nature of healing as it applies across cultures and recognizes the commonalities and global nature of healing through story. Exploration of common denominators, or "golden threads" of healing that unite healers and methods of healing across cultures and times, can be seen under several principles (Carlson & Shields, 1976). The second part of the chapter describes the development of Healing Touch in various lands from different individual perspectives and illustrates the variety of models and ways one can be of service. The narrations reflect individual stories and cultures as the speakers committed to "spread healing light" within their country. For some, it was like a fast growing wildfire fueled by favorable winds, and for others, it was a small and persistent drip that began slowly, yet continues to flow.

Principles from an Historical Perspective

A major principle is the provision of an environment where healing can take place. As stated by Dass (1976), "Just as in a garden, we do not `grow' flowers; rather we create the conditions in which a flower can grow" (p.171). Healing in many ancient tribal cultures involved rites whose purpose was to make the body an unpleasant place for evil spirits to live, thereby using the body as the environment for healing an ailment (Keegan, 2001). The provision of an environment where healing can take place is evident in Eastern and Indian systems of healing. These systems are based on the concept of balance within the person and between that individual and the...