Healing touch can ease the torment of pain, improving the body’s own healing response. Even the terminally ill can benefit. SUFFERERS of chronic pain rightfully engage in a search for relief. Conventional and alternative medicine, drug therapy, physiotherapy, hot packs and cold packs — sound familiar? As a certified Healing Touch practitioner working with terminally ill cancer clients, I have seen firsthand what chronic pain can do to the body, mind and spirit. Over a 15-year practice, I have observed that healing touch (HT) helps even those whose intractable pain robs them of any prospect of a gentle journey to the end. There are many definitions of healing. My own is to gain relief from pain and suffering, which is different from curing a disease in the conventional sense. When symptoms of the disease or its effects subside, relief is palpable. HT can help people with many conditions, including chronic or