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 acute illness and those who are pre or post-operative. Extending the hours between doses of pain medication allows greater lucidity and clarity of thinking, which helps functioning to improve.
Healing touch is an energy-based biofield therapy derived from the ancient art of hands-on healing. It is used to clear and balance the body’s energy system. Healthy individuals have a flow of energy that follows a pattern through the body and surrounds
the body in layers. We are not usually aware of this flow as it moves through us and around us, yet it has a profound impact on our overall health.
With illness and pain comes a disruption of the normal pattern. The aim of a healing touch treatment is to restore the balanced flow of energy by working with the disrupted pattern by using methods that treat the energetic findings.
The body’s response to stress reduction or pain reduction from an HT treatment benefits the immune system. Scientific research in HT documents that it promotes deep relaxation, reduces pain and man- ages stress. It speeds tissue and bone healing and strengthens the immune system. Combined with traditional medical approaches, it is useful and affective.
The first visit to a HT Practitioner consists of an assessment and history of the client’s health challenges. Goals for treatment are determined, expectations for outcomes are discussed and a treatment plan evolves. At no time is HT seen as a replacement for conventional medicine and therapy. Rather, it is an adjunct to it.
When receiving therapy, the client is fully dressed. Often the treatment begins with an assessment of the current state of the bioenergy field, done with the practitioner scanning above the body with her hands, sensing clues by discerning heat or cold. A small pendulum may be used to observe the patterns of the energy flow over the areas of the body that exhibit a strong energy presence.
Illness and pain disrupt the pattern, and the evaluation helps to direct the treatment. Usually a deep relaxation response occurs, and the body is able to let go of stored tension. For sufferers, these are welcome results.
If you are considering alternative therapy, take the time to consider your options. Ask questions of potential care givers, be clear about your expectations and be in control of your disease. You are empowering your own internal healing mechanism to lead you to wellness.
Note: Whenever seeking new or alternative therapies, discuss them with your treating physician first. This article is not medical advice.
Author: Francene Cosman is a high-touch focused physiotherapist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
