What Are the Benefits of Therapeutic Touch and Can It Be Used for Self-Care?

Therapeutic Touch® (TT) is described by Therapeutic Touch® Networks of Canada (TTNC) as an energy-based therapy intended to restore balance and harmony to the human energy field. According to TTNC, its main benefits relate to relaxation and the body's own healing response, and TT can also be used for self-care and self-healing. These claims come from the organization that promotes the practice, so treat them as the practitioner community's stated rationale rather than as independently verified medical outcomes.

How TT Is Said to Work

TTNC explains the underlying idea this way: everyone has an energy field, known as the human biofield, that flows down, through, and around the body to maintain health physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Illness or "dis-ease" is associated with blockages in that flow.

In a session, the practitioner uses their hands as a focus to detect those blockages, then applies a series of techniques intended to help the body re-pattern its energy field toward wholeness. The stated goal is to re-establish balance and harmony in the human energy field.

The Benefits TTNC Attributes to TT

The through-line in TTNC's description is relaxation: the relaxation response is presented as the mechanism by which the body supports its own healing. TTNC does not frame TT as a replacement for medical care, and the page makes no claims about treating specific conditions.

Can TT Be Used for Self-Care?

Yes, according to TTNC. The organization states directly that TT is also used for self-care and self-healing, with the relaxation response being important for the body to promote its own healing.

Two features make self-care plausible within the practice's own logic:

• No equipment is required. TTNC says the only equipment you need is your hands.
• It can be done anywhere. TTNC states TT can be done anywhere with intention and compassion, which it calls important elements throughout the whole process.

If you want to learn the techniques rather than improvise them, TTNC notes they are taught in workshops, universities, colleges, and nursing programs by Recognized Teachers.

What Happens in a Session

Understanding the format helps clarify what "self-care" would look like in practice:

• The client remains fully clothed and can sit or lie down, whichever is more comfortable.
• Actual touching of the body is not necessary. The practitioner moves their hands a few centimetres or inches from the body, through the client's energy field, assessing for imbalances.
• A session lasts 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the individual and situation.
• Getting permission is very important before the session begins.
• A session can be done at a distance.

Background

TTNC notes that Therapeutic Touch was established in the United States in 1972 by Dolores Krieger, PhD, RN, and Dora Kunz, an intuitive healer.

Where to Go Next

TTNC's site lists several ways to engage: volunteer opportunities, a contact form to request a TT session, drop-in sessions you can join, and a Facebook page. If you are new to TT, a drop-in session or a requested session is the most direct way to experience the format described above before deciding whether to pursue training as a practitioner.