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A number of energy-based approaches are currently gaining popularity because our
highly developed medical technology requires the balance of human touch and
intuitive perception. Healing Touch is one such energy-based approach. Healing
Touch involves a systematic approach to healing using energy interventions that
incorporate a variety of therapeutic maneuvers.
The Healing Touch program was developed by Janet Mentgen, R.N. and B.S.N., who has been practicing energy-based care since 1980 in Denver, Colorado. Healing Touch was first offered as a pilot project at the University of Tennessee and in Gainesville, Florida in 1989. First sponsored through the American Holistic Nurses' Association, now endorsed by AHNA and sponsored through Healing Touch International (HTI), the program offers a multi-level training experience that incorporates selected interventions to affect the human energy system. The Healing Touch program teaches basic elements of Therapeutic Touch, interventions described by Brugh Joy, M.D., concepts delineated by Rosalyn Bruyere, and Barbara Brennan, Ph.D. (physicist); and original techniques identified by Janet Mentgen. Healing Touch is used extensively in the nursing profession. All areas of nursing, from medical/surgical care, psychiatric, public health, hospice, pediatrics to geriatric care can use Healing Touch. This work will also benefit physicians, social workers, counselors, massage therapists, teachers, physical therapists, business personnel, and other interested individuals who desire an understanding of healing work using touch.Healing Touch has roots in Therapeutic Touch and other healing modalities which are derived from the laying on of hands. There are four levels of training involved in the Healing Touch Program. Commitment to personal growth and knowledge of holistic health principles, as well as basic methods, form the foundation of level I. Level I begins with 15 or more clock hours of instruction where Therapeutic Touch, a five-step treatment technique, is taught along with eight other treatment techniques. Level II provides specific sequences for client needs and is broken into two 15-hour training sections. Level III is offered in two 3 hour resident sections. Topics include mentoring, a case study, client-therapist relationships, ethics, and establishing a practice, as well as additional specific skills. A certification of completion is given at the completion of each level. Certification as a Healing Touch Practitioner can be applied for following completion of Levels I through III, including 100 client sessions, and presentation of a case study before a Certifying Board through Healing Touch International. Level IV is the instructor training level. |
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