Healing Touch therapy By Shari Rudavsky

April 15, 2010

Healing Touch therapy

By Shari Rudavsky
shari.rudavsky@indystar.com

Six years ago, when Kimberly Bell, manager of the St. Francis Pain Center, started doing Healing Touch on her chronic pain patients, people -- even many colleagues -- thought she was crazy.

Now about 75 of her colleagues throughout St. Francis' three campuses have been trained in providing Healing Touch and offer it to inpatients, outpatients and one another.

Like other energy therapies, Healing Touch, an energy-based therapy designed by and for nurses, entails the practitioner gently placing his or her hands over the person's body or just off the body.

During a session, which can range from a few minutes to an hour and a half, the person's body goes into a state of deep relaxation. When that occurs, oxygen exchange and blood flow improve.

"All of those physiological things that our bodies do, it increases or improves," said Bell, coordinator of St. Francis' Healing Touch. "It allows the body to go to a state where maximum self- healing can occur."

Such healing happens for a variety of conditions, from acute pain to fibromyalgia or to lower anxiety before another procedure, Bell said. Patients on any unit at St. Francis may find themselves recipients of Healing Touch. For instance, a nurse might try a 5- or 10-minute treatment to alleviate nausea after surgery.

Many patients who come in for pain treatments report pain scores as high as eight out of 10. After treatment, those scores hover in the one or two range, Bell said.

Over the past year, Shirley Aldenderfer, 74, has missed only one of her weekly Healing Touch treatments for arthritis. Since she started, she said, she has had less pain, she stands up straighter, and she has reduced her dosage of painkillers. Before, she suffered muscle spasms; she has not had one for a year.

"I wish I had come upon this a lot sooner in my life," the Southside resident said. "I would advise everyone who has a problem to try it because the world runs on energy. . . . You won't have that pain, and it's just a wonderful thing."

During sessions, the practitioner usually dims the lights and plays soothing music. Sometimes, the practitioner chats with the client and incorporates aromatherapy into the treatment.

Outpatient treatments cost about $70 an hour. Few insurance companies cover the service, but some flexible health-care accounts will pay for it, Bell said.

Patients may start out with weekly treatments and slowly taper off, learning how to incorporate some of the relaxation techniques on their own.

Healing Touch isn't just about the physical. The treatment also has spiritual components for both practitioner and patient.

"We are the vessel. We are not the healer," Bell said. "Whenever I work, I know that there's someone greater than me that really has the control, and I think that is why St Francis has embraced this."