Therapeutic Touch continued – page 3

Once measuring equipment (EMG) was in place and tested for veracity, subjects were asked to sit in a comfortable posture without making any unnecessary movements. [In the study, ten subjects were assessed sitting in an office chair, two sitting on the floor, Wirth and Cram, 1993, 49)].

Each subject was monitored for one evaluation session, divided into four segments: (1) baseline (time to get acclimated to the measuring equipment); (2) mimic or TT; (3) baseline; and (4) mimic or TT. If the subject received TT in segment 2, he or she received mimic in segment 4, and vice versa. The TT and mimic segments were performed using identical movements, running the hands up and down the back at a distance of about six inches. However, during the mimic segments the experimenters did not center themselves, assess the energy field, or focus on an intent to help or heal the subjects as required by traditional TT methods.

Outcome

The data for all variables are presented in Table 1 (Wirth and Cram, 1993, 50). These values were statistically analyzed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). The following three factors were assessed Treatment, Sequence (First vs. Second), and Subject (1-12). Separate ANOVAs were conducted for each of three Treatment comparisons: (1) TT vs. baseline, (2) mimic vs. baseline, and (3) mimic minus baseline vs. TT minus baseline. A summary for these findings can be found in Table 2 (Wirth and Cram, 1993, 50).

The results of this study clearly and strongly support three findings

• First, that non-contact therapeutic touch (NCTT) significantly alters the physiology of the individual treated.

• Secondly, that these changes were evident in the relaxation or normalization of the energy recorded from multi-site EMG.

• And thirdly, that the overall effects of either the meditation practice or habituation to the experimental setting made it more difficult to attribute changes in physiology to the NCTT treatment. While previous anecdotal reports had indicated that TT is effective in eliciting the relaxation response, the current study is the first of its kind to objectively demonstrate a quantifiable relaxation effect using a well-controlled scientific protocol (Wirth and Cram, 1993, 51).

Design of Experiment

In order to test the validity of TT in the healing process, an experiment can be set up. Patients having wounds to the skin on a hand or a foot can be examined, including measuring the size of the wound at different intervals and keeping a record of how long it takes to heal. The patient can be told to place the injured part through a shielded opening where there is no visual contact between the injured person and the one administering the treatments. The various treatments can be applied to the subjects and the results recorded and compared to the control group. If TT does have an effect on the healing process the results should indicate a wound that heals faster than the control group. The results can also be evaluated as a comparison between applying topical solutions designed to effect healing of wounds and TT.

Summary

In the various tests used to evaluate TT up to this point, it has been shown that TT does effect the healing process and is a viable scientific method for use in the health care field. Certainly more research should be done to confirm how much of a role TT and other treatments can be used to speed up the healing process. In such research, statistical analysis will continue to play a vital role.

References

Adams-Sayre, J. Therapeutic Touch: A Nursing Function. Nursing Standard, January 19, 1995, 25-28.

Daley, B. Therapeutic touch, nursing practice and contemporary cutaneous wound healing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 25 (1997), 1123-1132.

Heller, M. A., Schiff, W. (1991). The Psychology of Touch. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: New Jersey.

Moore, D. S. (1971). Statistics: Concepts and Controversies. W. H. Freeman and Company:New York.

Montagu, A. (1977). Touching: the human significance of the skin. Harper and Row: New York.

Rosa, L., E. Rosa, L. Sarner, and S. Barrett. A close look at therapeutic touch. JAMA, vol. 279, No. 13 (1998), 1005-10.

Spence, J.E., Olson, M.A. (1997). Quantitative Research on Therapeutic Touch. Scandinavian University Press.

Sternstein, Martin. (1994). Statistics. Barron's Educational Series, Inc.: New York.

Wirth, D.P. The effect of non-contact therapeutic touch of the healing rate of full thickness dermal wounds. ISSEEM Journal, vol. 1, No. 1 (1990), abstract.

Wirth, D.P. and J.R. Cram. Multi-site electromyographic analysis of non-contact therapeutic touch. International Journal of Psychosomatics, vol. 40, Nos. 1-4 (1993), 47-55.