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The Therapeutic Touch: How to Use Your Hands to Help or to Heal
Whether it be to relieve a headache, calm a muscle spasm, soothe a crying baby, or alleviate your own abdominal cramps. The Therapeutic Touch shows you how you can use your hands to help or to heal someone who is sick.
By explaining what happens during the four different stages of therapeutic touching. Dr. Krieger shows you how to detect when a person is sick, pinpoint where the pain is, and stimulate the recuperative powers of the sick person. With accurate descriptions of the changes that take place in body temperature, levels of consciousness, and physiology during this intense interaction, this book helps you interpret your healing experience and get the most meaning from it.
The Therapeutic Touch recaptures a simple, ancient mode of healing and shows how you can now become on integral part of your own or someone else's healing process.
By explaining what happens during the four different stages of therapeutic touching. Dr. Krieger shows you how to detect when a person is sick, pinpoint where the pain is, and stimulate the recuperative powers of the sick person. With accurate descriptions of the changes that take place in body temperature, levels of consciousness, and physiology during this intense interaction, this book helps you interpret your healing experience and get the most meaning from it.
The Therapeutic Touch recaptures a simple, ancient mode of healing and shows how you can now become on integral part of your own or someone else's healing process.
- GenresHealth
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
6 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 5, 2022
Some useful advice and interesting qualitative data, also great drawings of hands which are notoriously difficult. This book would benefit from an editorial overhaul. Dee, if you're reading this and you want an editor, hit me up. Kind regards.
March 5, 2026
A HELPFUL INTRODUCTION TO THIS SUBJECT AND PRACTICE
Dolores (Dee) Krieger (1921-2019) was a professor emeritus in the Division of Nursing at New York University (NYU) in New York City, when she retired.
She wrote in the Preface to this 1979 book, “[This book] has developed out of nine years of research on healing, six years of clinical practice of Therapeutic Touch, and five years of teaching, in modern dress, this very ancient practice… I recognized early that one need not be a professional person to be effective in the practice of Therapeutic Touch. I am thoroughly convinced that the ability to use Therapeutic Touch is a natural potential in man which can be actualized under the appropriate conditions… The sensitivity with which Therapeutic Touch responds to the human condition as a tool for healing rests firmly on the unique insights of Dora Kunz, who derived the techniques of Therapeutic Touch from the practice of the laying-on of hands...”
She wrote in the Introduction, “My interest in the therapeutic use of hands came originally through research and, very importantly, from a lady, Dora Kunz, who has been a very significant person in my life. Dora… studied the function and control of these energies under the tutelage of Charles W. Leadbeater, one of the great seers of the twentieth century.” (Pg. 4)
She explains, “The functional basis of Therapeutic Touch lies in the intelligent direction of significant life energies from the person playing the role of healer to the healee (the ill person). There are many theories about this healer-healee interaction which we shall discuss in a later chapter; however, since speculations about the dynamics of the healing act without providing an experiential base can result in mere intellectual exercise, I would like to share some structured experiences with you first.” (Pg. 23)
She outlines, “There are four phases to Therapeutic Touch, and each phase will be discussed in one of the following chapters. Specifically, these phases are: 1. Centering oneself physically and psychologically; that is, finding within oneself an inner reference or stability. 2. Exercising the natural sensitivity of the hand to assess the energy field of the healee for cues to differences in the quality of energy flow. 3. Mobilizing areas in the healee’s energy field that the healer may perceive as being non-flowing; that is, sluggish, congested, or static. 4. The conscious direction by the healer of his or her excess body energies to assist the healee to repattern his or her own energies.” (Pg. 35-36)
She clarifies, “Remembering from Therapeutic Touch… that I ‘do not stop at my skin,’ I place my hands two to three inches from the person’s skin. It does not matter where I begin; however, it seems to work out naturally to start at the head, since the ill person is either sitting or lying down and the healer is either standing up or sitting down.” (Pg. 45)
She states, “there seem to be five distinct phases to Therapeutic Touch: 1. Centering oneself. 2. Making an assessment of the healer. 3. ‘Unruffling’ the field. 4. The direction and modulation of energy. 5. Recognizing when it is time to stop. One stops when there are no longer any cues; that is, relative to the body’s symmetry there are now no perceivable differences bilaterally, between one side of the field and the other as one scans the healer’s field.” (Pg. 69)
She summarizes, “My major motivation in writing this book in this way has been guided by the persistent impression during nine years of postdoctoral research on healing that the therapeutic use of hands is a natural potential in Man which can be actualized under the appropriate conditions. My overriding feeling has been that if human beings can help each other in this most humane way, they should do so.” (Pg. 95)
She concludes, “There are still many unknowns about the dyadic interaction between healer and healee; and intelligent caution is a wise stance. For myself, I still pursue the question, ‘Why is touch therapeutic?’ in continued research. However, no amount of intellectualization will do the trick; the ultimate nature of Therapeutic Touch is experiential; and so my final words to you are: practice, practice, practice. You can help, and you can heal---but only if you understand what it is you are doing.” (Pg. 148)
This book will be of keen interest to anyone studying Therapeutic Touch.
Dolores (Dee) Krieger (1921-2019) was a professor emeritus in the Division of Nursing at New York University (NYU) in New York City, when she retired.
She wrote in the Preface to this 1979 book, “[This book] has developed out of nine years of research on healing, six years of clinical practice of Therapeutic Touch, and five years of teaching, in modern dress, this very ancient practice… I recognized early that one need not be a professional person to be effective in the practice of Therapeutic Touch. I am thoroughly convinced that the ability to use Therapeutic Touch is a natural potential in man which can be actualized under the appropriate conditions… The sensitivity with which Therapeutic Touch responds to the human condition as a tool for healing rests firmly on the unique insights of Dora Kunz, who derived the techniques of Therapeutic Touch from the practice of the laying-on of hands...”
She wrote in the Introduction, “My interest in the therapeutic use of hands came originally through research and, very importantly, from a lady, Dora Kunz, who has been a very significant person in my life. Dora… studied the function and control of these energies under the tutelage of Charles W. Leadbeater, one of the great seers of the twentieth century.” (Pg. 4)
She explains, “The functional basis of Therapeutic Touch lies in the intelligent direction of significant life energies from the person playing the role of healer to the healee (the ill person). There are many theories about this healer-healee interaction which we shall discuss in a later chapter; however, since speculations about the dynamics of the healing act without providing an experiential base can result in mere intellectual exercise, I would like to share some structured experiences with you first.” (Pg. 23)
She outlines, “There are four phases to Therapeutic Touch, and each phase will be discussed in one of the following chapters. Specifically, these phases are: 1. Centering oneself physically and psychologically; that is, finding within oneself an inner reference or stability. 2. Exercising the natural sensitivity of the hand to assess the energy field of the healee for cues to differences in the quality of energy flow. 3. Mobilizing areas in the healee’s energy field that the healer may perceive as being non-flowing; that is, sluggish, congested, or static. 4. The conscious direction by the healer of his or her excess body energies to assist the healee to repattern his or her own energies.” (Pg. 35-36)
She clarifies, “Remembering from Therapeutic Touch… that I ‘do not stop at my skin,’ I place my hands two to three inches from the person’s skin. It does not matter where I begin; however, it seems to work out naturally to start at the head, since the ill person is either sitting or lying down and the healer is either standing up or sitting down.” (Pg. 45)
She states, “there seem to be five distinct phases to Therapeutic Touch: 1. Centering oneself. 2. Making an assessment of the healer. 3. ‘Unruffling’ the field. 4. The direction and modulation of energy. 5. Recognizing when it is time to stop. One stops when there are no longer any cues; that is, relative to the body’s symmetry there are now no perceivable differences bilaterally, between one side of the field and the other as one scans the healer’s field.” (Pg. 69)
She summarizes, “My major motivation in writing this book in this way has been guided by the persistent impression during nine years of postdoctoral research on healing that the therapeutic use of hands is a natural potential in Man which can be actualized under the appropriate conditions. My overriding feeling has been that if human beings can help each other in this most humane way, they should do so.” (Pg. 95)
She concludes, “There are still many unknowns about the dyadic interaction between healer and healee; and intelligent caution is a wise stance. For myself, I still pursue the question, ‘Why is touch therapeutic?’ in continued research. However, no amount of intellectualization will do the trick; the ultimate nature of Therapeutic Touch is experiential; and so my final words to you are: practice, practice, practice. You can help, and you can heal---but only if you understand what it is you are doing.” (Pg. 148)
This book will be of keen interest to anyone studying Therapeutic Touch.
July 29, 2023
A wonderful book providing accessibility to energy healing and it's practical application through empathy and compassion. Straightforward principles and step-by-stop instructions are offered, with a strong emphasis on the power of human connection and intention in the healing process. Anyone with an interest in the channeling of energy for healing would benefit from this read.
January 25, 2022
Not a well-written book, but good information about "laying on of the hands", a universal and ancient technique that can be miraculous.
March 2, 2013
channeling energy through the hands.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews