A nurse is planning to use therapeutic touch as an energy therapy for a client who has anxiety. The nurse should perform which of the following actions when using therapeutic touch? (Select all that apply.)

The correct answer is

A. Obtain informed consent from the client

B. Place the hands on or near the client's body

C. Assess the client's energy field for imbalances or disturbances

E. Provide feedback to the client about the session

Choice A reason: This statement is correct and the nurse should obtain informed consent from the client before using therapeutic touch. Therapeutic touch is a form of energy therapy that involves placing the hands on or near the client's body to assess, balance, and modulate the client's energy field. Therapeutic touch is based on the premise that human beings are composed of energy that can be influenced by the practitioner's intention and consciousness. Therapeutic touch may have some benefits for reducing pain, anxiety, stress, and enhancing well-being. However, therapeutic touch is not a substitute for conventional medical care, and it may not be suitable or acceptable for everyone. Therefore, the nurse should explain the nature, purpose, benefits, risks, and alternatives of therapeutic touch to the client, and obtain his or her voluntary agreement to participate in the therapy.

Choice B reason: This statement is also correct and the nurse should place the hands on or near the client's body when using therapeutic touch. Therapeutic touch involves using the hands as sensors to detect and manipulate the client's energy field. The nurse should hold the hands between 2 to 6 inches away from the client's body while moving them from the head to the feet in a rhythmical, symmetrical manner. The nurse should also use hand movements from the midline while continuing to move in a rhythmical and symmetrical manner from the head to the feet to facilitate the symmetrical flow of energy through the field. The nurse should also move the hands to the areas that seem to need attention and project, direct, or modulate energy based on the nature of the living field.

Choice C reason: This statement is also correct and the nurse should assess the client's energy field for imbalances or disturbances when using therapeutic touch. Therapeutic touch is based on the premise that health is a state of balance and harmony in the energy field, while illness is a state of imbalance or disorder in the energy field. The nurse should use the hands as sensors to scan the client's energy field for any sensory cues such as warmth, coolness, static, blockage, pulling, or tingling that may indicate areas of imbalance or disturbance. The nurse should also use professional, informed, and intuitive judgment to evaluate the condition of the client's energy field and determine where to intervene.

Choice D reason: This statement is incorrect and does not reflect an action that the nurse should perform when using therapeutic touch. The nurse should not meditate before and after the session. Meditation is a practice that involves focusing attention on a word, object, breath, sensation, or emotion, and letting go of distracting thoughts and feelings. Meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, pain, blood pressure, and inflammation, and improve mood, sleep, immune function, cognitive performance, and quality of life. However, meditation is not part of therapeutic touch technique. Instead of meditating before and after the session, the nurse should perform centering before and during the session. Centering is a process of bringing the body, mind, emotion to a quiet, focused state of consciousness by using breath, imagery, meditation or visualization. Centering helps the nurse to connect with his or her inner core of wholeness and stillness and to attune to the client's energy field.

Choice E reason: This statement is also correct and the nurse should provide feedback to the client about the session when using therapeutic touch. Therapeutic touch is a dynamic and interactive process that involves communication between the nurse and the client¹². The nurse should provide feedback to the client about what he or she sensed or did during the session, such as areas of imbalance or disturbance in the energy field, interventions performed to balance or rebalance them, or changes observed in response to them¹ [^2^. The nurse should also elicit feedback from the client about his or her experience of therapeutic touch therapy such as sensations felt during or after it effects on pain anxiety stress or well-being expectations met or unmet questions concerns or suggestions for future sessions 1 2 By providing feedback to each other both parties can enhance their understanding awareness learning satisfaction trust rapport collaboration evaluation and improvement of therapeutic touch therapy 1 2