This pilot study assessed the role of Healing Touch (HT), an energy-based therapy, in modulating chronic neuropathic pain and the associated psychological distress from post spinal cord injury. Twelve veterans were assigned to either HT or guided progressive relaxation for six weekly home visits. The instruments selected showed sensitivity, although there was a large variation among the groups. There was a significant difference in the composite of interference on the Brief Pain Inventory (t = -2.71, p = .035). The mean score of the fatigue subscale of the Profile of Moods decreased (ns) in the HT group and in the subscale of confusion yet remained stable in the control group. The Diener Satisfaction With Life Scale showed increased well-being in the HT group and no change in the control group. Participants reported various experiences with HT sessions indicating that it may have benefit in the complex response to chronic pain.
Andresen, E. M.Malmgren, J. A., Carter, W. B., & Patrick, D. L. (1994). Screening for depression in well older adults: Evaluation of a short form of the CES-D. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 10, 77-84.
2.
Anselme, L. (2003). Healing Touch certificate program. Beginnings, 23(3), 6-6.
3.
Astin, J. A. (1998). Why patients use alternative medicine: Results of a national study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 279(19), 1548-1553.
4.
Bradway, C. (1998). The effects of healing touch on depression. Colorado Center for Healing Touch Newsletter: Research Edition, 8(3), 2-2.
5.
Brennan, B. (1987). Hands of light. New York: Bantam Books.
6.
Bruyere, R. (1994). Wheels of light. New York: Simon & Schuster.
7.
Cook, C. A., Guerrerio J. F., & Slater V. E. (2004). Healing touch and quality of life in women receiving radiation treatment for cancer: A randomized controlled trial. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 10(3), 34-41.
8.
Daut, R. L., Cleeland, C. S., & Flanery, R. C. (1983). Development of the Wisconsin Brief Pain Questionnaire to assess pain in cancer and other diseases. Pain, 17, 197-210.
9.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1998). Strategies of qualitative inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
10.
Frank-Stromborg, M., & Olsen, S. J. (1997). Instruments for clinical health-care research (2nd ed.). Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
11.
Hover-Kramer, D. (2001). Healing touch: A guidebook for practitioners. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers.
12.
Huskisson, E. C. (1983). Visual analogue scales. In R. Melzack (Ed.), Pain measurement and assessment (pp. 33-37). New York: Raven Press.
13.
Jacobson, E. (1929). Progressive relaxation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
14.
Joy, B. (1979). Joy’s way. Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher.
15.
Keegan, L., Guzzetta, C., & Dossey, B. (2000). Holistic nursing: A handbook for practice (3rd ed.). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen.
16.
Lichstein, K. L. (1988). Clinical relaxation strategies. New York: John Wiley.
17.
Maxwell, J. A. (1996). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
18.
McNair, D. M., Lorr, M., & Droppleman, L. F. (1992). EdITS manual for the Profile of Mood States. San Diego, CA: EdITS Educational & Industrial Testing Service.
19.
Mentgen, J. (2001). Healing touch. Nursing Clinics of North America, 36(1), 143-157.
20.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (2004, October). Energy medicine: An overview (NCCAM Publication No. D235). Retrieved May 26, 2006, from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/backgrounds/energymed.htm
21.
Osterlund, H., Davids, D., Gima, A., & Verderber, A. (1998). HeToBa study at the Queen’s Medical Center. Healing Touch Newsletter: Research Edition, 8(3), 16-16.
22.
Pavot, W., Diener, E., Colvin, C. R., & Sandvik, E. (1991). Further validation of the Satisfaction With Life Scale: Evidence for the cross-method convergence of well-being measures. Journal of Personal Assessment, 57, 149-161.
23.
Radloff, L. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measures, 1, 385-401.
24.
Rubik, B., & Pavek, R. (1992). Manual healing methods. In National Institutes of Health Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in the United States (Ed.), Alternative medicine: Expanding horizons (NIH Publication No. 94-006, pp. 113-158). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
25.
Sherwood, A. M., Dimitrijevic, M. R., & McKay, W. B. (1992). Evidence of subclinical brain influence in clinically complete spinal cord injury: Discomplete SCI. Journal of Neurological Science. 110(1-2), 90-98.
26.
Siddall, P. J., Taylor, D. A., & Cousins M. J. (1997). Classification of pain following spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord, 35, 69-75.
27.
Smith, J. C. (1990). Cognitive-behavioral relaxation training: A new system of strategies for treatment and assessment. New York: Springer.
28.
Turner, J. A, Cardenas, D. D., Warms, C. A., & McClellan, C. B. (2001). Chronic pain associated with spinal cord injuries: A community survey. Archives of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation, 82, 501-508.
29.
Wardell, D. W. (2000). The trauma release technique: How it is taught and experienced in healing touch. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 6(1), 20-27.
30.
Wardell, D. W., & Engebretson, J. C. (2001a). Ethical principles applied to complementary healing. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 19(4), 318-339.
31.
Wardell, D. W., & Engebretson, J. C. (2001b). Biological correlates of Reiki touch healing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 33(4), 439-445.
32.
Wardell, D. W., & Weymouth, K. (2004). Review of studies of healing touch. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 36(2), 147-154.
33.
Weymouth, K., & Sandberg-Lewis, S. (2000). Comparing the efficacy of healing touch and chiropractic adjustment in treating chronic low back pain: A pilot study. Healing Touch Newsletter, 00(3), 7-8.
34.
Wilkinson, D., Knox, P., Chatman, J., Johnson, T., Barbour, N., Myles, Y., et al. (2002). The clinical effectiveness of healing touch. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 8(1), 33-47.
