08/26/2026
"Qualitative findings affirmed nurses had greater stress reduction receiving healing touch than deep breathing, mid-shift."
One of the most meaningful parts of my Healing Touch work is hearing how clients feel when their session is complete.
Throughout my experience providing Healing Touch, my clients have consistently reported feeling less stressed, experiencing less pain, and feeling better overall following their sessions. Their individual experiences are not a clinical trial, but this repeated pattern is one reason I continue to value Healing Touch as a gentle, supportive complement to conventional healthcare.
A recent cluster-randomized controlled study offers encouraging support for this work. Researchers compared a brief, four-to-seven-minute Healing Touch intervention with deep breathing among 128 registered nurses during their work shifts. Nurses who received Healing Touch experienced greater reductions in perceived stress. Researchers also observed statistically significant improvements in heart rate and respiratory rate at certain measurement points, with reduced stress and respiratory rate continuing during follow-up.
This finding is especially meaningful because the intervention lasted only four to seven minutes and was provided in the middle of a demanding nursing shift—when participants’ stress was immediate, real, and measurable. While one study cannot answer every question about Healing Touch, these results add encouraging evidence that even a brief session may support meaningful stress reduction.
Although access to Healing Touch during a busy work shift may not always be practical, this study demonstrates its potential effectiveness as a stress-reduction modality. Healing Touch could become a meaningful part of a personalized self-care plan, helping individuals intentionally support relaxation, balance, and overall well-being.
This is especially meaningful because the intervention was brief and provided in the middle of a demanding nursing shift—when stress was real, present, and measurable.
Healing Touch is a gentle biofield therapy that may involve light touch or working just above the body. It is intended to encourage relaxation, restore a sense of balance, and support the body’s natural healing processes. It does not replace medical evaluation or treatment, but it can be a beautiful part of an integrative approach to well-being.
As both a nurse practitioner and a Healing Touch provider, I value bringing compassionate care, clinical knowledge, and holistic support together. Sometimes, giving the body a safe opportunity to settle can make a meaningful difference in how we feel.
If you have been carrying stress, discomfort, or a sense of being overwhelmed, a Healing Touch session may offer you space to pause, soften, and exhale.
Message me to learn more or schedule a session.
Robust studies are necessary to support holistic solutions in healthcare, a tenet of holistic nursing practice. The purpose of this holistic study was to assess...
