HEALING TOUCH DOROTHEA HOVER-KRAMER. Essential Energy Medicine for Yourself and Others. E d D, RN, DCEP. Boulder, Colorado

Transcription

1 HEALING TOUCH Essential Energy Medicine for Yourself and Others DOROTHEA HOVER-KRAMER E d D, RN, DCEP Boulder, Colorado

2 Sounds True, Inc. Boulder, CO Dorothea Hover-Kramer 2011 Foreword Cyndi Dale SOUNDS TRUE is a trademark of Sounds True, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author and publisher. healingtouchbook.com Published 2011 Printed in Canada Cover and book design by Jennifer Miles Permission for all illustrations in this book has kindly been given by the Healing Touch Program and excerpted from its manuals and Healing Touch Guidebook (2009). Due to her interest in assisting public understanding of the disabled, specific written permission was given by Theresa O Connor to use her actual name in the recounting of her story. All other names in the stories have been changed to protect confidentiality. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hover-Kramer, Dorothea. Healing touch : essential energy medicine for yourself and others / by Dorothea Hover-Kramer. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN Touch--Therapeutic use. I. Title. RZ999.H dc ebook ISBN

3 Foreword by Cyndi Dale Two hundred years ago, our great-great-great grandmothers and grandfathers would have been shocked to hear about today s advancements in Western medicine, perhaps to the point of disbelief. A shot will prevent polio, mumps, or yellow fever? A small pill, called an antibiotic, will cure deadly diseases or prevent gangrene? Surgical procedures will reattach severed limbs? Something called stem cells will regrow fingertips or even entire organs? Far across the ocean in the Orient, Easterners were already practicing a form of medicine that included using needles to move invisible energies in and out of the body. Our Western ancestors would have considered this form of health care nonsense or possibly witchcraft. They might have asked how acupuncture could work when a needle is meant for sewing, not healing. Two centuries ago, the Western mind couldn t understand a different culture s form of medicine, which has since been scientifically proven effective in treating pain, addictions, depression, and other afflictions. These days, we call this medicine holistic, alternative, or complementary. History has proven that great progress is seldom foreseen and is often unpublicized. Dorothea Hover-Kramer s book, Healing Touch, however, must be noticed. News of this book, and the implementation of its advice, can t wait xv

4 FOREWORD for tomorrow s audience. Therapeutic Healing Touch is a landmark healing approach one that blends Eastern and Western philosophies and techniques. Even more important, Healing Touch promises to usher in a new era that focuses the power of love for patient and practitioner alike. The best part is that Dorothea s book really is for everyone for real people with real lives and real concerns. Now we can all learn how to deliver and benefit from this healing medicine, regardless of any previous experience or lack thereof in a medical field. As a healing practice, Healing Touch is unsurpassed. As explained by Dorothea, Healing Touch falls under the category of energy medicine, or the manipulation of energy to establish optimum wholeness physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The basic philosophy is holistic, a 5,000-year-old Eastern tradition that treats the entirety of a person, not just the symptoms she or he experiences. Because of this, Healing Touch invites a transformation of body, mind, and soul the three elements of the self that intertwine to create true well-being. Reminiscent of ancient wisdom, Healing Touch is ageless. It carries forward a torch of hope, the light needed when our doorsteps are darkened by illness, loss, or trauma. Healing Touch is not only an Eastern or alternative care. It has matured and is quickly being integrated into allopathic medical communities worldwide. As of 2007, at least a hundred U.S. hospitals offered Healing Touch, with more than 86,000 nurses or health-care professionals delivering the service, according to Healing Touch. This number is growing by leaps and bounds annually, with hospitals frequently incorporating Healing Touch as a complement to standard care. It s not uncommon to find Healing Touch practitioners soothing patients in hospital pre- and post-surgical areas, or assisting with sleep disturbances. In addition, hundreds of thousands of individuals have received Healing Touch treatments in practitioner-based clinical and office settings. Procedures include assessing energy imbalances, shifting energy in the biofield (the layers of energy that surround our body), creating ease through various relaxation processes, and utilizing a number of other maneuvers to alter the issues underlying a presenting concern. The idea is that as you modify the energy causing a problem, you can potentially shift the problem right out of existence or at least initiate enough change to enable balance and hope. xvi

5 FOREWORD Practitioners can receive energy through their heartfelt intentions and send it to a recipient with their hands, which usually move above the physical body. They can also send healing in absentia or to someone in a different locale. As explained by Dorothea, Healing Touch works by aligning the unlimited supply of energy in the universe through committed focus called centering. The process requires knowledge and practice, but no extraneous materials such as stethoscopes, pills, or needles. This means that Healing Touch can be performed anywhere and by anyone committed to love once he or she has been guided through the correct steps. This ease of delivery is one of the reasons Healing Touch is so popular, but the main attraction is its efficacy. Nearly one hundred studies have been conducted on Healing Touch, with many organizations participating in the discovery. Healing Touch has certainly earned its reputation as one of the world s most credible, widespread, hands-on energy medicines; it s well documented in its ability to relieve anxiety, pain, suffering, emotional distress, stress, and illness. This energy treatment has benefited so many people that the Healing Touch Program agreed to support Dorothea in authoring a book that shows us average people how to apply these techniques in our everyday lives. For decades, Healing Touch was only taught to those willing to undergo the intensive training available through the Healing Touch Program (HTP). More than a hundred thousand people (both laypersons and health-care practitioners) have been trained through HTP, the only nationally accredited program of its type. Multiply the number of practitioners by the thousands upon thousands who have received Healing Touch treatments, and you will understand why it is spreading so quickly and why you want to be apprised of this simple yet amazingly powerful practice. Dorothea is uniquely capable of revealing these trade secrets in such a way that we can all safely access these healing methods. Her wall is covered with professional credentials in nursing and psychology, including a doctorate in educational psychology, a master s degree in public-health nursing, and a diploma in comprehensive energy psychology. In addition to being a founding elder in the Healing Touch Program, Dorothea is also one of the pioneers of energy medicine and energy psychology. She is, therefore, an extraordinary guide into the world in which small to large miracles occur daily. xvii

6 FOREWORD Yet it is her spirit that guarantees the beauty and accessibility of this book. Dorothea cares. As a child, she could perceive the light inside living beings. Because of this sensitivity, Dorothea is distinctively able to show us our true light no matter what is happening in our lives and how to use the resulting insights to better ourselves and others. As a collective, we can now begin to close the gap between the Eastern world, which embraces the subtle and the soul, and the Western universe, which comprehends the body and the mind. As individuals, we can bridge chasms that separate parts of ourselves, creating unity where there was once divisiveness. I was able to use the tools outlined in Dorothea s book at a critical time in my own life. While reading a preview of her book, I helped my ill mother move four times. I inhaled Dorothea s wisdom about caregiver burnout I felt ready to check into a senior center myself. Dorothea s practical methods for nourishing my inner core and physical well-being were crucial to my survival. Is a loved one dying? Dorothea instructs us on how to ease the transition or perhaps even stave off death until another time. Are you or someone you care about ill, fatigued, traumatized, or in pain? The techniques included in this book are thoughtful, simple, and safe. Myself, I ve employed Healing Touch and related practices in my everyday life for decades. As a professional energy expert, I use these types of tools in my practice all day long. As an author, I often research and write about the history of healing, sharing how energy medicine really works. As a person, however, I know that what really counts is how I integrate these truths into my real life: how I deal with unkempt rooms, needy children, dead batteries, the flu, and Minnesota winters that seem eleven months long. Let s face it: life is challenging, and we can use all the supernatural help we can get. As a single mother with two boys and five animals none of whom feel particularly called to listen to my deep wisdom I depend on Healing Touch practices to fill the gap between life s unmet needs and my capabilities. How often did I soothe a child s brow, furtively delivering the kiss of healing energy when Tylenol wasn t cutting it? How did I tear my younger son s homework out of the wild maniac dog s toothy grip, if not for the power of Healing Touch? My older son still doesn t admit that there was something pretty cool about reducing his swollen ankle to normal size in five minutes with that weird xviii

7 FOREWORD stuff Mom does. And my partner doesn t realize that we would have twice the discussions we ve actually had if I hadn t learned how to soothe my inner being with Healing Touch relaxation techniques. To be honest, the only thing Healing Touch hasn t helped me do is cook. My younger son still thinks that homemade cookies come out of a long tube and need only to be cut before being baked. Could my children have survived my mothering if not for Healing Touch practices? Clearly, Dorothea s book is an absolute must for anyone and everyone who lives a real life. We are here on earth to be a light from heaven, even while walking, talking, working, loving, arguing, sleeping, and simply being. We are here to ignite the world, whether in a grocery store, doctor s office, or day-care center. We are here to give and receive love, and that is the essential instruction provided by Healing Touch. As the Greek physician Hippocrates said ages ago, Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity. Through Healing Touch, Dorothea presents real-life techniques that will help you deal with all the opportunities life presents, from broken hearts to crying children to bodily wounds. At their core, Healing Touch really is an opportunity to advance to learn, grow, transform, and ultimately to open more to the truth of who we are. Essentially, this book is about the great truths we are to insert ourselves into every day. May you learn how to shine even brighter because of it. CYNDI DALE Bloomington, Minnesota June 2011 xix

8 j CHAPTER ONE i Healing Touch Stories from Everyday Lived Experiences There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life. FILMMAKER FEDERICO FELLINI Healing Touch (HT) provides a direct, unfettered approach for relief from physical and emotional distress. Although Western, conventional medicine has focused on primarily treating illness in the body, everyone knows that body and mind are, in fact, inseparable. Each of us is a person with physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual capacities within one resplendent being. When there is good health in all of these dimensions, we are whole. Healing comes from the Greek word holos, meaning whole. Healing is the process that happens when stressed or ill persons recover their wholeness and evolve toward higher levels of functioning. The impact of HT over the past twenty plus years is demonstrated by its effective, noninvasive methods for restoring wholeness to people suffering from physical and/or psychological distress. Often, healing changes in clients receiving HT occur in relatively short amounts of time, as if the human body and mind are designed to reorganize and align toward ever-evolving health via methods that are harmonious to all aspects of the whole person. 11

9 HEALING TOUCH Since the late 1980s, Healing Touch, an active form of hands-on caring, has proven its ability to positively affect every aspect of human life. The situations reported here are real and have been repeated thousands of times. The stories come from the trenches of everyday activity as well as from clinical settings. To get a taste of HT at work, we ll explore a sampling of actual life experiences in the following areas: responding to emergencies dealing with family dramas reducing caregiver burnout helping to decrease pain and anxiety facilitating transitions Responding to Emergencies Healing Touch is literally as close as the presence of a caring person. It is ideal for giving immediate response to a disaster. Wherever people find themselves, especially in crisis situations, opportunities arise for healing and implementing conscious choices. With a hands-on energetic method such as Healing Touch, it is possible to help restore a sense of personal wholeness for the person in need. Story: Grandma to the Rescue! Linda, a grandmother from Texas who learned basic HT methods at her senior center, sent me a description of a frightening personal experience: Last summer my twelve-year-old granddaughter, Tanya, was riding on a water toy behind my jet ski. We were having a great time until she fell off and injured her left hand. It hurt so badly that it hung limply and could not be moved or used. As soon as I got her onto the back of my jet ski, Tanya intuitively reached out to me and said, Please hold my hand. While sitting on the floating jet ski, I took her little, wet, cold hand between my hands and immediately felt the sense of a warm, loving light. This lasted about a minute and then we both took a few deep breaths and slowly rode back to the dock. Tanya kept her hands on my waist, and I held her left hand. It seemed there was a flow of energy from my hand into hers for the entire ten minutes until we reached the shore. 12

10 HEALING TOUCH STORIES FROM EVERYDAY LIVED EXPERIENCES When we arrived on land, I performed an HT technique, Hands in Motion, over her left hand for about a minute. This calmed Tanya and reduced the pain. She brightened, smiled at me, and said, You know, Grandma, it s all better. I was so relieved! After I took her home, Tanya s mother and I agreed that a medical exam and X-rays were needed. The results showed no fractures; the injuries were limited to severe muscle strains and bruises. Tanya received occupational therapy for several weeks until she regained full function of her hand. I was so thankful for knowing HT interventions in that time of crisis! I also learned how HT, combined with conventional medical care, could lead to positive outcomes. Undoubtedly, Linda s caring intention had been communicated directly to her grandchild. Because Linda had learned HT, she knew how to quickly access inner peace, a process we call centering. Then, Linda activated the caring touch that facilitated what she imaged as an energy flow. The fear and anxiety that could have easily emerged were mitigated by Linda s quick, conscious choice to center and connect with the injured child. The trust between Tanya and her grandmother created the link to facilitate relief. n As shown by this incident, Healing Touch interventions are highly portable. One of the great gifts of energy-based modalities is their applicability to all kinds of settings from hospitals to outpatient and hospice facilities, as well as to everyday situations in homes, schools, businesses, or while traveling. Our natural, innate wish to lessen distress or pain in others can be activated with a simple shift in consciousness such as Linda s centering response. Despite the reality of high-tech medicine in most conventional settings, no gadgets or tools were required to bring about the healing effects described in the vignette. A brief time of intentional movement sufficed to relieve pain. The HT method known as Magnetic Passes Hands in Motion and Hands Still is described in more detail later. While the exact mechanisms for this outcome remain only partially understood, the results speak for themselves. In the last three decades of exploration, practitioners of energetic modalities such as HT have found relief of anxiety and pain perception to be the most direct effects of their interventions. Another valuable aspect of Linda s story is the way it shows the coming together of HT approaches with conventional medical care. While HT is frequently a stand-alone method used by laypersons and health-care practitioners 13

11 HEALING TOUCH to facilitate body-mind-spirit healing, it is also well-recognized as a complement to Western medicine. All parents wish the best outcomes for their children. Seeking medical evaluation and follow-up are essential even after the pain subsides. In this case, exercise with hand movements was needed to restore full function to Tanya s hand, something that could have been missed without medical assessment. Considering the incident in other ways, the outcome could have been considerably worse without the immediate calming responses of the grandparent who knew HT. For example, unaddressed anxiety can lead to exaggerated pain perceptions, especially in sensitive, preadolescent children such as Tanya. Many examples of HT responses in emergency situations can be cited. The ability to know what to do when no one quite knows what to do seems to be an inherent part of HT s gift to complementary health care. Dealing with Family Dramas Family life can be likened to a roller coaster; something is always up or down. Kids of all ages get upset with each other and fight in efforts to establish their place in the family as a preparation for later life in the hierarchical world. HT interventions offer practical ways to increase awareness among family members and can be used to mend the many interrelationships lived out in the primary family husband/wife, mother/daughter, mother/son, father/son, father/ daughter, and all who are joined together in a family activity. Story: Mother Increases Family Peace Mary sought counsel from a family friend because her three children were always fighting, and because they had difficulty falling asleep after watching TV. She felt hopeless that things could ever improve. Her friend suggested several of the calming HT methods that Mary could use for herself and later on with each child. He also explained the irritating, brain-stimulating impact of microwaves emitted by a television s vibrational field, even with nonviolent programs. After a little practice, Mary used HT with each child after spending one-on-one time with them in the evenings, either reading or storytelling. Bedtimes quickly became a time of increased intimacy and peacefulness. 14

12 HEALING TOUCH STORIES FROM EVERYDAY LIVED EXPERIENCES Mary explained, When the youngest was ready for bed, she really surrendered. The more I passed my hands over her energy field, the more relaxed she became, looking more and more like she was love-drunk. I could feel this sosweet spirit filling up. It was intoxicating! I smiled down on her and commented, You really like this stuff, don t you? Her daughter answered, Well, I didn t know you could do real magic! Then she fell asleep almost instantly. A true love story, my children are, said Mary. They are so resilient, so malleable, so strong. I always find it amazing how willing they are to love and how perceptive they can be when they feel safe and respected. Mary s family life changed dramatically when she centered herself frequently during the day as she went through the usual routines in preparation for the children s return from school and took charge of the chaos. She fell in love with her children again. Later on, the children s grades improved as well. n Reducing Caregiver Burnout At some point in life, almost everyone becomes a caregiver for another person. While the nurturing of a newborn may require around-the-clock efforts, needs diminish over time and are replaced by the rewards of seeing a child grow up. Even under favorable circumstances, however, many parents become exhausted by the burdens of childrearing and the limited time for meeting their own needs. Becoming a caregiver for a chronically ill or aging person whose health gradually declines over an indefinite period is another challenge. At present, nearly ten million Americans are involved in caring for their elderly relatives because people are simply living longer. 1 Unlike childrearing, however, caregiving for someone with long-term disabilities has few built-in rewards other than the sense of inner satisfaction that caregivers must learn to give to themselves. Story: Susie Gets Her Bearings Back My friend Susie had the good fortune to marry a physician with an excellent income, who was fifteen years her senior. When she turned sixty-five, her 15

13 HEALING TOUCH husband was eighty. He became a cranky, quarrelsome senior who did not like any direction and was used to being right. Worse, he began to lose the personality and wit that had so charmed her, and showed increasing signs of mental deterioration. Susie began to wear herself out trying to give care at home, so she found a congenial assisted living setting for her husband. Alas, the staff could not cope with him either and recommended that he be transferred to a dementia unit. When faced with this terribly difficult choice, Susie began to fall apart. She cried incessantly, could not make decisions, and seemed to have lost her bearings. When I met with Susie, I reminded her of the HT methods she had learned in a workshop many years before. Spontaneously, she touched herself lightly on the head. I remember HT for the caregiver was such an important part of the training, she said. How did I forget what I most needed for myself? With this insight, Susie accessed deeper levels of centering and self-care and was able to begin accepting herself and her dilemma. She allowed herself to grieve intensely the loss of her husband s personality. At the same time she released the tension with frequent clearing of her energy field. After facing the conflicts within herself, she decided to find the best possible care for her husband by interviewing nursing-home staffs. She reconnected with prayer and her faith. A sense of trust and confidence developed within her despite her husband s deteriorating condition. To date, she lives with a clear sense of purpose while fulfilling the exceedingly difficult task of watching the gradual decline of a loved one. n Hospital nurses are most familiar with the signs of caregiver burnout, including exhaustion, inability to think clearly, unproductive overactivity, indecisiveness, hopeless crying, and becoming stonily removed. 2 Because of this, nurses quickly resonate with energetic interventions such as centering and caregiver self-care, which are essential elements in becoming an energy-oriented practitioner. In today s world, laypersons and professionals from all walks of life are drawn to HT, not only because of the calming effect of the methods on their friends and relatives, but also because of the return to one s self that is an integral part of the basic training courses. 16

14 HEALING TOUCH STORIES FROM EVERYDAY LIVED EXPERIENCES Helping to Decrease Pain The effects of energetic interventions for pain management have become almost legendary. Willing volunteers, who have learned HT as a complement to medication, use their skills in hospitals, schools, homes, service clubs, hospices, clinics, and community centers. After centering themselves, they often use some of the pain relief methods specifically described in chapter 11. The methods appear to be effective for relieving the sudden onset of pain that may occur after a fall or surgery, as well as for long-term, recurring painful conditions such as arthritis. HT practitioner Barbara sent me this account of how she used HT to help her arthritic mother. Story: Mother Relinquishes Her Cane When I arrived at my brother s home, Mother was lying on the couch on her left side, the position that gave her the most relief from chronic arthritis pain, remembers Barbara. After a quick lunch, I asked her if she would like some Healing Touch from me. Since Mother knew about HT, she quickly agreed. She lay down on the couch. I centered myself and then prayed for guidance in helping her to reach whatever would be for her highest good. I assessed her energy field and noted a blocked area below her feet and a thickness or density in the right gluteal area. I sent my helping intention to the dense area of congestion by moving my hands directly above her body in that location. After several moments, the thickness Barbara had sensed dissipated, and she removed her hands. The energy in that area now seemed to be flowing more readily and felt smooth and lighter. I then concentrated on Mother s specific pain by placing my left hand on the gluteal area and my right hand above on the abdomen. I held the image of energy and light flowing through the areas for approximately five minutes. When I felt less heat, I released my hands slowly. I stepped back and gently told Mother that the session was complete and asked her how she felt. She sat up with a beautiful glow on her face and asked, What did you do? I explained as best I could about the techniques I used. She exclaimed, I can t believe this; I have no pain! She and I were both amazed. In fact, I couldn t believe my eyes when she got up off the couch and walked painlessly around the room. 17

15 HEALING TOUCH I even asked, Are you sure, Mom? How would you rate your pain on a scale of one to ten? She quickly replied, Zero! The next day, a Sunday, Barbara s mother was able to do all the walking required to get in and out of the car, go to church, proceed to the altar for Communion, return to the pew, and then walk out to the car with minimal assistance. All of the family was astounded because she did not use her cane at all. n Facilitating Transitions Our lives are filled with transitions. The most notable ones, of course, are birth after nine months of gestation and physical death into the great beyond. However, there are many smaller transitions as well from childhood to adolescence, from school to career, from being single to partnering, from adulthood to midlife maturity, and on to the aging process. Some transitions are so gradual they are hardly noticeable except on looking back; others loom before us like an apparent crisis. Healing Touch can be a steady companion in times of change and help us to gain a wider perception of ourselves within these turbulences. Here is another example of HT in action when needed. Story: Dad Creates Family Bond Ben, a new father who learned HT in the preparation-for-birth classes at the local community hospital, was able to assist his wife, Sally, through labor and delivery with HT maneuvers. Everything went smoothly until they got home. He wrote: Sally, proud new mother, was home holding our newborn who was crying loudly and fussing even after being fed and diapered. Sally walked back and forth trying to calm our little girl. No success. Then she rocked her. Nothing seemed to appease this baby who had been so angelic before. I could feel the baby s distress and my wife s anxiety. I really did not want to interfere in any way but wondered if HT, which had worked so well with my wife during labor, could help our daughter as well. At some point I could no longer resist. I entered the room and quietly asked my wife if she wanted some Healing Touch for our baby. She agreed and sat down again, obviously ready to try anything. Please understand; this baby had a strong 18

16 HEALING TOUCH STORIES FROM EVERYDAY LIVED EXPERIENCES and steady voice and a gut-wrenching cry. I approached with my hands, not touching, just holding her field. She launched one squeak... and then literally melted into my wife s arms. Our eyes widened when there was an enduring silence. Again, I witnessed the power of this hands-on method. I brushed and held our baby s field for a few more minutes while my wife and I connected deeply into the relationship that now included this fascinating newcomer. Suddenly, I knew what they were speaking of in our prenatal classes when they talked about bonding. n The Healing Touch Landscape Today Thousands of stories like these abound. As of current reckoning, more than a hundred thousand people have attended at least one HT class and nearly four thousand practitioners are certified after completing the five-level basic training. Although the program originally began within the nursing profession, as we ll see in the next chapter, many workshop participants are not only allied healthcare professionals from the social sciences, but also laypersons from all walks of life and all family roles, including mothers, husbands, grandmothers, siblings, neighbors, and friends, much like the people cited in the preceding tales. Currently, the Healing Touch Program (HTP) offers more than seven hundred classes each year throughout the United States and Canada. HT has been taught in thirty-two nations. Information about these offerings and the activities of HTP is available via the free Energy Magazine at energymagazineonline.com. As of 2010, the publication enjoys a circulation of over twenty thousand. 3 ji You may be wondering how such a strong program could develop in a relatively short time. Several factors contributed to HT s undisputed success, and we ll learn about them as we proceed. 19