Psychosensory therapy and texture. Touch is a form of nonverbal communication that can have an extrasensory effect. The use of touch has been long associated with healing. For instance, acupuncture needling, an ancient practice in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and a touch therapeutic technique, deals with the insertion of needles into the skin in order to affect one’s mood and perception of pain. Reiki, a Japanese touch technique, deals with movement of hands on the body and is often used for stress reduction. Massage therapy involves kneading different parts of the body with some pressure. This form of touch therapy breaks down
Therapeutic touch Therapeutic touch Therapeutic touch (commonly shortened to "TT"), known by some as "non-contact therapeutic touch" (NCTT), is a pseudoscientific energy therapy which practitioners claim promotes healing and reduces pain and anxiety. "Therapeutic Touch" is a registered trademark in Canada for the "[s]tructured and standardized healing practice performed by practitioners trained to be sensitive to the receiver's energy field that surrounds the body;...no touching is required." Practitioners of therapeutic touch state that by placing their hands on, or near, a patient, they are able to detect and manipulate what they say is the patient's energy field. One highly cited study, designed