The use of therapeutic touch with rehabilitation clients

Therapeutic touch is a holistic nursing strategy that can be incorporated as an adjunctive therapy in rehabilitation nursing practice. Therapeutic touch is a derivative of "laying on of hands" that is based on doctoral nursing research and involves the intentionally therapeutic interaction of energy between the nurse and client. Research has demonstrated its effectiveness in eliciting the relaxation response. In this article, specific case studies are used to illustrate when therapeutic touch may be used, how it is implemented as an adjunctive therapy in a nursing process framework, and how it is documented in the nursing care plan.