Understanding haptotherapy for people with cancer: A qualitative interview study among patients and haptotherapists

and purpose: Many people with cancer face far-reaching physical effects of the disease. In oncological care, the psychological impact of these consequences seems to be overlooked. Haptotherapy has the potential to fill this gap. The aim of the present study was to gain in-depth understanding of haptotherapy for people with cancer as reported by patients and haptotherapists.

A qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews with patients with cancer and haptotherapists regarding haptotherapy. Inductive coding and thematic content analysis were used.

Interviews were conducted with fourteen patients and nine haptotherapists. The following five themes were identified: (1) perceived problems of patients with cancer who consult a haptotherapist, such as a severely disturbed relationship with the body, together with emotional and identity problems; (2) the content of sessions and therapy process, based on haptotherapeutic affective touch and therapeutic conversation; (3) what haptotherapy brings about in patients with cancer, notably a felt awareness of the loss of body contact and of suppressed feelings and emotions; (4) the essence of haptotherapy for patients with cancer, in particular touch as connection between physical and emotional feeling; and (5) the role of the haptotherapist, especially their sensitivity, subtle observations and focus on the patient as a person.

Haptotherapy can make a substantial contribution to the overall recovery of patients with cancer and fill the gap in usual care by restoration of both contact with and trust in the body, thus supporting the associated emotional processing.