Vigilant readers of my June column, "Let's show how we make a difference," alerted me to a source of confusion in my apparent endorsement of the controversial Therapeutic Touch Movement in nursing that claims to manipulate patients' energy fields via remote hand movements. That form of so-called "therapeutic touch" has no evidentiary support in the psychological literature. The thrust of my argument was to support the therapeutic value of direct tactile touch, as in massage, for many of us across the life course. Some relevant sites to explore on these issues: Quackwatchopens in new window and Positive Health Onlineopens in new window.
--DR. PHILIP G. ZIMBARDO
