Background
Holistic nursing, CAM and the role of ‘touch’
The conception of holism for a person is to posit his/her body as a container for emotions and experiences (Sointu, 2013). Holistic care implies the meaning of both patients’ diagnosed illness and their overall wellness and life circumstances, which is also referred to as an array of ‘complementary and alternative therapies’ (Jaimet, 2012). Bishop & Lewith (2010) reviewed 110 articles and found that populations that have chorionic healthy conditions and have dissatisfaction towards conventional medicine, appear more likely to be CAM users; and the use of CAM is not necessarily confined within life-threatening diseases. Moreover, the study by Davidson (2005) in Ireland indicates that the use of complementary therapy was not associated with higher levels of psychopathology and distress; rather, CAM users demonstrated a mental adjustment to cancer and fulfillment of psychological needs. Touch is a form of alternative and complementary healing practice which is used in a variety of ways (Leder & Krucoff, 2008) and is considered to capture the holistic nature of nursing (Hallett, 2004)
Touch in holistic nursing and the philosophy behind touch
The notion of awareness is rooted in the holistic health arena, and touch could facilitate the potential healing awareness through the recognition of the embodied identity of clients (Sointu, 2013). Owing to the great contact time with patients，hospital nurses are cited as common referrers to this potential healing service (Lorenc et al., 2010). Touch can evoke a full range of human emotions from hatred to the most intimate love relationship through the skin communication system, messages received from the external environment are deliv...
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...of tactile touch research
Research defects identified from these studies are subjective scales for measuring stress level, external environment disturbance and small sample size. Thus, the results from these studies should be interpreted as tentative. As acknowledged by Henricson et al.(2009), different data collectors, the inability of blinding the intervention group, and the confounding influences from different meditation constitute a threat to the studies’ validity and reliablity. Moreover, the immidiate measurment of parameters after the end of intervention supports further need of the long-term observation (Homayouni et al., 2012). This viewpoint confirmed by the phemenonology study by Henricson et al.(2009), where patients expressed negative feelings of being abandoned and feel lonely again after sessions finished, and expectations of further continuation.
Holistic nursing focuses on promoting health and wellness. It is care that is based on the theory of a balance between the body, mind and spirit. Its goal is to heal the body person as a whole. Holistic assessment is a practice that is specialized on nursing knowledge, theories, expertise and intuition to guide nurses in becoming therapeutic partners with their patients. It recognizes and gathers information about the totality of the human being, the interconnectedness of body, mind, emotion, spirit, socio-cultural, relationship, context, and environment. This paper is based on a holistic assessment of a patient from my job. A 72 years old Caucasian.
Nurses’ ability to provide interpersonal and comforting touch could be impaired by the current fast-paced, high-acuity and understaffed hospital-centred setting (Connor & Howett, 2009). Nursing is one of the few roles in contemporary society in which physical contact, even with intimate parts of the body, is accepted (Green, 2013). The frequent touch nurses encounter in patient care, however, is not always deliberate and with the intention of enhancing care (Connor & Howett, 2009). A stressful environment hinders nurses from achieving a state of therapists’ inner balance to perform tactile touch in hospitals (Henricson et al. 2006). In the absence of a quiet, independent environment, the positive outcomes of tactile touch are unlikely to be achieved and may even contribute to nurses’ fatigue (Homayouni et al. 2012).
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2017). Complementary and alternative healing (C. Eliopoulos, Ed.). In Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends & management (7th ed., pp. 205-206). St Louis, MO: Elsevier, Inc.
Thornton, L. (2014, January 1). Welcome to AHNA: What is Holistic Nursing? Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
When someone hears holistic nursing their mind may immediately jump to a form of hippie nursing with little to none scientific background or accuracy in the quality of care. This belief however is extremely inaccurate as to what holistic nursing really is. Holistic care can be defined as to when the nurse honors the patient’s wishes and takes into consideration the social, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the patient’s life (American Holistic Nurses Association, n.d.). Holistic nursing is growing in popularity amongst patients because of its open communication between nurse and patient, its unique approach to health and healing, as well as the comprehensive care it can provide.
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
Most of the time when going to the doctor’s office they will prescribe a prescription drug to the patient to help manage their pain. This pain can be described as a “sensation of physical or mental suffering or hurt that usually causes distress or agony to the one experiencing it.” (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, and Lynn, 2011) However, there are some instances where medication may not be enough for some patients; they may require more relief than what a prescription drug can offer. This is why many patients may benefit from complementary and alternative therapies (CAT). These types of interventions are “complementary therapies (they can be used with traditional medical interventions and thus complement them).” (Taylor et al., 2011)
Complementary therapies are alternatives to conventional medicine, which advance conventional health care. These therapies have been around for a while but are becoming more popular in nursing and in health care (O`Regan et al., 2010, p. 35). It is shown that...
05 May 2014. Barbor, Cary. " The Science of Meditation.
...biology of Meditation and its clinical effectiveness in psychiatric disorders. Biological Psychology, 82(1), 1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.04.003
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
Understanding the brain and the different signs will help acknowledge the issues within a person to help them cope with the issue. It is important for one to be aware of their selves and their reactions/behaviors. On the other hand, the studies address the different types of mediation and possible consequences. When introducing a specific technique, there are always pros and cons, and people that are for or against the matter. Meditation is known as healing of the body and/or mind and can be religious. Those different types were address and justified for the understanding of the use for the
Derived from several ancient healing practices, therapeutic touch is based on the theory of human energy fields - every person has an energy field that surrounds the entire body. During therapeutic touch treatment, practitioners use their hands, without actually touching the person, to re-establish a healthy energy flow. Therapeutic touch seeks to restore balance within the body while also stimulating the patient's own healing response. The practice of therapeutic touch is used worldwide in thousands of hospitals, clinics, and private practices. It is an easily learned, successful complement to other healing programs.
Robinson, S. B., Weitzel, T., & Henderson, L. (2005, November/December 2005). The Sh-h-h-h Project. Holistic Nursing Practice, 19(6), 263-266.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). (2010). Health info. Meditation: An introduction. Retrieved from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm