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A Close Look at Therapeutic TouchLinda Rosa, BSN, RN; Emily Rosa; Larry Sarner; Stephen Barrett, MD

Context.Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a widely used nursing practice rooted inmysticism but alleged to have a scientific basis. Practitioners of TT claim to treatmany medical conditions by using their hands to manipulate a human energy fieldperceptible above the patients skin.

Objective.To investigate whether TT practitioners can actually perceive ahuman energy field.

Design.Twenty-one practitioners with TT experience from 1 to 27 years weretested under blinded conditions to determine whether they could correctly identifywhich of their hands was closest to the investigators hand. Placement of the inves-tigators hand was determined by flipping a coin. Fourteen practitioners were tested10 times each, and 7 practitioners were tested 20 times each.

Main Outcome Measure.Practitioners of TT were asked to state whether theinvestigators unseen hand hovered above their right hand or their left hand. Toshow the validity of TT theory, the practitioners should have been able to locate theinvestigators hand 100% of the time. A score of 50% would be expected throughchance alone.

Results.Practitioners of TT identified the correct hand in only 123 (44%) of 280trials, which is close to what would be expected for random chance. There was nosignificant correlation between the practitioners score and length of experience(r=0.23). The statistical power of this experiment was sufficient to conclude that ifTT practitioners could reliably detect a human energy field, the study would havedemonstrated this.

Conclusions.Twenty-one experienced TT practitioners were unable to detectthe investigators energy field. Their failure to substantiate TTs most fundamen-tal claim is unrefuted evidence that the claims of TT are groundless and that furtherprofessional use is unjustified.

JAMA. 1998;279:1005-1010

THERAPEUTIC TOUCH (TT) is awidely used nursing practice rooted inmysticism but alleged to have a scientificbasis. Its practitioners claim to heal orimprove many medical problems bymanual manipulation of a human energyfield (HEF) perceptible above the pa-tients skin. They also claim to detect ill-nesses and stimulate recuperative pow-ersthroughtheir intentiontoheal.Thera-peutic Touch practice guides1-6 describe 3basic steps, none of which actually re-quires touching the patients body. Thefirst step is centering, in which the prac-

titionerfocusesonhisorherintenttohelpthe patient. This step resembles medita-tion and is claimed to benefit the practi-tioner as well. The second step is assess-ment, in which the practitioners hands,from a distance of 5 to 10 cm, sweep overthe patients body from head to feet, at-tuning to the patients condition by be-coming aware of changes in sensorycues in the hands. The third step is in-tervention, in which the practitionershands repattern the patients energyfield by removing congestion, replen-ishing depleted areas, and smoothing outill-flowing areas. The resultant energybalance purportedly stems disease andallows the patients body to heal itself.7

Proponents of TT state that they haveseen it work.8 In a 1995 interview, TTsfounder said, In theory, there should beno limitation on what healing can be ac-complished.9 Table 1 lists some claimsmade for TT in published reports.

BACKGROUNDProfessional Recognition

Proponents state that more than100 000 people worldwide have beentrained in TT technique,38 including atleast 43 000 health care professionals,2

and that about half of those trained ac-tually practice it.39 Therapeutic Touch istaught in more than 100 colleges and uni-versities in 75 countries.5 It is said to bethe most recognized technique used bypractitioners of holistic nursing.40 Con-sidered a nursing intervention, it is usedbynurses inat least80hospitals inNorthAmerica,33 often without the permissionor even knowledge of attending physi-cians.41-43 The policies and proceduresbooks of some institutions recognizeTT,44 and it is the only treatment for theenergy-field disturbance diagnosisrecognized by the North AmericanNursing Diagnosis Association.45 RN,one of the nursing professions largestperiodicals, has published many articlesfavorable to TT.46-52

Many professional nursing organiza-tions promote TT. In 1987, the 50 000-member Order of Nurses of Quebec en-dorsed TT as a bona fide nursing skill.32The National League for Nursing, thecredentialing agency for nursing schoolsin the United States, denies having anofficial stand on TT but has promoted itthrough books and videotapes,3,53,54 andthe leagues executive director and a re-cent president are prominent advo-cates.55 The American Nurses Associa-tion holds TT workshops at its nationalconventions.Itsofficial journalpublishedthe premier articles on TT56-59 as well as arecent article designated for continuingeducation credits.60 The associations im-mediate past president has written edi-torials defending TT against criticism.61The American Holistic Nursing Associa-tionofferscertificationinhealingtouch,a TT variant.62 The Nurse Healers andProfessional Associates Cooperative,which was formed to promote TT, claimsabout 1200 members.39

The TT HypothesisTherapeutic Touch was conceived in

theearly1970sbyDoloresKrieger,PhD,RN, a faculty member at New York Uni-versitys Division of Nursing. Althoughoften presented as a scientific adapta-tion of laying-on of hands,63-68 TT is im-bued with metaphysical ideas.

Krieger initially identified TTs activeagent as prana, an ayurvedic, or tradi-tional Indian, concept of life force. Shestated,

Health is considered a harmonious relation-ship between the individual and his total envi-ronment. There is postulated a continuing in-

From the Questionable Nurse Practices Task Force,National Council Against Health Fraud Inc (Ms L. Rosa),and the National Therapeutic Touch Study Group (MrSarner), Loveland, Colo; and Quackwatch Inc, Allen-town, Pa (Dr Barrett). Ms E. Rosa is a sixth-gradestudent at Loveland, Colo.

Ms E. Rosa designed and conducted the tests andtabulated her findings. Mr Sarner did the statisticalanalysis. He and Ms L. Rosa recruited the test subjects,performed the literature analysis, and drafted this re-port. Dr Barrett added background material and editedthe report for publication.

Corresponding author: Stephen Barrett, MD, PO Box1747, Allentown, PA 18105 (e-mail: [email protected]).

Reprints: Larry Sarner, National Therapeutic TouchStudy Group, 711 W Ninth St, Loveland, CO 80537(e-mail: [email protected]).

JAMA, April 1, 1998Vol 279, No. 13 A Close Look at Therapeutic TouchRosa et al 1005

1998 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

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teracting flow of energies from within theindividualoutward,andfromtheenvironmentto the various levels of the individual. Healing,it is said, helps to restore this equilibrium inthe ill person. Disease, within this context, isconsideredanindicationofadisturbance inthefree flow of the pranic current.68

Krieger further postulated that thispranic current can be controlled by thewill of the healer.

When an individual who is healthy touches anill person with the intent of helping or healinghim, he acts as a transference agent for theflow of prana from himself to the ill person. Itwas this added input of prana . . . that helpedthe ill person to overcome his illness or to feelbetter, more vital.68

Others associate all this with the Chi-nese notion of qi, a life energy allegedto flow through the human body throughinvisible meridians. Those inspired bymystical healers of India describe thisenergy as flowing in and out of sites ofthe body that they call chakras.

Soon after its conception, TT becamelinked with the westernized notions ofthe late Martha Rogers, dean of nursingat New York University. She assertedthat humans do not merely possess en-ergy fields but are energy fields and con-stantly interact with the environmentalfield around them. Rogers dubbed herapproach the Science of Unitary Man,69which later became known as the moreneutral Science of Unitary Human Be-ings. Her nomenclature stimulated thepursuit of TT as a scientific practice.Almost all TT discussion today is based

on Rogers concepts, although Easternmetaphysical terms such as chakra2,70and yin-yang71 are still used.

The HEF postulated by TT theoristsresemblesthemagnetic fluidoranimalmagnetism postulated during the 18thcentury by Anton Mesmer and his follow-ers. Mesmerism held that illnesses arecaused by obstacles to the free flow of thisfluid and that skilled healers (sensi-tives) could remove these obstacles bymaking passes with their hands. Someaspectsofmesmerismwererevivedinthe19th century by Theosophy, an occult re-ligion that incorporated Eastern meta-physical concepts and underlies manycurrentNewAgeideas.72 DoraKunz,whois considered TTs codeveloper, waspresident of the Theosophical Society ofAmerica from 1975 to 1987. She collabo-rated with Krieger on the early TT stud-ies and claims to be a fifth-generationsensitive and a gifted healer.20

Therapeutic Touch is set apart frommany other alternative healing modali-ties, as well as from scientific medicine,by its emphasis on the healers intention.Whereas the testing of most therapiesrequires controlling for the placebo ef-fect (often influenced by the recipientsbelief about efficacy), TT theorists sug-gest that the placebo effect is irrelevant.According to Krieger,

Faith on the part of the subject does not makea significant difference in the healing effect.Rather, the role of faith seems to be psycho-logical, affecting his acceptance of his illness orconsequent recovery and what this means tohim. The healer, on the other hand, must havesome belief system that underlies his actions, ifone is to attribute rationality to his behavior.65

Thus, the TT hypothesis and the en-tire practice of TT rest on the idea thatthe patients energy field can be de-tected and intentionally manipulated bythe therapist. With this in mind, earlypractitioners concluded that physicalcontact might not be necessary.13 Thethesis that the HEF extends beyond theskin and can be influenced from severalcentimeters away from the bodys sur-face is said to have been tested by JanetQuinn, PhD, and reported in her 1982dissertation.14 However, that studymerely showed no difference betweengroups of patients who did or did nothave actual contact during TT. AlthoughQuinns work has never been substanti-ated, nearly all TT practitioners todayuse only the noncontact form of TT.

As originally developed by Krieger, TTdid involve touch, although clothes andother materials interposed between prac-titioner and patient were not consideredsignificant.56 ItwasnamedTTbecausetheaboriginal term laying-on of hands wasconsidered an obstacle to acceptance by

curriculum committees and other insti-tutionalbulwarksoftodayssociety.66 Themysticismhasbeendownplayed,andvari-ous scientific-sounding mechanisms havebeen proposed. These include the thera-peutic value of skin-to-skin contact, elec-tron transfer resonance, oxygen uptakeby hemoglobin, stereochemical similari-ties of hemoglobin and chlorophyll, elec-trostatic potentials influenced by healerbrain activity, and unspecified conceptsfrom quantum theory.66,67

Therapeutic Touch is said to be in thevanguard of treatments that allowhealing to take place, as opposed to thecuring pejoratively ascribed to main-stream medical practice. TherapeuticTouch supposedly requires little train-ing beyond refining an innate ability tofocus ones intent to heal; the patientsbody then does the rest.5 Nurses whoclaim a unique professional emphasis oncaring are said to be specially situated tohelp patients by using TT.56,59 Nonethe-less, proponents also state that nearlyeveryone has an innate ability to learnTT, even small children and juvenile de-linquents on parole.2,17,32

Proponents describe the HEF as realand perceptible. Reporting on a pilotstudy, Krieger claimed that 4 blind-folded men with transected spinal cordscould tell exactly where the nurseshands were in their HEFs during theTherapeutic Touch interaction.5 In or-dinary TT sessions, practitioners gothrough motions that supposedly inter-act with the patients energy field, in-cluding flicking excess energy fromtheir fingertips.3

Therapeutic Touch is claimed to haveonly beneficial effects.39 However, someproponents warn against overly lengthysessions or overtreating certain areas ofthe body. This caution is based on thenotion that too much energy can be im-parted to a patient, especially an infant,which could lead to hyperactivity.5,73,74

Literature AnalysisAlthough TT proponents refer to a vo-

luminous and growing body of valid re-search,63,75,76 few studies have been welldesigned. Some clinical studies, mostlynursing doctoral dissertations, have re-ported positive results, principally withheadache relief, relaxation, and woundhealing.* However, the methods, cred-ibility, and significance of these studieshave been seriously questioned.41,87-95One prominent proponent questions thevalidity of the typical placebo controlused in these studies.96

Twooftheauthors(L.R.andL.S.)haveconducted extensive literature searchescovering the years 1972 through 1996.

*References 5, 13, 14, 23, 24, 26, 28, 30, 68, 77-86

Table 1.Claims Made for Therapeutic Touch

Calms colicky infants,9 hospitalized infants,10 womenin childbirth,11 trauma patients,12 and hospitalizedcardiovascular patients13,14

Promotes bonding between parents and infants15Increases milk let down in breast-feeding mothers16Helps children make sense of the world17Protects nurses from burnout18 and effects changes

in their lifestyle19Helps to evaluate situations where diagnosis is

elusive9Relieves acute pain,20 especially from burns21Relieves nausea,22,23 diarrhea,5 tension headaches,24

migraine headaches,21 and swelling in edematouslegs and arthritic joints7

Decreases inflammation25Breaks fever21Remedies thyroid imbalances5Helps skin grafts to seed9Promotes healing of decubitus ulcers7Alleviates psychosomatic illnesses5Increases the rate of healing for wounds, bone and

muscle injuries, and infections26Relieves symptoms of Alzheimer disease,27 acquired

immunodeficiency syndrome,5 menstruation,28 andpremenstrual syndrome21

Is an innovative means of social communication29Is effective with the aged,30,31 asthmatic or autistic

children, stroke patients, and coma patients9Supports people with multiple sclerosis and Raynaud

disease32Treats measles33 and many different forms of cancer34Comforts the dying35-37Helps to bring some dead back to life2

1006 JAMA, April 1, 1998Vol 279, No. 13 A Close Look at Therapeutic TouchRosa et al



Using key words such as therapeutictouch, touch therapies, human energyfield, quackery, and alternative medi-cine, we have searched MEDLINE, In-dex Medicus, CINAHL, DissertationAbstracts,MastersAbstracts,ScienceCi-tation Index, Government PublicationsIndex, Books in Print, National UnionCatalog, Readers Guide to PeriodicalLiterature, and Alternative Press Index.Weattemptedtoobtainafull copyofeachpublication and every additional publica-tion cited in the ones we subsequentlycollected. During 1997, we continued tomonitor the journals most likely to con-tain material about TT.

These methods have enabled us toidentify and obtain 853 reports (or ab-stracts), of which 609 deal specificallywith TT, 224 mention it incidentally, and20 discuss TT predecessors. Ninety-seven other cited items were either non-published or were published in obscuremedia we could not locate. Only 83 of the853 reports described clinical research orother investigations by their authors.Nine of these studies were not quanti-tative. At most, only 1 (the study byQuinn14)ofthe83mayhavedemonstratedindependent confirmation of any positivestudy.97 (That study was conducted by acloseassociateoftheoriginalresearcher.)To our knowledge, no reported study at-tempted to test whether a TT practition-er could actually detect an HEF.

Of the 74 quantitative studies, 23 wereclearly unsupportive. Eight reported nostatisticallysignificantresults,16,58,98-103 3ad-mittedtohavinginadequatesamples,22,56,1042 were inconclusive,11,105 and 6 had nega-tive findings.106-111 Four attempted inde-pendent replications but failed to sup-port the original findings.112-115 To ourknowledge, no attempt to conduct experi-ments to reconcile any of these unsup-portive findings has been reported.

In 1994, the University of ColoradoHealth Sciences Center (UCHSC), Den-ver, empaneled a scientific jury in re-sponse to a challenge to TT in its nursingcurriculum. After surveying publishedresearch, the panel concluded thatthere is not a sufficient body of data,both in quality and quantity, to establishTT as a unique and efficacious healingmodality.116

A few months later, a University ofAlabama at Birmingham research teamdeclared that their own imminent study(financed by a $335 000 federal grant)would be the first real scientific evi-dence for TT.117,118 This project com-pared the effects of TT and sham TT onthe perception of pain by burn patients.The final report to the funding agencynoted statistically significant differ-ences in pain and anxiety in 3 of 7 sub-jective measurements, but there was no

difference in the amount of pain medica-tion requested.119

With little clinical or quantitative re-search to support the practice of TT,proponents have shifted to qualitativeresearch, which merely compiles anec-dotes.120 This approach, which involvesaskingsubjectswhattheyfeelanddraw-ing conclusions from their descrip-tions,17,43,121-128 was sharply criticized byUCHSCs scientific panel.116

Both TT theory and technique requirethatanHEFbefelt inordertoimpartanytherapeuticbenefittoasubject.Thus,thedefinitivetestofTTisnotaclinical trialofits alleged therapeutic effects, but a testof whether practitioners can perceiveHEFs, which they describe, in print andin our study, with such terms as tingling,pulling, throbbing, hot, cold, spongy, andtactile as taffy. After doing its own sur-vey, the UCHSC panel declared that noone had even any ideas about how suchresearch might be conducted.115 Thisstudy fills that void.

METHODSIn 1996 and 1997, by searching for ad-

vertisements and following other leads,2ofus (L.R.andL.S.) located25TTprac-titioners in northeastern Colorado, 21 ofwhom readily agreed to be tested. Ofthose who did not, 1 stated she was notqualified, 2 gave no reason, and 1 agreedbut canceled on the day of the test.

The reported practice experience ofthose tested ranged from 1 to 27 years.There were 9 nurses, 7 certified massagetherapists, 2 laypersons, 1 chiropractor, 1medical assistant, and 1 phlebotomist. Allbut 2 were women, which reflects the sex

ratio of the practitioner population. Onenurse had published an article on TT in ajournal for nurse practitioners.

There were 2 series of tests. In 1996,15 practitioners were tested at theirhomes or offices on different days for aperiod of several months. In 1997, 13practitioners, including 7 from the firstseries, were tested in a single day.

The test procedures were explainedby 1 of the authors (E.R.), who designedthe experiment herself. The first seriesof tests was conducted when she was 9years old. The participants were in-formed that the study would be pub-lished as her fourth-grade science-fairproject and gave their consent to betested. The decision to submit the re-sults toascientific journalwasmadesev-eral months later, after people whoheard about the results encouraged pub-lication. The second test series was doneat the request of a Public BroadcastingService television producer who hadheard about the first study. Participantsin the second series were informed thatthe test would be videotaped for pos-sible broadcast and gave their consent.

During each test, the practitionersrested their hands, palms up, on a flatsurface,approximately25to30cmapart.To prevent the experimenters handsfrom being seen, a tall, opaque screenwith cutouts at its base was placed overthe subjects arms, and a cloth towel wasattached to the screen and draped overthem (Figure 1).

Each subject underwent a set of 10trials. Before each set, the subject waspermitted to center or make any othermental preparations deemed necessary.

Figure 1.Experimenter hovers hand over one of subjects hands. Draped towel prevents peeking. Draw-ing by Pat Linse, Skeptics Society.




The experimenter flipped a coin to de-termine which of the subjects handswould be the target. The experimenterthen hovered her right hand, palm down,8 to 10 cm above the target and said,Okay. The subject then stated whichof his or her hands was nearer to theexperimenters hand. Each subject waspermitted to take as much or as littletime as necessary to make each deter-mination. The time spent ranged from 7to 19 minutes per set of trials.

To examine whether air movement orbody heat might be detectable by the ex-perimental subjects, preliminary testswere performed on 7 other subjects whohad no training or belief in TT. Four werechildren who were unaware of the pur-pose of the test. Those results indicatedthat the apparatuspreventedtactilecuesfrom reaching the subject.

The odds of getting 8 of 10 trials cor-rect by chance alone is 45 of 1024 (P=.04),a levelconsideredsignificant inmanyclini-cal trials. We decided in advance that anindividual would pass by making 8 ormore correct selections and that thosepassing the test would be retested, al-though the retest results would not be in-cluded in the group analysis. Results forthe group as a whole would not be con-sidered positive unless the average scorewas above 6.7 at a 90% confidence level.

RESULTSInitial Test Results

If HEF perception through TT waspossible, the experimental subjectsshould have each been able to detect theexperimenters hand in 10 (100%) of 10trials. Chance alone would produce anaverage score of 5 (50%).

Before testing, all participants saidtheycoulduseTTtosignificanttherapeu-tic advantage. Each described sensorycues they used to assess and manipulatethe HEF. All participants but 1 certifiedmassage therapist expressed high confi-

dence in their TT abilities, and even theaforementioned certified massage thera-pist said afterward that she felt she hadpassed the test to her own satisfaction.

In the initial trial, the subjects statedthe correct location of the investigatorshand in 70 (47%) of 150 tries. The numberof correct choices ranged from 2 to 8.Only 1 subject scored 8, and that samesubject scored only 6 on the retest.

After each set of trials, the results werediscussed with the participant. Becauseall but 1 of the trials could have been con-sidered a failure, the participants usu-ally chose to discuss possible explana-tions for failure. Their rationalizationsincluded the following: (1) The experi-menter left a memory of her hand be-hind, making it increasingly difficult insuccessive trials to detect the real handfrom the memory. However, the first at-tempts (7 correct and 8 incorrect) scoredno better than the rest. Moreover, prac-titioners should be able to tell whether afield they are sensing is fresh. (2) Theleft hand is the receiver of energy andthe right hand is the transmitter.Therefore, it can be more difficult to de-tect the field when it is above the righthand. Of the 72 tests in which the handwas placed above the subjects right hand,only 27 (38%) had correct responses. Inaddition, 35 (44%) of 80 incorrect an-swers involved the allegedly more recep-tive left handconsistent with random-ness.Moreover,practitionerscustomarilyuse both hands to assess. (3) Subjectsshould be permitted to identify the ex-perimenters field before beginning ac-tual trials. Each subject could be givenan example of the experimenter hover-ing her hand above each of theirs and toldwhich hand it is. Since the effects of theHEF are described in unsubtle terms,such a procedure should not be neces-sary, but including it would remove a pos-sible post hoc objection. Therefore, we didso in the follow-up testing. (4) The ex-perimenter should be more proactive,centering herself and/or attemptingto transmit energy through her own

intentionality. This contradicts the fun-damental premise of TT, since the ex-perimenters role is analogous to that ofa patient. Only the practitioners inten-tionality and preparation (centering) aretheoretically necessary. If not so, theearly experiments (on relatively unin-volved subjects, such as infants and bar-ley seeds), cited frequently by TT advo-cates, must also be discounted. (5) Somesubjects complained that their hands be-came so hot after a few trials that theywere no longer able to sense the experi-menters HEF or they experienced dif-ficulty doing so. This explanation clasheswith TTs basic premise that practition-ers can sense and manipulate the HEFwith their hands during sessions thattypically last 20 to 30 minutes. If practi-tionersbecomeinsensitiveafteronlybrieftesting, the TT hypothesis is untest-able. Those who made this complaintdid so after they knew the results, notbefore. Moreover, only 7 of the 15 firsttrials produced correct responses.

Follow-up Test ResultsThe 1997 testing was completed in 1

day and videotaped by a professional filmcrew. Each subject was allowed to feeltheinvestigatorsenergyfieldandchoosewhich hand the investigator would usefor testing. Seven subjects chose her lefthand, and 6 chose her right hand.

Thetestresultsweresimilartothoseofthe first series. The subjects correctly lo-cated the investigators hand in only 53(41%) of 130 tries. The number of correctanswers ranged from 1 to 7. After learn-ing of their test scores, one participantsaid he was distracted by the towel overhishands,anothersaidthatherhandshadbeen too dry, and several complained thatthe presence of the television crew hadmade it difficult to concentrate and/oradded to the stress of the test. However,we do not believe that the situation wasmore stressful or distracting than the set-tings in which many hospital nurses prac-ticeTT(eg, intensivecareunits).Figure2shows the distribution of test results.

Our null hypothesis was that the ex-perimental results would be due tochance (=5). Our alternative hypoth-esis was that the subjects would per-form at better than chance levels. The tstatistic of our data did not exceed theupper critical limit of the Student t dis-tribution (Table 2). Therefore, the nullhypothesis cannot be rejected at the .05level of significance for a 1-tailed test,whichmeansthatoursubjects,withonly123 of 280 correct in the 2 trials, did notperform better than chance.

Our data also showed that if the prac-titioners could reliably detect an HEF 2of 3 times, then the probability that ei-ther test missed such an effect would be

Table 2.Statistical Analysis

StatisticalFunction

Initial Test(n = 15)

Follow-up Test(n = 13)

Mean (95%confidenceinterval)

4.67 (3.67-5.67) 4.08 (3.17-4.99)

SD 1.74 1.44a (1-tailed test) .05 .05t statistic 0.7174 2.222Upper critical limit

of Student tdistribution

1.761 1.782

Alternativehypothesis, = 6.67

0.9559 0.9801

Alternativehypothesis, = 7.50

0.999644 0.999953

No.

of S

ubje

cts

0

1

3

2

5

4

7

6

8

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10No. of Correct Results (Mean = 4.4)

Figure 2.Distribution of test results.




less than .05. If the practitioners true de-tection rate was 3 of 4, then the probabil-ity that our experiment missed it wouldbe less than 3 in 10 000. However, if TTtheory is correct, practitioners should al-ways be able to sense the energy field oftheir patients. We would also expect ac-curacyto increasewithexperience.How-ever, there was no significant correlationbetween the practitioners scoresandthelength of time they had practiced TT(r=0.23). We conclude on both statisticaland logical grounds that TT practitionershave no such ability.

COMMENTPractitioners of TT are generally re-

luctant to be tested by people who arenot proponents. In 1996, the JamesRandi Educational Foundation offered$742 000 to anyone who could demon-strate an ability to detect an HEF underconditions similar to those of our study.Although more than 40 000 Americanpractitioners claim to have such an abil-ity, only 1 person attempted the demon-stration. She failed, and the offer, nowmore than $1.1 million, has had no fur-ther volunteers despite extensive re-cruiting efforts.129

We suspect that the present authorswere able to secure the cooperation of 21practitioners because the person con-ducting the test was a child who dis-played no skepticism.

CONCLUSIONTherapeutic touch is grounded on the

concept that people have an energy fieldthat is readily detectable (and modifi-able) by TT practitioners. However, thisstudy found that 21 experienced practi-tioners, when blinded, were unable totell which of their hands was in the ex-perimentersenergyfield.Themeancor-rect score for the 28 sets of 10 tests was4.4, which is close to what would be ex-pected for random guessing.

To our knowledge, no other objective,quantitative study involving more thana few TT practitioners has been pub-lished, and no well-designed study dem-onstrates any health benefit from TT.These facts, together with our experi-mental findings, suggest that TT claimsare groundless and that further use ofTTbyhealthprofessionals isunjustified.

The television program Scientific AmericanFrontiers showed excerpts from the second testseries on November 19, 1997.

Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, Department of Psy-chology, Boston College, graciously helped with ourstatistical analyses.

References1. Boguslawski M. The use of Therapeutic Touch innursing. J Continuing Educ Nurs. 1979;10(4):9-15.2. Krieger D. Therapeutic Touch Inner Workbook.Santa Fe, NM: Bear; 1997:162.

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