Holistic Care Toolkit

These narrative reflections on the 10 Caritas Processes® are written by our very own nurses, some examples will be included in Miracles and Mysteries Witnessed by Nurses, a book edited by Dr. Jean Watson, published by Lotus Library Oct 2019. 

Unfolding Mysteries within the Human Energy System

Diane, Miracle/Mystery 1

Diane Swengros MSN, RN, CHTP, Falls Church, Virginia, USA  

One day while I was a student studying Healing Touch, a colleague asked me to provide a session prior to her surgery.  She had been fighting a battle with cancer and this time had to have abdominal surgery.  As I worked on her energy system I had the intention of surrounding her with glorious white light, setting my intention for her greatest good.  I became somewhat frustrated as the harder I tried to bathe her in white light, the light kept morphing into yellow light.  I was perplexed. I concentrated harder and yet all that appeared was yellow.  I had remembered what my instructor had taught us, that the energy would know what was needed and where to go.  I moved to the allow mode and embraced the yellow light.  My colleague drank it in, seeped in it, and radiated brilliant golden yellow light.  The next morning, immediately prior to her surgery, a friend and fellow colleague, also a student of Healing Touch, met her at the hospital to provide another session.  Later that day I saw my friend and asked her how her session went.  She replied, “I have no idea, all I could see was this brilliant golden light everywhere I worked.”  My colleague’s surgery went well and she recovered smoothly.  For those who may not know much about the chakra system, yellow is the color of the solar chakra, which sits right at the top of the abdominal region.  To charge up and protect the area of her abdominal surgery it is logical that yellow light would be just what was needed. We strive so hard to be in the know; however there is much to be learned in the mystery of it all.
 

--Diane Swengros

ICU Nurses Witness Healing Touch in Action

Theresa Miracle/Mystery 2

Theresa Davis RN, NE-BC, CHTP, FAAN, Woodbridge, Virginia, USA

Our first Healing Touch study in critical care began an exciting journey of healing and growth for nurses and their patients.  The research team collaborated with Healing Touch experts in the development of a Healing Touch intervention that was feasible to use in a research study within the critical care setting.

A patient enrolled in the study was in respiratory distress, breathing rapidly at a rate of 32 per minute and was obviously uncomfortable. After introducing myself to him and his wife, I gently began the Healing Touch intervention.  As I began, his respiratory rate slowed, his labored breathing abated, and he fell asleep. The heat I felt previously around his chest and abdomen became cool and smooth after the Healing Touch intervention. He was now peaceful and appeared comfortable. His wife sat quietly by the bedside.  The monitor indicated his heart rate and his respiratory rate steadily decreased; he became calm and slept soundly for the first time since arriving in the ICU. In the Tele-ICU, nurses who participated in the study through virtual voice and video technology observed the phenomenon of the effects of Healing Touch over and over again, as we enrolled 87 patients across four hospitals. 

Our findings in this foundational research were significant for decreased heart rate and respiratory rate, increased O2 saturation, and decreased pain and anxiety. We were witnesses to the wonder of many miracles throughout this study. 

--Theresa Davis               

Seeking and Finding the Healer Within

Liliana Miracle/Mystery 3

Liliana G. Suchicital BSN, RN, CBN, CHTP, ONC, Virginia, USA

One snowy day, a colleague from work called me, upset, seeking Healing Touch.  Her husband was admitted to an ICU on a ventilator and was fighting it. She was terrified and wanted to help him relax and to let the machines help him to breathe.   

When I arrived, I provided a Healing Touch to help her relax. As I entered her husband’s room, I found him fighting the ventilator with his eyes closed, his respirations were labored.  All the alarms in the room were going off--lots of beeping.  His heart rate was rapid; his BP was high and his respirations over 32.  I began connecting his chakras and then worked on clearing his field.  I did a pain drain, but mostly I worked to clear his lungs.  I kept focusing on his breath.  I told him, “Just breathe, just let it go.  Do not fight the machines anymore. Relax and breathe.”

I spent 40 minutes with him. This is a long time for Healing Touch, but I did not feel tired.  I felt energized. When I finished, I held his feet and invited him to return.  I noticed his blood pressure had lowered, his heart rate had lowered, his respiratory rate was 26 and no longer labored, and alarms were no longer beeping. 

As I held his feet, he opened his eyes for the first time. I went to get his wife, and he looked right at her.  The next day, she texted me a photo of her husband, sitting in a chair, on nasal cannula oxygen, being shaved.  She said “Look what you did!” He was totally different.  This experience helped me realize the tool that I have.  We study and practice Healing Touch and the gift remains hidden until we explore the possibilities.  I got the sense that I had what I needed within me to help and heal others. My thoughts changed this day.  They say we are healers. I used to say, “No I am a nurse. I use science and medicine and technology…” but this experience showed me that I am a healer.   I thought that I used tools, and today I realized that I am the tool.  If it hadn’t snowed, and my plans weren’t cancelled, I would not have been available to participate in this miracle.

--Liliana G. Suchicital     

Healing and comfort for my son   

Robin Miracle/Mystery 4

Robin R. Jackson MSN, RN-BC, CCRN, CCNS, CHTP

My journey to becoming certified in Healing Touch (HT) took me down many roads in self-exploration and self-evaluation. I am always amazed and have learned to trust the feelings I have when doing HT. Those feelings lead me to help clients. I provided several sessions on my son, who is active duty military.  He expressed skepticism about how HT works and wanted to know the science in HT.

The first session he reported pain in his knees, a sore throat and stress from the loss of a friend.  I started the session looking at his whole energy field. He was very tense so I started with a Chakra Connection, to help him to relax.  I then provided pain techniques for his knees and throat. The final technique I preformed was a mind clearing technique to help promote relaxation. He did tell me he still had the knee pain, but later fell asleep for the night (he later told me he had not been able to sleep before the HT). I noticed the next day he was calmer and seemed happier.

A few months later, after he laid his motorcycle down on a winding mountain road, I provided another HT session for him. He had bruising and road rash. I could feel he was very tense. As I scanned down his energy field, I felt areas of hot and cold in patches, the cold areas were over the areas of the injuries.  I again started with the chakra connection, followed by the mind clearing, but this time I was guided to add a technique of light sweeping motions along the meridians. I noticed while I was doing the session I felt calmer and I saw a green light. Green is associated with the Heart Chakra.  While I was doing HT, I felt guided to stay a little longer in some areas such as his flank area. The temperature of his energy field was even throughout with the final scan and he fell asleep while I was doing HT. Over several sessions, he stated that he was feeling better and sleeping better.  He told me later he was able to rest and the injured areas were not sore. He actually seemed to enjoy HT and has asked me about doing a session since; not a bad way to convert a skeptic.

--Robin R. Jackson