Phactum sampling

Review of Bob Glickman's Speech on Therapeutic Touch

-- by Eric Krieg

A short week after the investigation of Therapeutic Touch made it on the front page of the Inquirer, Bob treated us to a talk on Therapeutic Touch (which seems neither) and his crusade for validation. He opened by underscoring the ubiquity of similar claims involving energy fields, prana, wicca, yoga, acupuncture, meridians and many other concepts and practices with wide acceptance and thin support. It was interesting to hear the history of the emergence of Therapeutic Touch or TT which involves support from the Theosophical Society. (founders for much of the new age movement). Back in the Sixties, Dolores Krieger of New York University's School of Nursing co-created TT with Dora Kunz, soon to be president of the American Theosophical Society . TT started out as a laying on of hands. It was soon blended with the ideas of Nursing theorist Martha Rogers. Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings uses many elusive terms like "pandimensionality" which allows for paranormal phenomena such as energy fields, clairvoyance and ESP. As a result of this blending, further "studies" proved that actual contact was not necessary. (I wonder if further tests will show TT unnecessary) Unfortunately, Krieger, like all TT teachers we contacted refused to assist or respond to Bob's attempt to test underlying claims.

Although Bob admitted to once believing paranormal TT claims, he's now concerned that it has been gaining mainstream acceptance in the medical community. He aptly pointed out that there are enough things to be concerned about as a surgical nurse with out waving your hands about during delicate surgery. Apparently the National League of Nursing has succeeded in getting TT in nursing schools and the American Nursing Association backs issuing continuing education credits for attending TT classes. (Eric just confirmed that another round of classes on TT has just started in Philadelphia). The NIH's Office of Alternative Medicine has just awarded 150,000$ in grants to study TT. Bob reminded us that a great number of patients spontaneously remiss and the placebo effect gives positive results at least 30% of the time. Apparently, people given syrup of ipecac (an emetic) for treatment of nausea confirmed it worked. -that story will always remind me of the necessity of double blind tests.

Bob has gone to great lengths to get the nursing community to stop and question easily accepted TT claims. The nursing journals have finally agreed to publish his open offer for testing. My personal hero, James Randi helped focus interest by backing Bob's test with his then 700,000$ prize (now tops one million). Eventually, Bob was able to get just a single subject to submit to a test - although she wasn't willing to submit to conditions necessary for Randi's prize. On the big day, Bob Glickman, Tom Napier, DeeAnne Wymer, Eric Krieg, Ed Gracely (all of Phact), Bela Scheiber (of the Rocky Mountain Skeptics) and Randi helped participate in the test. Bob regaled us with video's of key moments of the test. Apparently, although the subject correctly read fields 100% of the time when seeing subjects, she only tested to chance under double blind conditions. We encourage Bob in his continuing effort to confront, investigate and provide information on TT.