Tellington touch before venipuncture: an exploratory descriptive study

Tellington touch (ttouch) is an emerging natural healing modality used by nurses and other health care providers to communicate caring and connection to clients. This simple-to-learn and easy-to-implement form of mindful, gentle physical touch is said to help in diverse areas such as chronic pain management, labor discomfort, and postinjury pain and edema. Despite 15 years of anecdotal evidence outlining reported benefits for humans, no investigation of ttouch has yet been undertaken. This qualitative study initiates a body of knowledge about ttouch by exploring and describing the experience of ttouch when administered to healthy people awaiting a routine venipuncture. The study includes qualitative data from both the participants (n = 47) and the provider (n = 1) and provides essential foundational information regarding the experience of ttouch. Implications for practice and future research are provided.