One nurse's evolution as a healer.

That the patients reported feeling better during these sessions could be explained by "placebo." Even if therapeutic touch is just "placebo," placebo has been noted to help in over 30 percent of illnesses. Learning to systematically maximize this process through a healing meditation would, in itself, be a significant contribution to nursing. The authors believe, however, that therapeutic touch goes beyond placebo and involves an undefined but learnable method of