title: Holistic nurses' stories of healing of another.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to uncover the essence and meaning of healing through narrative accounts of holistic nurses, using a qualitative, descriptive design integrating narrative and story inquiry. Twenty-five stories were collected. Seven stories revealed personal healing and have been published in a prior article. Eighteen stories, the focus of this analysis, revealed healing of another. A hybrid method blending narrative and story guided the overall process for the study. Nine themes emerged describing healing of another within three story segments: The Call to Healing, The Experience of Healing, and Insights. The theme within The Call to the Healing Encounter was Drawn by Compassion to the Vulnerability and/or Suffering of Another. Five themes describe the Experience of Healing: Connection: Cocreating Relationships; Taking Risks and Dealing With Skeptical Colleagues; Use of Modalities and Actions as Tools in Developing Self as an Instrument of Healing; Profound, Ineffable Events; and Using Metaphor and Rituals to Describe Healing. Three themes describe Insights: Mutual Transformation, Change, and Reciprocity; Gratitude for the Healing Encounter; and Leaving a Legacy. The metastory, a reconstructed story created by the researchers, was the final phase of research synthesizing and demonstrating themes of healing of another. Results were compared to existing healing literature.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA maryenzmanhines@aol.com.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enzman Hines
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, USA.
authors.forename: Diane Wind
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wardell
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, USA.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engebretson
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.
authors.forename: Rothlyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zahourek
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA.
authors.forename: Marlaine C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D006694:Holistic Health; D018939:Holistic Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D009726:Nurses; D005791:Patient Care
keywords: energy-based therapies; healing; healing modalities; healing touch; holistic; massage therapy; nurses; prayer; presence; transformation