Which practice is described as involving conscious direction of an energy exchange from practitioner to patient?

• A. Qi gong
• B. Massage therapy
• C. Therapeutic touch
• D. Acupuncture

Answer: (C)

The concept being tested is intentional energy work in healing, where the practitioner consciously directs energy toward the patient to support healing. Therapeutic touch is structured around centering the practitioner, sensing and guiding the patient’s energy field, and using focused, intentional movements (often with hands near but not always touching the body) to transfer healing energy from the practitioner to the patient. This emphasis on deliberate energy exchange differentiates it from other approaches.

Qi gong involves cultivating and balancing energy through movement, breath, and awareness, which is often practiced for personal cultivation or for the benefit of others, but the defining idea is more about energy cultivation than a specific, directed transfer from one person to another. Massage therapy centers on physical manipulation of soft tissues to relieve tension, reduce pain, and improve circulation, without an emphasis on transferring energy from the practitioner to the patient. Acupuncture works with the concept of guiding the body’s energy (qi) through points and meridians, but it relies on stimulating the patient’s internal energy pathways rather than a conscious energy transfer from the practitioner to the patient.