Healing Through Touch

Altoona Star, January 9 2009

Altoona resident Judy Meinen knows what it means to live with your heart. As owner of Angel Care Healing Touch in Eau Claire, Meinen has devoted herself to helping others through the use of various therapeutic practices, such as Healing Touch and Reiki.

   Meinen began her journey in healing on the opposite end of the spectrum, receiving training as a registered nurse and working within the hard medicine medical community. As a nurse, she healed via medication and hurried care in the sterility of the hospital. And perhaps she would have continued in this arena of healing had she not met someone trained in therapeutic touch.

   While working toward a Bachelor of Science in nursing, Meinen took a course from a professor trained in therapeutic touch who wanted her to experience a session. Scientific by nature, Meinen was skeptical of her professor's claims but, "kicking and screaming," agreed to give the unfamiliar methods a chance.

   "I didn't believe in any of this. I thought it was all a bunch of scam stuff," Meinen said.
   Unexpectedly, she found herself surprised with the experience and its positive results.

   After her session, Meinen began to independently research the subject of therapeutic touch, still not convinced of its claims. In time, though, she found support for those claims and validation for the practice. Even more than that, she found that the practice had struck a chord within her, so much so that she began her own training in the art, eventually leaving the world of hospitals and cold comfort behind to open her own business of healing.

   Over the past decade at Angel Care Healing Touch, Meinen has cared for those in need on her own terms and in a more human fashion than she had been able to do as a nurse. She feels that at her clinic she can truly do what is best for the patient by putting them back in control of their own healing.

   "I prefer to have your body tell me what you need instead of the medical guessing," Meinen said.

   Meinen employs therapeutic touch, which includes Healing Touch and Reiki, as well as hypnotherapy, biofeedback, psychic readings, and angel therapy (a kind of self awareness therapy). Although some of her practices may sound "airy fairy," as she puts it, Meinen believes absolutely in validation through results and encourages fervent skepticism. She is not shy about wanting to distance herself from the more "airy-fairy" practices of others who utilize more smoke and mirrors than healing.

   Meinen also fights against the notion that she is some kind of miracle worker, telling her clients that she only facilitates the healing; their own bodies do the actual work. Likewise she reminds her clients that we can all do what she does, even teaching her art to those in need.

   "You shouldn't have a guru," said Meinen. "I believe in teaching people the technique."

   Perhaps because of her medical training, Meinen also reminds her clients that what she offers is at times alternative healing and at times complimentary to more hard medicines. She agrees that some people do need their medications and no one should believe that she can offer a cure for all ailments. All she asks is that people keep an open mind and firm resolve when it comes to healing their own bodies.

   "I'm not saying none of it's any good," said Meinen. "I'm just saying you're the boss with your doctor."