Integrative Therapies

In addition to a wide variety of support services offered by our Social Work Department and Child Life and Creative Arts Program, patients admitted to the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital can avail themselves of a variety of Integrative Medicine techniques designed to relieve stress and promote healing.

Emotional Freedom Technique: Tapping

Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT or Tapping, is a combination of Eastern Medicine (acupuncture) and Western Medicine (talk therapy).

The practitioner will teach you how to tap your fingers (no needles) on specific meridians on the upper body. While doing this, in a gentle, conversational manner you “tune in” to a negative emotion or issue. You will be guided to direct positive thoughts and energy to relieve emotions and issues that are causing stress in your everyday life. A simplified version of EFT is taught to young children. One of the advantages of EFT is that you cannot only use EFT with a practitioner but you will be taught to use it yourself.

EFT has been offered to patients and their families at The Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at the Westchester Medical Center since 2013 by Rosemary Dowling, an AAMET Certified EFT Practitioner.

Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy, which includes the therapeutic rubbing and kneading of soft body tissue in order to induce relaxation, has been offered to patients at leading hematology and oncology centers for many years. The American Cancer Society states that “some studies of massage of cancer patients suggest that it can decrease stress, anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue” (www.cancer.org). Therapeutic Massage relieves pain, activates proprioceptors in the body through touch, and connects each individual with their own experience of feeling wonderful. Soft music often is played during each session.

Reiki

Reiki enhances the body’s response to medical treatments through deep relaxation and comfort on many levels. Reiki uses hand placements on the body, or just above the body, directing wholeness and peace to the individual. Soft music is played throughout the session.

Massage Therapy and Reiki have been offered to young patients, and their families, at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center since 2007 by Meg C. Pressman, LMT, RMT. Meg graduated from the Swedish Institute in 1997, and

completed Training for the Cancer Patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. Meg is also a Reiki Master, and can teach this modality to anyone interested.