Haptotherapy for trauma-related symptoms: description of a case history

This article describes a series of haptotherapy sessions with a patient presenting trauma-related symptoms, who was referred by their general practitioner due to suspected disturbances in affective functioning. The aim of this case description is to provide insight into the processes and dynamics that take place within the practice of haptotherapy. The haptotherapist’s method is illustrated with concrete, practice-based examples. Evaluation revealed that the patient was satisfied with the outcome of the therapy. The effectiveness of the haptotherapy was supported by positive changes in scores on both the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ) and the Haptotherapeutic Wellbeing Scale (HWS), administered before the start of therapy and after eight sessions. While the positive results from this single case are encouraging, no general conclusions can be drawn based on a single case description. It is therefore recommended to conduct quantitative research to validate and substantiate the observed effects, preferably in the form of a randomized controlled trial (RCT).