2025 TTNO Annual Conference

Evening of November 7 and all-day November 8
Online via Zoom
Deadline to Register is November 4th

Friday evening - Sending versus Offering Energy in Therapeutic Touch^®

We are thrilled to welcome Laura Pokoradi, one of our very own amazing Recognized Teachers, who will spend time sharing her thoughts and research with us.

Sending vs. offering energy in the treatment part of your plan of care. Which were you taught? Which do you do? Which is more effective? What is the background?

Over the years, this has been discussed/questioned many times. I have heard different practitioners and teachers use both, which I found confusing. So, in an attempt to understand for myself and clarify for other’s, I interviewed Diane May, who teaches “sending” and Barbara Janelle who taught “offering”, then took the information and questions to Dr. Dee Krieger.

This presentation is to share with you the quotes and information, that I gathered in those interviews

Laura Pokoradi, RN, BScN, is a registered nurse, recently retired from Hamilton Health Sciences.

She has been a Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario Recognized Teacher since 1999, and in 2004 achieved Qualified Therapeutic Touch Teacher status from the Nurse Healers Professional Associated International, USA. Since 2009, she has been co-facilitating a Therapeutic Touch retreat, in Ontario. Laura also leads the Hamilton Branch.
Laura has presented Therapeutic Touch to a variety of audiences, such as Wellwood cancer resource centers stakeholders, McMaster University nursing students, Long Term Care administrators, Librarians, Hamilton Health Sciences chief of nursing and VON palliative care service. She had participated in research on Therapeutic Touch and served on the TTNO board and a variety of committees.
Laura is also a painter. Enjoying watercolour and pastels; in landscapes, and still life. In her recent retirement from the hospital has added stain glass and pottery.

All Day Saturday - Liminality, Expanding the Journey

Are you navigating a season of change — personally, professionally, or collectively?

We invite you to join us for a powerful, practice-rooted exploration of liminality — those threshold spaces between what was and what’s yet to come.

Saturday, November 8 — This workshop on Liminality speaks to the heart of our Therapeutic Touch® practice — and to the heart of these times. Whether you’re a new or experienced Therapeutic Touch practitioner, you’ll come away with renewed insight, strengthened capacity, and practical tools for your personal and professional journey.

Led by Heather Plett and Krista dela Rosa, this interactive, experiential workshop blends insight, somatic and creative practices, and practical tools to deepen your Therapeutic Touch work in times of uncertainty and transition.

You’ll recognize Therapeutic Touch values, principles, and practices woven throughout the day — offering a space of nourishment, learning, and growth.

Themes include:

Understanding liminality in personal, systemic, and global contexts
Embodying the core competencies of a Grounded Guide
Strengthening energetic boundaries through the concept of the psychic membrane
Exploring the Core Needs Triad: Safety, Belonging, Identity
Using creative and somatic expression to integrate and reflect

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Define liminality and identify its presence in natural systems, personal experiences, and collective transitions
Recognize the three types of liminality and how they show up during change
Reflect on historical and current examples to deepen understanding of adaptation and resilience
Express personal experiences of liminality through creative and somatic practice
Understand the concept of the psychic membrane and its role in energetic boundaries and Therapeutic Touch integrity
Identify the five core competencies of a Grounded Guide in Therapeutic Touch practice
Engage in self-inquiry and body-based practices to support therapeutic presence
Explain the Core Needs Triad and its impact on healing relationships

Meet Heather Plett — co-founder of the Centre for Holding Space and author of The Art of Holding Space.
In our upcoming workshop, she’ll guide us through practices to stay grounded, resilient, and open in uncertain times.