Dolores Krieger

Dora Kunz, born Dora van Gelder in the Dutch East Indies, was a prominent figure in the Theosophical Society. From a young age, she engaged in daily meditation and claimed to interact with ethereal beings, experiences nurtured by her family and later by C.W. Leadbeater, who taught her to enhance her psychic abilities. She moved to the United States with Fritz Kunz, whom she married, and together they established the first Theosophical camp in the US. Kunz became a naturalized American citizen and was involved in educational foundations. Her significant contribution to alternative healing was the co-development of Therapeutic Touch in 1972 with Dr. Dolores Krieger, a method inspired by ancient Sanskrit texts on pranic healing, which aims to promote relaxation and reduce pain. This technique is now taught globally. Kunz also served as president of the Theosophical Society in America and wrote about her experiences with nature spirits and fairies.

Born Theodora Sophia van Gelder in Dutch East Indies, Dora Kunz's parents were early members of the Theosophical Society, integrating meditation into her life from age five. She reported childhood interactions with spiritual entities, and her mother encouraged her clairvoyant abilities. At eleven, she relocated to Australia to study with psychic C.W. Leadbeater, who guided her in developing her psychic skills. Through Leadbeater, she met Fritz Kunz, and in 1927, they relocated to the United States, where they married and became naturalized American citizens. They co-founded the first Theosophical camp in the US on Orcas Island, Washington.

Dora Kunz was a pioneer in exploring new healing methods, notably co-developing Therapeutic Touch with Dr. Dolores Krieger, a nursing professor at New York University, in 1972. Kunz believed this technique, rooted in ancient Sanskrit texts describing pranic healing, could foster healing, relaxation, and pain relief. She also applied her clairvoyance to assist physicians with complex medical cases, diagnosing illnesses by observing auras and identifying energy centers in the body, which she called chakras. Her followers believed she could foresee illnesses up to eighteen months before symptoms appeared.

Kunz ascended to the presidency of the Theosophical Society in America in 1975, serving for twelve years before retiring to focus on writing and lecturing. Her book, "The Real World of Fairies" (1977), detailed her lifelong communication with nature spirits. She described seeing fairies in Central Park and emphasized the connection between devas, vital energy, and the Earth's preservation. Kunz suggested that increased human engagement with environmental causes could enhance communication with these nature spirits.