The purpose of this study was to determine how therapeutic chair massage and patient teaching in diaphragmatic breathing affected African American women's blood pressure, stress, and anxiety levels over one week or six weeks time periods. Utilizing a Modified Stress, Coping and Adaptation Model (Roy, 1976; Lazarus, 1966). The problem of hypertension among African American populations is one of the major areas of health disparities. Hypertension is also the leading cause of death across genders, ethnicities and socioeconomic status. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) (2007) Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - A 2007 Update, "the prevalence of hypertension in blacks in the United States is among the highest in the world and it is particularly high among black women, at 44.0 percent" (p.5). The AHA update further noted "compared with white women, black women have an 85 percent higher rate of ambulatory medical care visits with high blood pressure (HBP)" (p.5). An additional area of concern is an increasing death rate from the disease. The AHA update further noted "in 2004, the overall death rate from HBP was 14.3 for white females and 40.6 for black females" (p. 5). The problem of higher levels of prevalence combined with staggering mortality rates in the African American female population is one that necessitates expanded approaches to treatment and research. This intervention study was done to determine if differences occurred in four small groups (seventeen each) of (sixty eight) hypertensive African American women. Group one received the therapeutic chair massage intervention, n = 17 with a set of initial measurements (blood pressure, stress [Perceived Stress Scale], and anxiety levels [State Trait Anxiety Inventory]). A second set of measurements (blood pressure, stress and anxiety levels) was performed at six weeks post intervention. Group two received patient teaching in the practice of diaphragmatic breathing n = 17, and initial measurements with a second set of measurements performed at six weeks post patient teaching. Group three received the therapeutic chair massage intervention, n = 17, and a set of initial measurements with a second set of measurements performed at one week post intervention. Group four received patient teaching in the practice of diaphragmatic breathing, n = 17, and an initial set of measurements with the second set of measurements performed at one week post patient teaching. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance with covariate (MANCOVA) was used to analyze the research questions. The results of this analysis showed a statistical significance for systolic blood pressure level for Group three for the one week post intervention measurement with p = .009. An additional significance was discovered in analysis of the therapeutic chair massage versus patient teaching groups for Roy's Largest Root with p = .03. These findings supported the theoretical framework of the study. Blood pressure, stress and anxiety levels in African American women diagnosed with hypertension can be influenced by intervention therapeutic chair massage; however, further studies are needed to validate more direct results of these types of interventions.