Monthly Archives: January 2011
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Posted: January 31, 2011Categories: Update from Health JourneysRead more »
Hello, everyone.
Well, I’m just back from the Military Health System Conference held at National Harbor, MD, and there seems to be plenty of reason to be encouraged about guided imagery and other mind-body therapies gaining respect, visibility and usage within our Armed Services.
For one thing, holistic health and mind-body therapies are a key element in the new, Patient-Centered Medical Home model which is being implemented in Army clinics nationwide. This model is a gigundo improvement over existing health and mental health services, and, as far as I’m concerned, they can’t implement these enlightened, holistic, one-stop medical care changes fast enough. And let’s hope the rest of the world follows suit. -
Posted: January 30, 2011Read more »
Dear Belleruth/Health Journeys,
Do you have affirmations for elderly people? My mother has lived through several traumas, and is over 90, so coming to terms with arthritic pain and the fact that her body will not do what she wants it to do is very hard for her.
Thanks for your attention.Barbara
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Posted: January 30, 2011Categories: Women's Health/OBGYN, OBGYN, Women's Health/OBGYN Research, Hot Research, OBGYN ResearchRead more »
Researchers from Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital and The Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, reviewed the literature to see if hypnosis worked to reduce hyperemesis gravidarum - severe and persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
A literature search was carried out using Cochrane, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Web of Knowledge databases. A total of 45 studies were identified by the search. Six studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria re: study design, methodological quality, intervention and outcomes.Methodology between the studies differed but all reported encouraging positive outcomes.
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Posted: January 30, 2011Read more »
My 37 year old daughter has suffered from terrible migraine headaches for most of her adult life, at least once or twice a month. She’s been conked out on medication more times than I’d like to count. The pain of these headaches is so strong that she misses a lot of work. All she can do is stay in bed and lie very still with the shades drawn and no noise. It’s heartbreaking to watch her in so much pain. She is my only child and the mother of my only 2 grandchildren.
I help with the housework and keeping the kids when the headaches come on her (her husband is pretty useless, but that’s a whole different topic for another day). Mostly it’s a waiting game. All we could do was wait for them to go away.
About 2 months ago a nurse friend who works at the hospital with me told me about guided imagery and suggested I get one for my daughter. She said that if she listened regularly and taught herself how to relax with them, it could improve her condition. She wasn’t sure, because she mostly used them with cancer patients, but she said she was under the impression that it could maybe help with headaches too. -
Posted: January 22, 2011Read more »
Question:
Hello....do you have any imagery tapes on bullying...I work in the school up on the Navajo Reservation and it is very prevalent there...I would like to target (oops better not use this word) the bullies, since those are the ones that I am getting referred. The ones getting bullied can also vary and change with the impulsivity of some of the bullies.
The ages at the school I am focusing on is about 8-14. Thinking about developing an empathy type scene of example of helping others or focusing on infants and their connections with their parents....thanks
Thanks.. Mark -
Posted: January 22, 2011Read more »
Investigators from the Institute of Neuroinformatics at Dalian University of Technology in Dalian, China, explored whether brief meditation could produce the changes in white matter connectivity that increase anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity and improve self-regulation. They also were interested in discovering more specifics about the mechanisms that produce these changes.
In previous studies, these researchers showed that 3 (??) hours of what they call “mental training” or meditation, based on traditional Chinese medicine (integrative body-mind training, IBMT), increased ACC activity and improved self-regulation. -
Posted: January 22, 2011Read more »
We found this comment about using guided imagery for panic and anxiety on Amazon, and we’re posting it here, because it’s not just a ‘testimonial’; this writer offers encouragement to stick with the process, even when you don’t feel like it, and about how you can use these techniques in public without being obvious.
“During a time of great turmoil, including radiation therapy, loss of job stress, etc., with a history of anxiety and panic attacks, including medications tried, this (imagery for panic) has literally saved me.
“You have to keep working at it- try listening to parts of it at least two to three times a day, until you can do the techniques on your own when you’re experiencing anxiety or panic. -
Posted: January 22, 2011Categories: Update from Health JourneysRead more »
Hello again!
I happened upon a really nice overview on guided imagery (listen up, all you students working on term papers about mind-body tools!), especially when used along with psychotherapy, in this blog called Natural Nutmeg by social worker Caroline Temple, LCSW. Check it out if you’ve got the time.
And the best Away message I’ve seen in a long time was crafted by my fabulous friend, Susan Piver, author of The Wisdom of a Broken Heart - a terrific, riveting and very wise book, by the way - more on that later. For now, here is Susan’s away message, for all of you to enjoy too - it’s classic Susan:I'll be away, Dec 9 - 25 with very limited access to email. Be patient, stay beautiful, and enjoy my absence. Susan
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Posted: January 16, 2011Read more »
Researchers from the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa in Canada investigated whether imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT - a simple protocol based on lucid dreaming, using a a sequence similar to EMDR) could be used with children experiencing frequent nightmares.
Eleven boys and 9 girls, ages 9 - 11, with moderate to severe primary nightmares (1 or more per week for 6 months) and without posttraumatic stress disorder, were randomly divided into an imagery rehearsal treatment group (n = 9) or a waiting-list (n = 11) group. -
Posted: January 16, 2011Dear Health Journeys,Read more »
I am a water aerobics instructor, who also teaches tai chi in the water to people suffering from arthritis. I discovered imagery in the library on the internet. Now that we have a nice, new, warm, 30-person, hydrotherapy pool, I now use my own guided imagery for the cool-down part of my classes.
I use sayings and visualizations that I have written and say quietly to my classes, as they move their arms and legs slowly to keep warm during this time. I encourage them to close their eyes and imagine. Because this is a Bible-based faith community, I use images of Jesus, and I close with prayer. This seems to be a very effective, soothing and a much-appreciated way to conclude my classes.
Blessings to all of you,
Vicky B.
