Monthly Archives: September 2015
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Read more »"Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all."—Bill Clinton
This year, for Mental Illness Awareness Week, October 4-10, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has chosen the theme StigmaFree.
Each year, during the first week of October, NAMI and its participants across the country bring awareness, fight stigma, provide support for those with mental illness, educate the public and advocate for equal care. By taking the StigmaFree pledge, we are asked to:
- Learn about mental health—educate ourselves and others
- See the person not the illness—strive to listen, understand, tell our own story
- Take action—spread the word, raise awareness, make a difference
- Learn about mental health—educate ourselves and others
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Posted: September 29, 2015
Read more »We got this question from a man asking about guided imagery for healthy boundaries and BR replied that she inadvertently already answered that question the previous week when dealing with a query about guided imagery to help with codependency issues, because they are different faces to the same coin. See below:
Question:
Do you have any guided imagery for healthy boundaries?
Jason K.
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Posted: September 28, 2015Categories: Update from Health Journeys
Read more »Mental Illness Awareness Week is Oct 4-11th this year. That's a big topic, so we decided to focus on postpartum depression or PPD.
In keeping with this theme, we even asked a terrific PPD blogger named Kimberly to review our guided imagery for depression. You can find her conclusions here.
PPD can show up any time within the first couple of months after giving birth, and the CDC estimates that it hits about 15% of the population. And unlike the "baby blues", which can last a month or so, PPD goes deeper and sticks around longer.
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Posted: September 25, 2015Categories: Inspiring Stories
Read more »To honor Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month, instead of providing our usual single story, we want to point you to a whole collection of inspiring TBI survivor stories, assembled on a terrific peer website.
These honest, straightforward personal stories show the full range of types of brain injury people face, and the magnificent variety of responses to them.
As we said in our update, our heartfelt hats off to those dealing with TBI, and more power to you! We wish you the very best as you pursue your solutions and healing, using all the strength, ingenuity, persistence, resourcefulness and good humor at hand!
The HJ Team
p.s. If you liked this post, you might enjoy getting our weekly e-news with other articles just like it. If so, sign up here!
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Posted: September 24, 2015Tags: illnesses & conditions
Read more »Israeli researchers from Assaf Harofeh Medical Center and the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University studied the impact of listening to guided imagery (AGI or auditory guided imagery) on glucose levels, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and quality of life (QOL) in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
The blinded, randomized controlled pilot study compared the effect of listening to guided imagery accompanied by background music vs. listening to the background music alone.
Thirteen children, ages 7-16 years old, were connected to a continuous glucose monitoring system for 5 days (short phase), after which the change in mean interstitial glucose concentration (IGC) was assessed as the outcome measure.
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Posted: September 23, 2015Categories: News
Read more »September iis Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month.
An eye-opener for me was learning about the many ways people sustain brain injuries. Professional athletes, boxers and veterans of military combat are high-risk for TBI, but so are high school, middle school and even elementary school athletes, infants who are shaken and victims of domestic violence.
Here at Health Journeys, we have heard from an increasing number of people seeking guided imagery resources to accompany treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many of them are practitioners who request information about Belleruth's Guided Meditation for Traumatic Brain Injury audio program for their clients.
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Posted: September 22, 2015
Read more »This question came to us from someone in treatment for codependency issues (a kind of relationship addiction that involves compulsive caretaking, often with someone who is disabled, sick or alcoholic). She is looking for guided imagery resources that can support and complement the work she is already doing with her psychotherapist.
Question:
What do you suggest for getting help for myself with my codependency issues? Is there a particular guided imagery that would be a good addition to my therapy?
Chris
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Posted: September 21, 2015Categories: Update from Health Journeys
Read more »September is TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month. Everyone here at Health Journeys salutes those coping in one way or other with this condition.
TBI's can take many forms, from brief, mild concussion, to an injury that requires a slow, arduous recovery. Sometimes it means catastrophic impairment with no end in sight.
It takes bucket loads of fortitude, resourcefulness and energy, in the patient, family and loved ones, to manage and cope with a mid-levelTBI.
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Posted: September 18, 2015
Read more »Elizabeth just got this thank you note and update from one of the inspired folks she got to know over the phone. We're posting it here to show the range of uses one clever, generous and inventive oncology patient can get out of guided imagery and other mind-body techniques. Her use of ritual and opting to wish others well on the chemo unit – well, it's very heart-warming and inspiring. Check it out.
Here's the note, edited down just a bit for size:
Howdy, E !
I am finished with radiation & feeling a bit like Hiroshima. I am at the 10 month date for treatment & I can't tell you how much your support has been, literally, a Godsend.
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Posted: September 17, 2015Tags: illnesses & conditionsRead more »
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Nursing in Richmond, VA explored the perceptions of pregnant African American women toward using guided imagery as a stress management technique. Interest in this was high, as maternal stress during pregnancy has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, and pregnant African American women are reported to have higher levels of stress than most other ethnic groups.
The guided imagery intervention was part of a larger mixed methods randomized controlled trial. The 12week intervention was a professionally recorded compact disc with four tracks developed and sequenced to reduce stress and associated symptoms in listeners.
