A cardiac nurse from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital delightedly reports on a very anxious, elderly woman patient’s response to guided imagery before, during and after her open heart surgery.. We got this note from a cardiac nurse at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital:

Hi, Belleruth,
Wanted to give you feedback from a cardiac surgery patient - a very anxious, elderly woman who was quite terrified of the open heart surgery she was anticipating. To my surprise, she was able to relax to guided imagery tapes VERY easily. (I’ve since learned that the most anxious patients seem to do best with it, although I still don’t know why).

She listened to the guided imagery for sleep and the surgery imagery prior to her surgery and intra-op. She listened to the imagery for the ICU and for Cardiac Rehab after, which she also loved! She was a freaking poster girl for mind-body interventions, and referred to guided imagery as her "lifeline" throughout her process, from phase to phase. She left the hospital with stacks of brochures (at her request) to give out to her friends in her home state. So there’s a guided imagery ambassador out there, spreading the word, and I thought you’d get a kick out of knowing.

L.R.