SATURDAY,Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The medical community traditionally hasrelied on potent drugs to relieve severe pain. But in a number ofacademic settings across the country, health-care practitioners areadding another therapeutic weapon to the mix -- they're helpingpatients harness the healing power of their own imaginations.
Theuse of guided imagery, or mental images, to evoke physical benefits isperhaps the oldest form of therapy known to man, explained David E.Bresler, a founder of the Academy for Guided Imagery in Malibu, Calif.In fact, imagery is woven into the fabric of many ancient cultures'healing rituals, he said.
Today, academic researchers are studying guided imagery's use as an adjunct to more traditional medical treatments.
"Ithink it's just the beginning, really, even though it's been around along time," said Bresler, whose academy instructs clinicians, includingpediatricians, in the use of imagery to evoke physiologic changes thatpromote healing. A traditionally trained Ph.D. neuroscientist, he firstbecame intrigued with alternative methods of pain relief in the early1970s as founder and director of the University of California, LosAngeles, Pain Control Unit.
While much of the ongoing researchis preliminary, practitioners of guided imagery are encouraged byinitial results among children and adults.
Nola Schmidt,associate professor of nursing at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso,Ind., recently completed a pilot study at Children's Memorial Hospitalin Chicago examining guided imagery's effect among children with paindue to sickle cell disease or stem cell transplants. Of the 17participants, eight were randomly assigned to listen to guided-imagerytapes created especially for each child.
Most tapes werevague, allowing the children to insert different scenes each time theylistened to a recording. "For example," Schmidt said, "a tape may startout: 'OK, we want you to relax and close your eyes, take a deep breath,feel the air go in, feel the air go out.' " The child is invited toimagine being in "one of your favorite places" and to describe thesights, sounds and smells he or she encounters.
Children inthe experimental and control groups also kept pain diaries. Theirentries recorded when and where they felt pain, what they did to feelbetter and how much they hurt before and after those interventions.
Ona 0-to-10 scale, children in the guided-imagery group had an averagepost-pain intervention score of 4.3, a point lower than children in thecontrol group. While the difference was not statistically significant,Schmidt believes it is "clinically" significant.
"If it works for you, and it reduced your pain by one point or two points, isn't it worth it?" she asked.
Breslernoted that his academy trains a lot of pediatricians to useguided-imagery techniques. But kids aren't the only patients benefitingfrom this mind-body therapy. Sports psychologists use it to enhanceathletes' physical performance. And cancer centers often use it torelieve patients' pain and nausea.
Carol L. Baird, an associateprofessor of nursing at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.,recently tested guided imagery with a relaxation component among olderwomen suffering from osteoarthritis.
Half of the 28 volunteersin the pilot study listened to recordings that described a pleasantscene and guided listeners to engage all of their senses. After 12weeks, the experimental group experienced a significant reduction inpain compared with women in the control group. The guided-imagery groupalso had increased mobility, the study showed.
What's more, aseparate study involving the same volunteers found that guided imagerywith relaxation seemed to improve their quality of life, she said.
Bairdthinks the guided-imagery approach has exciting potential. "For onething, it's so easy to use," she noted. It's also inexpensive and easyto teach, making it suitable for patients to use in their ownself-care, she added.
Of course, it may not be for everyone,especially people who have difficulty visualizing images in theirheads, Baird acknowledged. In the future, she plans to do studies thatmeasure people's "imaging ability."
On the other hand, guided-imagery experts say the technique has minimal side effects, if any. So why not try it?
Schmidt suspects science someday will reveal a concrete biologicalreason why guided imagery works. In fact, animal studies suggest thatimages in the brain can stimulate neurotransmitters that, in turn,block pain receptors, she said. But for patients garnering relieftoday, a neurochemical explanation may not be necessary.
"I mean, who cares why it works, if it works," she said.
More information
To learn more about guided imagery, visit the University of California, San Diego.
