Clinical research has demonstrated that guided imagery, a simple form of relaxation, can reduce preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain among patients undergoing surgical procedures. In 1998, the cardiac surgery team implemented a guided imagery program to compare cardiac surgical outcomes between two groups of patients: with and without guided imagery. Data from the hospital financial cost...

OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to investigate the effects of guided imagery training on heart rate variability in individuals while performing spaceflight emergency tasks. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-one student subjects were recruited for the experiment and randomly divided into two groups: imagery group (n = 11) and control group (n = 10). The imagery group received instructor-guided i...

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to develop and to test a home-based, guided imagery treatment protocol, using audio and video recordings, that is easy for health care professionals and patients to use, is inexpensive, and is applicable to a wide range of health care settings. METHODS Thirty-four children, 6 to 15 years of age, with a physician diagnosis of functional abdominal pain were ass...

PURPOSE To examine the effectiveness of guided imagery for immediate smoking cessation and long-term abstinence in adult smokers. DESIGN A repeated measures design was used with 71 smokers recruited from a hospital outpatient clinic, 38 in the intervention group, and 33 in the control group. METHODS Both study groups received educational and counseling sessions in their homes. The intervent...

Recent studies have shown that a moving visual stimulus (e.g., a bouncing ball) facilitates synchronization compared to a static stimulus (e.g., a flashing light), and that it can even be as effective as an auditory beep. We asked a group of participants to perform different tasks with four stimulus types: beeps, siren-like sounds, visual flashes (static) and bouncing balls. First, participants...

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of guided imagery on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing same-day surgical procedures. Forty-four adults scheduled for head and neck procedures were randomly assigned into 2 groups for this single-blind investigation. Anxiety and baseline pain levels were documented preoperatively. Both groups received 28 minutes of privacy...

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to develop and to test a homebased, guided imagery treatment protocol, using audio and video recordings, that is easy for health care professionals and patients to use, is inexpensive, and is applicable to awide range of health care settings. METHODS: Thirty-four children, 6 to 15 years of age, with a physician diagnosis of functional abdominal pain were assig...