Healing Through Guided Imagery

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Healing Through Guided Imagery

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080104123246.htm

Aristotle and Hippocrates believed in the power of images in the

brain to enliven the heart and body. Today, research shows they were

right. Guided imagery is helping patients use the full range of the

body's healing capacity, according to the January issue of Mayo

Clinic Health Letter.

Guided imagery is more than listening to relaxing sounds. It's a

learning process to listen to someone's voice, relax the breathing

and consciously direct the ability to imagine. The effect of guided

vivid imagery sends a message to the emotional control center of the

brain.

From there, the message is passed along to the body's endocrine,

immune and autonomic nervous systems. These systems influence a wide

range of bodily functions, including heart and breathing rates and

blood pressure.

Guided imagery has been shown to benefit patients by:

Reducing side effects from cancer treatment

Reducing fear and anxiety prior to surgery. Studies have shown that

surgery patients who participated in two to four guided imagery

sessions required less pain medication and left the hospital more

quickly than those who hadn't used imagery.

Managing stress

Managing headaches. Studies have shown that guided imagery may aid

in reducing the frequency of migraine headaches as effectively as

taking preventive medications.

Adapted from materials provided by Mayo Clinic.