Abstract Title: Efficacy of Guided Imagery to Reduce Stress via the Internet: A Pilot Study. Abstract Source: Holist Nurs Pract. 2012 May ;26(3):150-63. PMID: 22517351 Abstract Author(s): Carol Greene, Bennett A Greene Article Affiliation: Greene Interactive, Vero Beach, Florida. Abstract: Multiple stressors are affecting the mental and physical health of entire populations. In this pilot study, the experience of a guided imagery presentation through the Internet reduced stress in a convenience sample of 29 adult participants as evidenced by a self-reported single-item rating scale question administered pre- and postintervention. Demographics are reported for descriptive statistics of the sample. Article Published Date : May 01, 2012

Abstract Title: Effects of guided imagery on blood pressure in pregnant women with hypertension: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Abstract Source: Birth. 2010 Dec ;37(4):296-306. PMID: 21083721 Abstract Author(s): Faith Wight Moffatt, Ellen Hodnett, Mary Jane Esplen, Judy Watt-Watson Article Affiliation: School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Abstract: BACKGROUND: Hypertension occurs in nearly 10 percent of pregnancies, and is associated with higher risk of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality than in normal pregnancies. Previous studies have suggested that relaxation therapies reduce blood pressure in nonpregnant adults. The objectives of this pilot randomized trial were to provide preliminary evidence of whether relaxation by means of guided imagery would reduce blood pressure in hypertensive pregnant women, and to assess the feasibility of a larger trial. METHODS: A total of 69 pregnant women with hypertension were randomized to periods of guided imagery or of quiet rest, twice daily for 4 weeks or until delivery, whichever came first. Daytime ambulatory mean arterial pressure, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and anxiety were measured weekly for up to 4 weeks. RESULTS: Women allocated to guided imagery had lower mean arterial pressure elevations over time than those allocated to quiet rest (guided imagery: M = 1.58 mmHg, SD = 7.63; quiet rest: M = 5.93 mmHg, SD = 6.55; t = 2.36, p = 0.02). However, when adjusted for baseline mean arterial pressure and gestation, the effect was not significant (p = 0.14). Numbers of women prescribed antihypertensive medication postrandomization were similar (guided imagery: n = 16; quiet rest: n = 13, χ(2) = 0.74, p = 0.46). There was also no evidence of an effect on women's anxiety. Nearly 90 percent (n = 26) of the guided imagery group indicated that they would use it again. CONCLUSIONS: Further rigorous study is warranted to determine effects of guided imagery on maternal blood pressure and perinatal health outcomes. Article Published Date : Dec 01, 2010

Abstract Title: Relaxation and guided imagery in Hispanic persons diagnosed with fibromyalgia: a pilot study. Abstract Source: Fam Community Health. 2008 Jul-Sep;31(3):204-12. PMID: 18552601 Abstract Author(s): Victoria Menzies, Sunny Kim Article Affiliation: School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain disorder affecting 2% of the population in the United States. Another 16 million Hispanics suffer from generically identified rheumatic diseases that likely include FM. Because there are few reported studies of Hispanics with FM, a pilot study using a repeated-measures pretest-posttest design investigated the effects of a 10-week mind-body intervention (visual imagery with relaxation) on symptom management. The change in means from baseline to week 10 demonstrated improvement in self-efficacy for managing pain and other symptoms and functional status. Visual imagery with relaxation is a mind-body intervention that may be used for symptom management in this population. Article Published Date : Jul 01, 2008

Abstract Title: Guided imagery for women with interstitial cystitis: results of a prospective, randomized controlled pilot study. Abstract Source: J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Jan-Feb;14(1):53-60. PMID: 18199015 Abstract Author(s): Donna J Carrico, Kenneth M Peters, Ananias C Diokno Article Affiliation: William Beaumont Hospital, Department of Urology, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Abstract: INTRODUCTION: In the United States, more than 1 million women and men are affected with interstitial cystititis (IC), which is a clinical syndrome involving urinary urgency, frequency, and pelvic pain. A review of the literature revealed that there are no studies showing the effect of guided imagery in women with IC. The purpose of this clinical investigation was to explore the effect of guided imagery on pelvic pain and urinary symptoms in women with IC symptoms. METHODOLOGY: Thirty (30) women with diagnosed IC were randomized into 2 equal groups. One group (treatment) listened to a 25-minute guided imagery compact disc (CD), that was created specifically for women with pelvic pain and IC, twice a day for 8 weeks. The control group rested for 25 minutes twice daily for 8 weeks. Because no guided imagery CDs specifically for women with IC were found on the commercial market, the authors created a script and recorded the CD specifically for women with IC and pelvic pain. The focus of this guided imagery CD was on healing the bladder, relaxing the pelvic-floor muscles, and quieting the nerves specifically involved in IC. Baseline and end-of-study assessment questionnaires (Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index&Problem Index [IC-SIPI], IC Self-Efficacy Scale, a visual analogue [VAS] scale for pain, and a global response assessment [GRA]), 2-day voiding diaries, and 24-hour pain diaries were completed by the subjects and were evaluated using SPSS (Chicago, IL). RESULTS: More than 45% of the treatment group were responders to guided imagery therapy noting a moderate or marked improvement on the GRA. Pain scores and episodes of urgency significantly decreased in the treatment group. Responders had significant reductions in IC-SIPI scores (problem index, p = 0.006; symptom index, p = 0.004). In addition, responders on the GRA had significant (p = 0.039) improvements in mean pain scores from 5.50 to 2.57 at the end of the study in contrast to the nonresponders, whose pain levels remained the same (4.89 to 4.39). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study providing preliminary data supporting the use of guided imagery as a potential therapy for IC. Guided imagery may be a useful tool to offer women with IC for pain and IC symptom management. It is an intervention without negative side-effects, is readily available, and shows a trend toward improvement of IC symptoms. Article Published Date : Jan 01, 2008

Abstract Title: Effects of guided imagery on outcomes of pain, functional status, and self-efficacy in persons diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Abstract Source: J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Jan-Feb;12(1):23-30. PMID: 16494565 Abstract Author(s): Victoria Menzies, Ann Gill Taylor, Cheryl Bourguignon Article Affiliation: Florida International University, School of Nursing, Miami, FL 33199, USA. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Abstract: OBJECTIVES: (1) To investigate the effects of a 6-week intervention of guided imagery on pain level, functional status, and self-efficacy in persons with fibromyalgia (FM); and (2) to explore the dose-response effect of imagery use on outcomes. DESIGN: Longitudinal, prospective, two-group, randomized, controlled clinical trial. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: The sample included 48 persons with FM recruited from physicians' offices and clinics in the mid-Atlantic region. INTERVENTION: Participants randomized to Guided Imagery (GI) plus Usual Care intervention group received a set of three audiotaped guided imagery scripts and were instructed to use at least one tape daily for 6 weeks and report weekly frequency of use (dosage). Participants assigned to the Usual Care alone group submitted weekly report forms on usual care. MEASURES: All participants completed the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Arthritis Self- Efficacy Scale (ASES), and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), at baseline, 6, and 10 weeks, and submitted frequency of use report forms. RESULTS: FIQ scores decreased over time in the GI group compared to the Usual Care group (p = 0.03). Ratings of self-efficacy for managing pain (p = 0.03) and other symptoms of FM also increased significantly over time (p =<0.01) in the GI group compared to the Usual Care group. Pain as measured by the SF-MPQ did not change over time or by group. Imagery dosage was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the effectiveness of guided imagery in improving functional status and sense of self-efficacy for managing pain and other symptoms of FM. However, participants' reports of pain did not change. Further studies investigating the effects of mind-body interventions as adjunctive self-care modalities are warranted in the fibromyalgia patient population. Article Published Date : Jan 01, 2006

Abstract Title: Guided imagery interventions for symptom management. Abstract Source: Annu Rev Nurs Res. 1999 ;17:57-84. PMID: 10418653 Abstract Author(s): L S Eller Abstract: For the past several decades, papers in the nursing literature have advocated the use of cognitive interventions in clinical practice. Increasing consumer use of complementary therapies, a cost-driven health care system, and the need for evidence-based practice all lend urgency to the validation of the efficacy of these interventions. This review focuses specifically on guided imagery intervention studies identified in the nursing, medical and psychological literature published between 1966 and 1998. Included were 46 studies of the use of guided imagery for management of psychological and physiological symptoms. There is preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of guided imagery in the management of stress, anxiety and depression, and for the reduction of blood pressure, pain and the side effects of chemotherapy. Overall, results of this review demonstrated a need for systematic, well-designed studies, which explore several unanswered questions regarding the use of guided imagery. These include the effects of different imagery language, symptoms for which guided imagery is effective, appropriate and sensitive outcome measures, method of delivery of the intervention and optimum dose and duration of the intervention, and individual factors that influence its effectiveness. Article Published Date : Jan 01, 1999