Baird,Carol L./ Sands, Laura P. Effect of Guided Imagery with Relaxation on Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Women with Osteoarthritis. Research in Nursing & Health, 2006, 29, 442–451.
Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is themost common cause of disability in older adults, which, in turn, leads to poor quality of life (QOL). Disability is caused primarily by the joint degeneration and pain associated with OA. A randomized pilot study was conducted to test the effectiveness of guided imagery with relaxation (GIR) to improve health-related QOL (HRQOL) in women with OA. A two-group (intervention versus control) longitudinal design was used to determine whether GIR leads to better HRQOL in these individuals and whether improvement in HRQOL could be attributed to intervention-associated improvements in pain and mobility. Twenty-eight women were randomized to either the GIR intervention or the control intervention group. Using GIR for 12 weeks significantly increased women’s HRQOL in comparison to the women who used the control intervention, even after statistically adjusting for changes in pain and mobility. These findings suggest that the effects of GIR on HRQOL are not limited to improvements in pain and mobility. GIR may be an easy-to-use self-management intervention to improve the QOL of older adults with OA.

Batty, Martin J./ Bonnington, Samantha/ Tang, Bo-Kim/ Hawken, Malcolm B./ Gruzelier, John H. Relaxation strategies and enhancement of hypnotic susceptibility: EEG neurofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation and self-hypnosis. Brain Research Bulletin 71 (2006) 83–90.
Abstract
Hypnosis has been shown to be efficacious in a range of clinical conditions, including the management of chronic pain. However, not all individuals are able to enter a hypnotic state, thereby limiting the clinical utility of this technique. We sought to determine whether hypnotic susceptibility could be increased using three methods thought to facilitate relaxation, with particular interest in an EEG neurofeedback protocol which elevated the theta to alpha ratio. This was compared with progressive muscle relaxation and self-hypnosis. Ten subjects with moderate levels of susceptibility (2–7/12) were randomly assigned to each condition and assessed for hypnotic susceptibility prior to and upon completion of 10 sessions of training. Hypnotic susceptibility increased post-training in all groups, providing further evidence that operant control over the theta/alpha ratio is possible, but contrary to our predictions, elevation of the theta/alpha ratio proved no more successful than the other interventions. Nonetheless, all three techniques successfully enhanced hypnotic susceptibility in over half of the participants (17/30), a similar incidence to that reported using other methods. As previously reported, the majority who were not susceptible to modification were at the lower levels of susceptibility, and the greater increases tended to occur in the more susceptible subjects. However, here enhancement was disclosed in some at low levels, and capability was found of reaching high levels, both features not typically reported. Further research is warranted.

Chou, Mei-Hsien/ Lin, Mei-Feng. Exploring the Listening Experiences During Guided Imagery and Music Therapy of Outpatients With Depression. Journal of Nursing Research 2006, 14(2), 93-102.
Abstract: The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the listening experiences of outpatient depression sufferers who underwent guided imagery and music therapy (GIM). A purposive sampling method was performed at the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a medical center in southern Taiwan from April 2003 to June 2004. The five subjects in this study all underwent a total of eight sessions of individual GIM therapy. The researcher invited a therapist to implement the GIM therapy sessions. Researchers conducted a semi-structured, in-depth telephone interview with each subject within 24 to 48 hours after each therapy session. Eight interviews were accomplished and transcribed for each case, and then subject to content analysis. The results showed a total of 55 important listening episodes, which could be categorized into the following 5 themes: (1) leisurely wandering in very natural sceneries; (2) creation of surreal virtual surroundings; (3) recollection of past life experiences; (4) submersion in the matic music melodies; and (5) experiencing various physical relaxation events. The triggering effect represented a combination of multiple factors, including music, the individual, the therapist and environment. The theme of each patient’s imagery episode was a result of the effect of the four factors, with music having the greatest impact. This study hopes to present the listening experiences of depression sufferers in GIM therapy; to make suggestions for future investigations into subsequent impacts and changes that GIM has on patients; and to, perhaps, serve as references for future clinical practice or studies.

Holmes, E.A./ Mathews, A./ Dalgleish, T./ Mackintosh, B. Positive interpretation training: effects of mental imagery versus verbal training on positive mood. Behav Ther. Sep 2006, 37(3), 237-47.

Knudson, Roger M./ Adame, Alexandra L./ Finocan, Gillian M. Significant Dreams: Repositioning the Self Narrative. Dreaming 2006, 16(3), 215–222.
In this article the authors argue that the study of the ongoing significance of significant dreams necessarily goes beyond quantitative methods for analyzing dream content to a qualitative study of how the dream experience influences the dreamer’s meaning-making processes. A set of concepts from narrative psychology is introduced as being potentially valuable in this regard. A case study is presented to illustrate how the significant dream may serve as a catalyst for repositioning the dreamer’s self narrative relative to a cultural master narrative.

Kozmová, Miloslava/ Wolman, Richard N. Self-Awareness in Dreaming. Dreaming 2006, 16(3), 196–214.
The process by which self-awareness or subjective experience (consciousness) is maintained has been conceptually and phenomenologically associated primarily with the waking state. In the present study the authors investigate, through introspective reports, the existence and variety of self-awareness in dreaming and whether this phenomenon could, under certain conditions, be distinguished into primary and reflective consciousness. For consistency with theory and dreaming research, instead of reflective consciousness we used the term ‘reflective awareness.’ Findings indicate that self-awareness in dreaming can be found in its both primary and reflective modes. Phenomenologically, primary consciousness exists in four basic modalities: perceptual, experiential, cognitive, and memory-based recognition. Expressions of these primary consciousness modalities are accessible through introspective interviews during
waking. Based on participants’ statements, reflective consciousness (awareness) in dreaming was initiated by noticing positive and negative feelings and by personally defined oddities. These findings point to a possible oscillation between primary and reflective consciousness in dreaming.

Kuiken, Don/ Lee, Ming-Ni/ Eng, Tracy/ Singh, Terry. The Influence of Impactful Dreams on Self-Perceptual Depth and Spiritual Transformation. Dreaming 2006, 16,(4), 258–279.
Two studies contrasted the short-term effects of nightmares, existential dreams, and transcendent dreams (Busink & Kuiken, 1996; Kuiken & Sikora, 1993). Results from Study 1 indicated that existential dreams were more likely than mundane dreams, transcendent dreams, or nightmares to be followed by reported self-perceptual depth; also, transcendent dreams were more likely than mundane dreams, existential dreams, or nightmares to be followed by reported spiritual transformation. Results from Study 2 replicated these findings for existential dreams, indicating also that the type of spiritual transformation associated with transcendent dreams involved an ecstatic sense of release from everyday entanglements. Both existential dreams and transcendent dreams moved the dreamer toward an unbounded sense of life in all things, as did lucid forms of all three dream types. Such unbounded enlivenment suggests an aesthetic substrate to the changes induced by each of these dream types. The contrasting short-term effects of impactful dream types may require integration into a comprehensive model of long-term dream function.

Lotze, Martin/ Cohen, Leonardo G. Volition and Imagery in Neurorehabilitation. Cog Behav Neurol 2006, 19, 135–140.
Abstract: New interventional approaches have been proposed in the last few years to treat the motor deficits resulting from brain lesions. Training protocols represent the gold-standard of these approaches. However, the degree of motor recovery experienced by most patients remains incomplete. It would be important to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying functional recovery. This chapter examines the role of two possible mechanisms that could operate to improve motor function in this setting: volition and motor imagery. It is argued that both represent possible strategies to enhance training effects.

Nedstrand, Elizabeth/ Wyon, Yvonne/ Hammar, Mats/ Wijma, Klaas. Psychological well-being improves in women with breast cancer after treatment with applied relaxation or electro-acupuncture for vasomotor symptom. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dec 2006, 27(4), 193–199.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of applied relaxation and electro-acupuncture (EA) on psychological well-being in breast cancer-treated women with vasomotor symptoms. Thirty-eight breast cancer-treated postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms were included in the study. They were randomized to either treatment with electro-acupuncture (EA) (n=19, three of them with tamoxifen) or applied relaxation (AR) (n=19, five of them with tamoxifen) over a 12-week study period with six months follow-up. Vasomotor symptoms were registered daily. A visual analog scale was used to assess climacteric symptom, estimation of general well-being was made using the Symptom Checklist, and mood using the Mood Scale. These were applied during treatment and at follow-up. In total 31 women completed 12 weeks of treatment and six months of follow-up. Hot flushes were reduced by more than 50%. Climacteric symptoms significantly decreased during treatment and remained so six months after treatment in both groups. Psychological well-being significantly improved during therapy and at follow-up visits in both groups. Mood improved significantly in the electro-acupuncture treated group. In conclusion psychological well-being improved in women with breast cancer randomized to treatment with either AR or EA for vasomotor symptoms and we therefore suggest that further studies should be performed in order to evaluate and develop these alternative therapies.

Peirce, John T. Efficacy of Imagery Rehearsal Treatment Related to Specialized Populations: A Case Study and Brief Report. Dreaming 2006, 16(4), 280–285.
This brief report examines the impact of imagery rehearsal treatment (IRT) on a 10-year-old boy with mild mental retardation and psychiatric illness. There is relatively little published information on the use of IRT to treat nightmares in children. The results in this case are consistent with reports of positive results from IRT in other studies with different populations. The findings in this study suggest that the limitations of IRT may not yet be known, and controlled studies with various populations are needed. This article also examines other factors present in this particular case that did not seem to impact the outcome, hence providing IRT with a robust appearance.

Utay, Joe/ Miller, Megan. Guided Imagery as an Effective Therapeutic Technique: A Brief Review of its History and Efficacy Research. Journal of Instructional Psychology 33(1), 40-43.
Guided imagery is a flexible intervention whose efficacy has been indicated through a large body of research over many decades in counseling and allied fields. It has earned the right to be considered a research-based approach to helping. This article provides a brief introduction to the history of guided imagery and examples of selected research indicating its efficacy.

Walters, Valerie J./ Oakley, David A. Hypnotic Imagery As An Adjunct To Therapy For Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Experimental Case Report. Contemp. Hypnosis 2006, 23(3), 141–149.
Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a debilitating condition affecting between 14 and 25% of the general population. Medication has been reported to be of limited efficacy. However, there is increasing evidence suggesting that hypnotic imagery can be an effective adjunct to therapy for this problem. The present experimental single case study aims to illustrate the process of psychological treatment of IBS with the adjunct of hypnosis and to explore the effectiveness of particular interventions. Over 10 sessions of treatment an overall reduction of 64% was seen in primary IBS symptoms. At 9-months follow-up this had improved further to a 72% reduction in primary symptoms and lower anxiety levels. The marked improvement seen with this client is consistent with the view that hypnosis is an effective adjunct to IBS treatments.

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