Guided imagery, a therapeutic technique in which a healer directs an individual to visualize a scene or sensations, has existed for millennia and is often used within healthcare settings today. A small, though growing number of studies among clinical samples demonstrate that guided imagery produces positive effects such as decreased pain and anxiety. Few studies have dismantled this intervention in order to isolate its active ingredients, and even fewer studies have determined for whom this intervention works. The current study sought to address these gaps in the literature by examining the effects of guided imagery on mood and anxiety among a college sample. The effects of a single session of non-directive guided imagery were examined through a repeated measures, pre-test post-test design with three experimental conditions. Multivariate analysis of data from 107 adults showed that following a distress induction, guided imagery significantly decreased anxiety and negative affect. However, guided imagery did not produce significantly greater changes in mood and anxiety than quiet rest or attention control conditions as hypothesized. Individual difference variables hypothesized as moderators (trait absorption, imagery vividness, imagery control) did not predict outcome; however, self-reported engagement in the experimental conditions predicted magnitude of change in outcome. The discussion outlines potential reasons for these unique findings as well as clinical implications and future directions for research.

Bakgrund: Barn genomgår procedurer på sjukhus som kan upplevas obehagliga, smärtsamma och skrämmande. Smärta och oro vid procedurer ska behandlas. En icke-farmakologisk metod för barn i åldern 5–18 år är Guided Imagery. Guided Imagery innebär att barnet ska dagdrömma om en situation med vägledning av barnsjuksköterskan. Syfte: Belysa barnsjuksköterskors erfarenheter av Guided Imagery på barn i åldern 5–18 år vid procedurer på sjukhus. Metod: Kvalitativ studiedesign. Datainsamling via semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta barnsjuksköterskor som hade utbildning inom Guided Imagery och som använt metoden på barn i åldern 5–18 år vid procedurer på sjukhus. Analysmetoden var innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. Resultat: Innehållsanalysen resulterade i tre huvudkategorier och tio underkategorier. Den första kategorin var Förutsättningar för utförandet av Guided Imagery med underkategorierna Rätt person, Rätt kontext, Vikten av förberedelse samt Fokus på dagdrömmen. Den andra kategorin var Fördelar med Guided Imagery med underkategorierna God avledning samt Främjar barns delaktighet och kontroll och den tredje kategorin var Utmaningar med Guided Imagery med underkategorierna Fungerar inte i alla situationer, Behöver vara bekväm med Guided Imagery, Guided Imagery påverkas av arbetsplatsens förutsättningar samt Fungerar inte på alla barn. Slutsats: Guided Imagery är en avledningsmetod med flera fördelar om rätt förutsättningar finns. Metoden är lämplig för barn med rädsla och fungerar vid flera procedurer som tar mellan tio och 50 minuter. Goda förberedelser och prioritering av tid för Guided Imagery kan bidra till minskad rädsla samt färre sövningar och administrering av sederande läkemedel. Barn kan vid utförandet av Guided Imagery vara delaktiga och ta egna beslut. Det är av vikt att arbetsplatsen kan bistå med rätt förutsättningar för att kunna utföra Guided Imagery då det kan medför stora vinster för barn. / Background: Children can experience unpleasant, painful and frightening procedures in the hospital. Experiences such as pain and anxiety during procedures should be treated. A non-pharmacological method for children aged between 5-18 years is Guided Imagery. Guided Imagery means that children should daydream about a situation with the guidance of the pediatric nurse. Aim: Illuminate pediatric nurses' experiences of Guided Imagery on children aged between 5–18 years during procedures in hospitals. Method: Qualitative study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with eight pediatric nurses who had completed education in Guided Imagery and had used the method on children aged between 5-18 years during procedures in hospitals. The analysis method was content analysis with an inductive approach. Results: The analysis resulted in three categories and ten subcategories. The first category was Conditions to conduct Guided Imagery with the subcategories The right child, The right context, The importance of preparation and Focus on the daydream. The second category was Benefits of Guided Imagery with the subcategories Useful distraction and Promotes children's participation and control and the third category was Challenges with Guided Imagery with the subcategories Does not work in all situations, Need to be comfortable with Guided Imagery, Guided Imagery is affected by workplace conditions and Does not work on all children. Conclusion: Guided Imagery is a distraction method with several advantages if the right conditions are applied. The method is suitable for children with fear and works for several procedures that can take between ten and 50 minutes. Good preparation and prioritizing time for Guided Imagery can contribute to reduced fear as well as fewer anesthetics and administration of sedative drugs. Children can participate in the implementation of GI and make their own decisions. It is important that the workplace can assist with the right conditions to be able to perform Guided Imagery as it can bring great benefits for children.

Teacher educators continually strive to find ways to improve the preparation of preservice teacher candidates. In the area of mathematics education, methods courses that follow National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards for professional development have been successful. This study supports the notion that a mathematics methods course can improve mathematics teaching efficacy in the constructs of personal mathematics teaching efficacy (PMTE) and mathematics teaching outcome expectancy (MTOE). Findings also suggest that mathematics teaching efficacy is developmental in its nature with PMTE developing before MTOE. Employing a quasiexperimental nonequivalent comparison groups pre- and posttest design, the present study examined the effects of guided imagery as an added component of a mathematics methods course and found no significant advantageous treatment effects on mathematics teaching efficacy. However, there were no detrimental effects on mathematics content knowledge and pedagogical skills either. Participation in a reform-based mathematics methods course did affect mathematics teaching efficacy for both groups in the study. Mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs were measured by the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI), and data were analyzed by ANCOVA and paired-samples t-tests. Recommendations for further research on the developmental nature of general teacher efficacy and mathematics teaching efficacy are included.

Public school teachers face a great amount of stress, and that stress may lead to other adverse health outcomes. This study examined elementary public school teachers' stress levels before and after the use of guided imagery relaxation. Guided by the transactional model of stress and coping as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the use of guided imagery as an effective technique in the stress reduction of elementary public school teachers, thus enhancing the learning experience of students and creating healthier public school teachers. Eighty-one teachers (71 women, 10 men) participated in this study by completing the Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands Inventory Elementary Version. Several variables were examined including gender, years of experience, and adverse health as related to stress experiences. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that guided imagery relaxation was statistically significant in reducing stress levels of public school teachers. These results have implications for positive social change by illuminating the utility of a stress-reduction technique for public school teachers. School administrators and educators may find these results useful in their work to retain talented teachers.

The opioid epidemic in the United States continues to be a national health crisis affecting all populations. From 1999 to 2016, more than half a million people died from drug overdose. Nonpharmacological therapies are underused in nursing practice due to the gap in nurses' baseline knowledge and confidence related to nonpharmacological techniques for pain management. The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop and implement an expert-reviewed, evidence-based education program focused on nonpharmacological techniques for pain management. Participants included 18 registered nurses (RNs) from an orthopedic unit in a large academic medical center. A 45-minute educational session was conducted for RNs. A pre/postquestionnaire, including a 5-point Likert scale on nurses' self-perceived knowledge and confidence in using selected nonpharmacological techniques, was the method of data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The results indicated an increase in nurses' self-perceived knowledge in all nonpharmacological techniques. The most significant increase in knowledge posteducation intervention was guided imagery with an increase of 72% in terms of the response Good. The data analysis indicates that the nurses self-perceived confidence posteducation intervention increased in terms of the response Good by 50 % and response Excellent by 33% demonstrating the efficacy of an evidence- based education program on nonpharmacological techniques. The implications of this project for social change include the empowerment of nurses to provide holistic patient-centered care, opioid sparing in keeping in alignment with patient safety, and the development of an evidence-based program that can be replicated in other settings.

This qualitative study sought to answer: How may I, as an artist, use art for my own transformation and healing? I am an artist and teacher living with chronic pain and fatigue and wanted to find healing through art and inspire others to do the same. During the three month study, I made artwork, reflected in my journal, and practiced guided imagery. The journal was used to reflect on my health, the creative process, and to record ideas generated through guided imagery. Findings showed that short term relief was provided during the act of creation, but no long-term relief was achieved. The primary conclusion was that I was able to use art for healing and transformation, but only after experimentation and reflection. By adapting the creative process to accommodate for my illness, I was able to include art making as part of a healthy life.

Precompetitive anxiety (PCA) is problematic for young gymnasts and may have an influence on a multitude of factors like self-confidence, perceived level of self-efficacy, and athlete's performance in a competition. The objective of this 2-part study was to discover how earlier competitive experience influences the young gymnasts' level of anxiety, perception of control, and self-efficacy. An additional goal was to explore the potential impact of Guided imagery (GI) and Autogenic training (AGT) in reducing precompetitive anxiety. In the first study, 80 USAG Junior Olympic female gymnasts between the ages of 7 and 16 (40 compulsory level and 40 optional level) participated. The purpose was to test differences in levels of PCA, locus of control, and self-efficacy among optional level and compulsory level gymnasts. An independent samples t test and a Mann-Whitney nonparametric test showed that optional level gymnasts had higher cognitive anxiety, lower confidence level, and higher internal locus of control compared with compulsory level gymnasts, with no significant mean difference in somatic anxiety and self-efficacy. For the second study, 30 participants were divided into 3 treatment groups: (a) AGT group, (b) GI group, and (c) control group. Results of repeated measure ANOVAs revealed that mean anxiety scores decreased over time for the autogenic group as compared to the control and guided imagery group. The internal LOC mean scores were lower for the autogenic group, compared to the other groups, but internal locus of control did increase over time for the autogenic group. The social significance of this study suggests that enhanced performance and enjoyment in sports may allow athletes to remain active in sports while teaching them life-long strategies to reduce anxiety and stress in their lives.

As an exploratory, developmental injury intervention study, this research investigated the efficacy of providing psychological intervention in the form of relaxation and guided imagery to a group of orthopedic patients recovering from major knee surgery. Utilizing a prospective, experimental research design with 30 subjects randomly assigned to either an intervention, placebo, or control group, this study employed physiological as well as psychological outcome measures. Intervention consisted of 10 individual mental practice sessions for intervention group members as an adjunct to physical therapy. Content of these sessions was intentionally designed to facilitate physiotherapy goals. Imagery protocols with which to deliver these standardized sessions were also designed to directly parallel established physical rehabilitation protocols. Placebo group participants were exposed to nonspecific intervention factors of attention and support, while control group members completed their physical therapy as usual. Results of this study revealed that for this sample of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) orthopedic patients, psychological injury intervention in the form of relaxation and guided imagery contributed to statistically significant better physical and psychological outcomes. Strength and extension improvement, as well as reduction in state, trait, and reinjury anxiety, were superior for the intervention group as compared to placebo and control groups from preintervention (2 weeks postsurgery) to post-intervention (24 weeks postsurgery). Other benefits of the intervention, according to subject self-report, included pain and stress management, empowerment, control of recovery, and overall body wellness . Implications of these research findings are discussed, as well as suggestions offered for subsequent injury intervention research.

Eighty four female undergraduate students participated in a psychotherapy analog study to determine the effects of imagery ability, guided imagery therapy treatments, and personal versus supplied constructs upon self-disclosure variables in a 2 x 3 x 2 Anova design, with repeated measures on the final factor. Dependent variables were measured by reaction time, total talk time, speech duration, silence quotient, and Doster's (1971) Self-Disclosure Rating Scale. Subjects were divided into two imagery ability levels on the basis of local mean scores on Sheehan's (1967) modification of Betts' (1909) Questionnaire upon Mental Imagery. Three treatment procedures were employed: a guided focal imagery treatment, which encouraged imagery involving the interpersonal topics to be discussed, a guided relaxation imagery treatment which used standard sensory relaxation scenes, and a treatment which imparted ambiguous instructions. The final factor was repeated measures of the eight negative topics the subjects were asked to discuss. Four were chosen from the subjects' Role Construct Repertory Test grid (Kelly, 1955; Landfield, 1971), and four were selected from the Semantic Differential (Snider & Osgood, 1969).

(English) Guided imagery is not so far frequently used method, also there is not existing more extensive research in this field. Nevertheless, some papers showing potential of this technique can be found. This thesis deals with the use of guided imagery to influence biological (immune) processes. So far there is only a very small number of studies dealing with this topic. This is a pilot study in this particular application. The study included 38 participants. The effect of guided imagery on immunological parameters was monitored, as well as other factors that can be related to the effectiveness of the intervention (ease of process visualization, level of stress). The study also dealt with the possible influence of the metaphor in visualization content on its effectiveness. Although there is not clear result of this study on global level, there is a number of interesting partial results. Particularly, interesting observations significant in view of further research direction in this field have emerged from this work. In particular, the influence of stress, or more precisely its association with the guided imagery effect could be a promising area for further research. Based on this work, it is not possible to comment on the possible effect on guided imagery effect, because probands were not...