The effectiveness of guided imagery as an enhancement to the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program was explored during a shortened 8-week program using three parent groups of elementary-age students matched for parent training experience and couple participation: a) an imagery-modified STEP group (STEP-Im, n = 14); b) a traditional STEP group (STEP, n = 14); and c) a drop-out comparison group (n = 10). Guided imagery consisted of centering exercise(s) for focus and concentration; structured imagery of Adlerian concepts; and open-ended role-assumption imagery for clarifying personal values, the perspectives of others, and concept practice.

A picture is worth 1000 words. Great visuals can enhance, dramatize and even bend the narrative. From historical photos to modern-day digital images made of millions of pixels, images have always been instrumental in shaping our visual understanding of the world around us. As much as they have been instrumental in shaping reality, easy access to image manipulation has also resulted in wide spread misinformation. When anything can befaked, honest representation of reality in images has become a hard problem to crack. After multiple design explorations, I realized a need for a fundamental change in our interaction with images. The thesis resulted in building an alternate landscape for digital imagery called SHIFT, where images are connected entities that become an access point to multiple perspectives and alternate realities. It is not an attempt to challenge image manipulation technology but to use images as a means to develop a more informed understanding of the reality they represent.

Vi har i detta projekt haft i syfte att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur man kommunicerar sensoriska budskap med hjälp av bland annat mentala föreställningar, så kallad “imagery”. Genom att med hjälp av semiotiken analysera sex stycken filmer skapade av tre olika företag så har vi vidare applicerat lärdomar i ett eget projekt i formatet av en kortfilm. Kortfilmen utvärderades efteråt av två stycken fokusgrupper som diskuterade vidare vad som kunde utvecklats och vad som fungerade och vilka sinnen som anspelas i filmen. Fokusgrupperna visade också att vi faktiskt skapat olika imagery hos deltagarna med hjälp av ljud och bild. Denna uppsats tar även upp kritiska aspekter såsom om det kan anses manipulativt, eventuell påverkan på barn och marknadsföring av produkter som kan innehålla skadligt beteende inom sensoriska budskap. Möjligheter man kan se i framtiden är bland annat att kunna utveckla vården genom att ge läkare möjligheten att ta del av de mänskliga sinnen via video. / In this project, we have aimed to create a deeper understanding of how to communicate sensory messages using, among other things, mental representations, so-called "imagery". With the help of semiotics we will analyze six films created by three different companies, we have further applied the lessons learned in our own project in the format of a short film. The short film was evaluated afterwards by two focus groups who further discussed what could be developed and what worked and which senses are alluded to in the film. The focus groups also showed that we actually created different imagery in the participants using sound and images. This paper also addresses critical aspects such as whether it can be considered manipulative, possible impact on children and marketing of products that may contain harmful behavior within sensory messages. Possibilities that can be seen in the future include the possibility of developing healthcare by giving doctors the opportunity to engage with the human senses via video.

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.

A packaging model is presented in this study which attempts to show some important aspects of a consumer's cognitive process in relation to packaging. This packaging model is based on the theories of imagery, emotion, and perception (and sensation). Perception of a packaged good occurs because the motivation system of a consumer selects particular information that the packaged good provides. Unlike the situation which occurs in behaviorism, stimulus is as important as response, and motivation explains why people don't perceive all the information available in the environment. When perception occurs, two subsequent responses are possible in the mind of a consumer: the connotative response and the denotative response. A connotative response is an evaluation of the perceived, i.e. emotion. Denotative response is imagery which is produced by conditioned sensory response. Imagery may elicit emotional response. Thus, imagery may reinforce consumer behavior positively or negatively. Emotion with regard to a packaged good is, then, the combination of emotions elicited by the perceived and the imagery evoked. This packaging model tries to explain purchasing behavior through the concepts of imagery and emotion.

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The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) is an individual form of music psychotherapy known for facilitating profound and embodied music and imagery experiences. GIM theorists have argued that the use of music and imagery can facilitate a mind-body interaction, leading to powerful experiences that affect all facets of a person's being. But this interaction has not been directly examined in GIM, despite the need to understand its nature and risks. This gap in research is due to the inherent limitations of the two major paradigms used in this field: quantitative research cannot account for unique individual responses to phenomena, while qualitative research is not predictive in the same way as quantitative, positivistic research. This study used a new research approach, neurophenomenology, in order to link participants' descriptions of qualitative music and imagery experiences with electroencephalographic (EEG) data, providing context for the brain data while also illuminating the neurological effect of imagery experiences. The music and imagery session used a guided imagery script which focused on six different kinds of imagery experiences (Affect, Body, Interaction, Kinesthetic, Memories, Visual) and was pre-recorded over two different classical musical pieces selected from the GIM literature. Four participants each underwent individual music and imagery sessions using the pre-recorded script and music while having simultaneous EEG data collected. Afterward, participants viewed a video of their sessions with the researcher and described their imagery experiences during a phenomenological interview. The contents of the transcribed interviews were coded into phenomenological categories concerning the congruence of image with guiding cue, imagery modality, stability of imagery, awareness of guiding and music, and awareness of altered state of consciousness (ASC). Meanwhile, consultants performed coherence analyses on the EEG data, examining relationships between major regions of the brain according to both guiding condition and frequency ranges of brain waves. The researcher integrated the phenomenological and EEG data for each participant, and then across cases to determine patterns of subjective experience and brain response. Each participant demonstrated distinctive styles of reported imagery experience with brain responses, ranging from minimal emotional involvement with alertness, to drowsy, disjointed body sensory imagery, to drowsy, disconnected emotional imagery, to a deeper exploration of consciousness with a consistent ASC. Cross-case comparisons of the integrated data showed that 1) the ASC involves both physical relaxation and ongoing focus on the imagery experience; 2) imagery generates brain activity in the same regions that would process information from similar real-life experiences; 3) beta and gamma frequencies played a significant role in how participants maintained an ASC and made meaning out of the imagery. Implications of these and other conclusions from the separate examination of EEG and phenomenological data are discussed. / Music Therapy

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of responsiveness to the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM), as measured by the Responsiveness to Guided Imagery and Music scale (RGIM). It was hypothesized that when combined, Sense of Coherence (SOC), state trait anxiety (STAI), classical music experience (CME), gender, and/or age would account for a significant amount of variance in responsiveness to BMGIM. Sixty volunteer participants were recruited from the general population. They all attended one research session where they participated in a group Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) experience. Prior to the group GIM experience, participants completed a demographic questionnaire (including a CME measure), the Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the SOC scale. After the group GIM experience, participants completed the RGIM scale. Once data collection was completed, the reliability and construct validity of the RGIM was examined. Exploratory factor analyses revealed that the RGIM contained five distinct factors: (a) Ability to Relax (AR), (b) Ability to Image to Music (AIM), (c) Responsiveness to Music and Guiding (RMG), (d) Comfort with Self-Disclosure (CSD), and (e) Meaningfulness of the Experience (MOE). These were the dependent (criterion) variables in this study. Before analyzing the data, the researcher ran diagnostics to check for assumptions of regression. Correlational statistical techniques were used to identify significant relationships between variables, and three sets of exploratory multiple linear regressions were used to identify which combinations of variables were the most accurate predictors of RGIM factors. Results of the first multiple regression showed that together, SOC, classical music experience, and age are predictors of "Ability to Image to Music," "Responsiveness to Music and Guiding," and "Meaningfulness of the Experience." Results of the second multiple regression showed that together, state anxiety, classical music experience, and age are predictors of "Ability to Image to Music," "Responsiveness to Music and Guiding," and "Meaningfulness of the Experience." Results of the third multiple regression showed that together, trait anxiety, classical music experience, and age are predictors of "Responsiveness to Music and Guiding." A number of other significant and non-significant results were found and are discussed. Limitations of the study as well as recommendations for future research, clinical practice, and education/training are presented. / Music Therapy