Hot damn, I knew this was true.  My guess is, it’s even more true for women in childbirth.  But I digress.  Researchers from Women's & Children's Hospital in Adelaide, Australia investigated whether there was a difference in hypnotizability between pregnant and nonpregnant women.  (Hypnosis during pregnancy and childbirth has been shown to reduce the use of pain medication during labor and other medical interventions.)

Study participants had hypnotizability measured by the Creative Imagination Scale (CIS) in the third trimester of pregnancy and subsequently between 14 and 28 months postpartum and again, further beyond that.

Researchers from the Department of Neurology at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel examined whether a Parkinson’s Disease (PD) tremor, known to worsen with stress, could improve with what they refer to as “relaxation guided imagery” (RGI) and calming music.

Twenty PD patients with moderate to severe tremor participated in sessions where relaxation techniques were implemented. Tremor was objectively monitored using an accelerometer.

All 20 subjects in the imagery condition (RGI) had dramatically decreased  tremor (baseline 270.38 +/- 85.82 vs. RGI 35.57 +/- 43.90 movements per minute P < 0.0001).  Additionally, in 15 patients, the tremor was completely gone for 1-13 min.

Researchers from the University of Göttingen in Germany sought to validate claims from small, insufficiently controlled studies that neurofeedback (NF) reduces inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In a multi-site, randomized, controlled study using a computerized attention skills training protocol for the control condition, 102 children with ADHD, aged 8 to 12 years, were included in the study.

Children were randomized to the intervention - 36 sessions of NF training - or the control condition – 36 sessions of computerized attention skills training - within two blocks of about four weeks each. 

Researchers from the University of Bielefeld in Germany compared the efficacy of two different treatments for children in a refugee camp in Sri Lanka with severe PTSD, in the acute aftermath of the Tsunami of 2004.

Thirty-one children were randomly assigned to one of two pragmatic, short-term interventions, delivered by trained local counselors: either 6 sessions of Narrative Exposure Therapy for children (KIDNET) or six sessions of meditation-relaxation (MED-RELAX).

Researchers from the Université de Lyon in Villeurbanne Cedex, France, investigated whether guided imagery can improve motor performance in the rehabilitation of burn patients, the way we know it does with central nervous system injury.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 2-week Motor Imagery (MI) training program, combined with conventional rehabilitation, on the recovery of motor functions in patients with hand burns. 

Fourteen patients admitted to the Medical Burn Center took part in the study and were randomly assigned to the imagery or the control group.  Behavioral data related to the ability to perform each successive step of three manual motor sequences were collected at five intervals during the protocol.

Investigators from the Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health & Leisure in Porto, Portugal conducted a study to analyze the association between blood pressure and (1) body mass index (BMI), (2) degree of physical activity and (3) cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) in young people.

The study included 66 boys and 97 girls (average age around 14). Measures were taken of blood pressure and cardio-respiratory fitness during the school day, and accelerometers were used to determine degree of physical activity, both during and away from school.

Researchers from the Technische Universitat Munchen in Munich, Germany,  investigated the efficacy of a brief relaxation technique called functional relaxation (FR) and guided imagery (GI) in adult asthmatics, in a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Sixty-four patients with extrinsic bronchial asthma were treated over a 4-week period and assessed at baseline, after treatment and after 4 months, for follow-up. Sixteen patients completed Functional Relaxation (FR), 14 the guided imagery (GI), and 15 both FR and GI together (FR/GI), while 13 received a placebo relaxation technique as the control intervention (CI).

The forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)) as well as the specific airway resistance (sR(aw)) were employed as primary outcome measures.

Researchers from University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, UK, performed a systematic review of counseling interventions designed to prevent the acquisition of posttraumatic stress.  Earlier reviews had already established that Critical Incident Stress Debriefing has no effect on preventing PTS. Single session interventions were excluded for this review, which looked at other forms of multiple session early psychological intervention, begun within three months of a traumatic event, aimed at preventing PTS.

Researchers from the University of Louisville in Kentucky looked at whether Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can reduce stress arousal in patients suffering from fibromyalgia.

An earlier study by this principal investigator showed that MBSR reduced depressive symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia with gains maintained at two months follow-up (Sephton et al., Arthritis & Rheumatism, 57:77-85, 2007).

This second study explored the effects of MBSR on basal sympathetic (SNS) activation among women with fibromyalgia. Twenty-four participants were tested before and after MBSR for anxiety, depressive symptoms, and SNS activation.

Researchers from the Departments of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Old Dominion University at Norfolk, Virginia, examined the impact of a structured meditation program intervention on female detainees, comparing an experimental group and a control group for medical symptoms, emotions, and behaviors before and after the intervention.

A 2 1/2-hour meditation session was held once a week for 7 weeks. Study participants completed a medical symptoms checklist before the program began and after it ended.