Someone wrote in with the same insight I’d had after watching the film Precious - that what kept the protagonist alive at her core, in spite of the way she was used, abused, derided and devalued on a daily basis, was the imagery she created to sustain and feed her.  I meant to write about it, but never got around to it.  But that’s just as well - this note, from someone who just discovered guided imagery, is far more eloquent, thanks to her fresh perspective. 

Researchers from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia conducted a systematic review of studies that compare the impact of various techniques on reducing pain and distress in children getting shots for immunization.

The investigators identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs that measured the impact of these interventions during the injection of vaccines in children 0 to 18 years of age. Both self-report and observer assessments were used as measures.

Researchers from the Center for Professional Excellence, Research and Evidence-Based Practice at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, tested Betty Mehling’s guided imagery audio intervention, Magic Island to see if it was effective in reducing post-operative pain, increasing relaxation, and stimulating imagery in children in the hospital setting.

This cross sectional study compared pain and relaxation scores before and after the use of the CD. Sixteen children (7 to 12 years of age) reported pain on a 0 to 10 scale and relaxation on a 1 to 5 scale, and answered questions about what they imagined.

Pain scores were significantly decreased, with no significant differences in relaxation scores. Findings support that school-age children are capable of using guided imagery, and relaxation may not be necessary to achieve pain reduction.

Citation:  Huth MM, Daraiseh NM, Henson MA, McLeod SM. Evaluation of the Magic Island: Relaxation for Kids, compact disc. Pediatric Nursing. 2009 Sep-Oct; 35 (5): pages 290-5.

Our seven-year-old son Sam is a very sweet boy who has had problems with anxiety since pre-school. He now is in second grade with an excellent teacher and many neighborhood friends in his class.  He is also a bright boy - schoolwork has never been a problem for him. In spite of all this, at the beginning of the school year he became very anxious, was reluctant to go to school and started wetting the bed again.

This happened at the beginning of first grade too, lasting for many months. This year, my social worker sister predicted this was likely to happen again and coached us to become proactive. She recommended we keep tools on hand from your website to help Sam.  

We used two CDs  – Sleep Fairy right before bedtime and Magic Island in the morning before school – sometimes with breakfast in bed!  He enjoyed listening to them immediately.

Question:

Hi, Belleruth.  I'm a psychotherapist, and I have quite a few of your guided imagery CD's that I use with my patients.  But this question is personal... my 7 year old daughter has had stomach aches for years.  We've had tests run from time to time, but all is well physically.

I would like to buy her a CD from your website to help her with her stomach aches. Most of the ones for kids seem to focus on relaxation. Perhaps that would be enough.  I'm wondering which CD you would recommend for her.

Rosalynne

A grateful parent posted this paean to the Sleep Fairy, and it’s amazingly similar to what my niece told me years ago – she’s the one who put me onto this phenom of a snooze-inducing CD for kids.

She had a child with night terrors who was too scared to fall asleep.  Nights were hellish for the whole family for months – not to mention the cranky, exhausted days that followed.

They tried all sorts of things, but to no avail. Then a friend suggested she try this CD, and it was like blessed magic fairy dust. Suddenly they had a sleeping child. It was right away. 

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).

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.

Dear Belleruth and Health Journeys,

My 5 year old son, a very active little boy, tripped while running around the living room and fell against a coffee table with sharp corners.  He suffered a deep cut on his forehead.  I took him to the E.R. to get him stitched up, and of course he started squirming and protesting the minute he realized what was about to go down.  The more the nurse and I tried to hold him still, the more upset he became.  Things went from bad to worse.