I have had chronic insomnia for 12 years and FM for 33. I am on 300 mg Elavil and 2 Seroquel at night. Can the Healthful Sleep CD work for me with all those meds. I have tried every tape going, with no success at all, but not guided imagery. I have studied, practiced and used all types of alternative therapies and if I can sleep again, I have a therapy that I would like to use on people and animals, but I have lost both my personal and professional life due to my sleep deprivation. I look forward to your quick reply.
Thanks.
Bonita

Researchers from Brainclinics Diagnostics in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, conducted a meta-analysis of the efficacy of neurofeedback on ADHD.

Both prospective controlled studies and studies employing a pre- and post-design found large effect sizes for neurofeedback on impulsivity and inattention and a medium impact on hyperactivity.

Randomized studies demonstrated a lower effect size for hyperactivity, suggesting that hyperactivity is probably more sensitive to nonspecific treatment factors.

We got this wonderful note from a man who recently underwent hip replacement surgery.  We appreciate his giving all the credit to our imagery, but we have a sneaking suspicion that having a great surgical team, terrific attitude and a strong body also had something to do with the successful outcome!

Dear Belleruth,

I just underwent a complete right hip replacement last Tuesday, March 2.  I was released from the hospital three days later, and today, day 8 post-surgery, I'm up and about and walking with no walker, crutches, or cane.

Three weeks before the surgery, I downloaded your pre-surgery guided imagery and affirmations.  My wife and I listened to them every night for those three weeks, including the night before surgery.  Let me tell you, I am not a great fan of going "under the knife."  But the entire experience has been positive and amazing!

Hello again.
 
One of the most difficult symptoms to treat has always been repeating nightmares.  Insight therapy never did get a whole lot of traction on them, and my own personal track record as a therapist was pretty lame.  But along come two terrific psychologists and traumatic stress experts at the Louis Stokes Cleveland V.A. Medical Center, Drs. Edgardo Padin-Rivera and Beverly Donovan, who’ve managed to cobble together an ingenious, idiot-proof, quick and 90% effective protocol (a combination of Lucid Dreaming, EMDR and guided imagery) that drives those nasty, tenacious suckers clean out of your head.
 
I decided to tell the world about it on Huffington Post, which is proving to be a very fine vehicle for getting the word out (thank you very much, Huffpo!).  So all you frustrated therapists and nightmare sufferers, find your cheat sheet here.

Researchers from the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine at Technische Universitaet Muenchen in Munich, Germany, investigated the immunological impact of relaxation and imagery on asthma by measuring the effects these techniques have on serum IgE in adult patients with dust mite allergic asthma in a randomized, controlled trial.

Question:
 
I am currently in therapy and have been working on issues related to past childhood sexual abuse. Do you have any CDs that you narrate to address positive sexuality, relaxation during partner sex, and/or any CDs that address sexual and emotional intimacy? If you don't personally narrate any - do you have recommendations as to what might be a good imagery CD to purchase that addresses these areas? Thanks so much for your direction - your CDs have been so valuable to my progress and healing.  Serena

This amazing Hot Mamma is 92.  Her dancing partner, (who also happens to be her great grandson), is 29.   They’re dancing “hot salsa” together and, at any age, they’d be judged a super-talented pair.

If you haven’t already seen this video, which has been making the rounds at AARP and other appreciative venues, do watch this graceful, flexible dame with the terrific moves and jaw dropping stamina, and jettison any age-related excuses you've been counting on to get out of doing stuff!

Hello again.

Exciting news, people!!  At long last, a gigundo batch of guided imagery audios is winging its way to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Several hundred Healthful Sleep and an equal number of Relieve Stress guided imagery recordings will be in the ears of our service people, thanks to the efforts of the DoD - extremely open to research-tested mind-body tools these days - and a new, durable, preloaded audio player with high quality sound that works in any environment, called Playaway.

Every month the Playaway people send mounds of spoken word audiobooks to our troops - fiction, self-help, the Bible, language lessons - to distract, entertain, teach and support them downrange.  Now, added to the mix, will be a big, blessed mess o’ calming, sleep-inducing, de-stressing and emotionally balancing guided imagery.

Question:
Hello Belleruth,

First of all a huge Thank You for your products, they really work wonders. I purchased Relaxation & Wellness CD (Imagery and Affirmations) to help me with my hypervigilant state of being (Really anxious and in Fear mode most of the time).
 
I was wondering if you would recommend other products that I could use to help me get better. My Therapist suggested you to me and she was not wrong. I underwent surgery for Appendectomy on 10/31/09 and in addition quit smoking that same day after 20 years of smoking.  Life hasn't been the same since.
 
Thank you for your help.
Regards, Donald Godwin

A new study from researchers at C.C.N.Y. (City College of New York) examined the connection between improvements in posttraumatic stress and improvement in substance abuse over the course of time in 353 women diagnosed with both conditions.

Participants were randomly assigned to 12 sessions of either trauma-focused treatment or health education.  Assessments were made on the PTS and the substance use during treatment at 1 week and posttreatment after 3, 6, and 12 months.

Subjects showing no improvement, an improvement in the substance use only, or a total, global improvement early on, tended to maintain their original diagnosis over time; but subjects initially exhibiting improvement in their PTSD symptoms were significantly more likely to transition into a global response over time, indicating that they maintained their PTSD improvement, and that it was associated with subsequent improvements in substance use.