Question:
I purchased your Healthy Pregnancy and Successful Childbirth MP3 set at the beginning of my pregnancy. I am now 21 weeks in and still do it whenever I find the time. The pregnancy set is very relaxing. Thank you. My question however is when do I begin to listen to the birthing set? Is this something I should begin in late pregnancy? Do I just listen to it when I go into labor? What are your suggestions? Thank you!

Jena  ~First time mother expecting a little turkey on Thanksgiving Day!

Researchers from William Beaumont Hospital’s Department of Urology in Royal Oak, Michigan, conducted a pilot study to see if guided imagery might have an effect on the symptoms of interstitial cystitis, a condition involving urinary urgency, frequency, and pelvic pain, which affects more than a million women in the U.S.

Thirty women with diagnosed IC were randomized into 2 equal groups. The treatment group listened to a 25-minute guided imagery compact disc, created specifically for women with pelvic pain and IC, twice a day for 8 weeks. The control arm rested for 25 minutes twice daily for 8 weeks.

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York tested the effectiveness of a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy and hypnosis (CBTH) to ameliorate radiotherapy-related fatigue.

Women (n = 42) scheduled for breast cancer radiotherapy were randomly assigned to receive standard medical care (SMC) (n = 20) or a CBTH intervention (n = 22) in addition to standard medical care.
 
Participants assigned to receive CBTH met individually with a clinical psychologist, receiving training in hypnosis and CBT. Participants assigned to the SMC control condition did not meet with a study psychologist.

Researchers from University Hospital Basel in Switzerland compared the immediate effects of brief guided imagery and relaxation exercises - two active and one passive 10-min relaxation technique - on prenatal stress in a randomized, controlled trial with 39 healthy pregnant women.

Subjects were assigned to one of two active relaxation techniques, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) or guided imagery (GI), or a passive relaxation control condition. 

Measures were self-reported relaxation on a visual analogue scale (VAS); the State Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S); scores on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (cortisol and ACTH); and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) system activity (norepinephrine and epinephrine). Additionally, measures were taken of cardiovascular responses, such as heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure.  Scores were measured at four points before and after the relaxation exercise.

 

Dear Belleruth:

After being married for 33 years to the same man since I was 21 years old, I have asked for a divorce. He has been unable to change his emotionally & verbally abusive behaviors, in spite of counseling. In October, I discovered he was having a sexual affair (2nd time) with a woman younger than him (he is 58, she 45). He said he wanted a divorce, that he has been unhappy a long time. I said fine, I will make this happen.

I am fed up with him, but I feel so sad, heartbroken really, in spite of the problems.  What do you suggest for all the emotional upheavals? Please change my name to Kathie. Do not give my last name or email.

-Kathie
 

Hello, Health Journeys!

I had been dealing with infertility for almost four years. After the first dismal try (and “failure”, as they like to call it) with IVF, I realized I was going to need help, because the whole process was upsetting, and I wanted to be able to stick it out.  I was feeling discouraged, depressed and, in a way, disabled. I began searching the web for books, CDs and videos that could help me cope.
 
Before beginning the second round of IVF, I purchased your CD, Help for Fertility.  I listened to it every night before falling asleep.  It brought me a great sense of calmness and hope.  I know you could argue with me about this, but I think this relaxing, positive imagery helped me get pregnant.

My 41 year old daughter is a successful research scientist who took her time finding the right man to marry.  Four years ago, she finally found him. They married a few months later and immediately tried to start a family.  She could not get pregnant, in spite of the fact that there were no hindrances detected clinically in either one of them.  

Sarah is a bit high strung to start with, but this situation created great levels of stress in her and for them as a couple.  It was heartbreaking to watch my lovely daughter, who had so much of her life together at last, become a tense, distracted, unhappy person.  She has always been a high-energy, productive, happy person.

The multi-talented Margaret Dubay Mikus shares her poetry in her inspiring new blog, Space of Grace.

Twice I have had breast cancer, in 1996 and in 2007. I learned a great deal about healing body, mind, emotions, and spirit. And each time I was cracked open--in a good way--breaking through old defenses, encouraging me to bloom. Even my relationships were healed. Writing saved me, allowing me to access inner wisdom about my healing process. This poetic journal, begun after healing from MS in 1995, continues still.

We love getting birth announcements from our peeps.  Sometimes these come from people who had fertility struggles, maybe a series of miscarriages; sometimes we hear from people who had difficult pregnancies; and sometimes, like the message below, we just hear about a regular birth experience made a little easier.  We still are hoping for a systematized study of guided imagery in childbirth, but until one of those comes down the pike, we’ll settle gratefully for postings like this one: