Imaging Away Pain

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Children with functional abdominal pain who used audio recordings of guided imagery at home in addition to standard medical treatment were almost three times as likely to improve their pain problem, according to a study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. 

Up to 20 percent of children are affected by functional abdominal pain, defined by persistent pain caused by no underlying disease.

The study involved 34 children ages six to 15 all receiving standard medication. About half of the kids were randomly chosen to also receive eight weeks of guided imagery treatment. Guided imagery sessions were administered through recorded sessions on a CD for brief ten-minute daily sessions and four biweekly, 20-minute sessions. Sessions focused on reducing pain and stress. For example, the first session directed the kids to picture themselves floating on clouds and relaxing. They imagined a shiny metal object melting in their hand and placing it on their belly to shield away pain.

About 73 percent of children treated with guided imagery and standard medication combined reduced their pain by more than half. Only 26.7 percent of kids receiving only standard medication experienced similar results.

"What is especially exciting about our study is that children can clearly reduce their abdominal pain a lot on their own with guidance from audio recordings, and they get much better results that way than from medical care alone," Miranda van Tilburg, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the UNC School of Medicine was quoted as saying.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, November 2009

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