Abstract
It has been well-established that a variety of mind-body (MB) techniques, including yoga, mental imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback, and meditation, are effective at addressing symptoms such as pain, anxiety, nausea, and insomnia, as well as helping with a wide variety of medical, emotional, and behavioral issues in pediatric populations. In addition, MB skills can also be health-promoting in the long-term, and with regular practice, could potentially contribute to longer attention spans, social skills, emotional regulation, and enhanced immune system functioning. Importantly, the benefits accrued from MB skills are largely dose-dependent, meaning that individuals who practice with some consistency tend to benefit the most, both in the short- and long-term. However, clinical experience suggests that for busy patients, the regular practice of MB skills can be challenging and treatment adherence commonly becomes an issue. This commentary reviews the concept of technology-assisted relaxation as an engaging and effective option to enhance treatment adherence (i.e., daily practice) for pediatric patients, for whom MB skills have been recommended to address physical and mental health challenges.
Highlights
Interactive electronic devices can play a positive role in healthcare [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17]
It is reasonable to argue that, for most children and teenagers, the demands and exposures of modern life are increasingly leading to chronic autonomic nervous system (ANS) over-arousal, in a way that is often unrecognized by the majority of individuals, who commonly accept it as their normal baseline reference mode of experience
The author intends to highlight the benefits of utilizing technology-assisted relaxation devices and strategies to enhance the practice of MB skills in children and youth in the service of healing and wellness promotion
Summary
Interactive electronic devices can play a positive role in healthcare [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17]. In many cases, companies are launching direct-to-consumer advertising of their product benefits, which allows patients and families direct access to, and use of, these approaches, as they seek attractive options for treating stress-mediated mental and physical challenges It is well-known that children are regularly utilizing interactive electronic media, such as smartphones or tablets, at home and school [18]. After over twenty years working in the clinical practice of developmental/behavioral and integrative pediatrics, the author has witnessed the many benefits of teaching children a variety of MB skills, as an important therapeutic element in a comprehensive treatment plan. An additional hope is that healthcare providers may creatively integrate these newer technology-assisted relaxation approaches, when indicated, into appealing treatment strategies for pediatric patients for whom MB skills are indicated
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