Imagery Group Research Articles

The Effects of Guided Imagery on Patients Being Weaned from Mechanical Ventilation.

The study purpose was to assess the effects of guided imagery on sedation levels, sedative and analgesic volume consumption, and physiological responses of patients being weaned from mechanical ventilation. Forty-two patients were selected from two community acute care hospitals. One hospital served as the comparison group and provided routine care (no intervention) while the other hospital provided the guided imagery intervention. The intervention included two sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, offered during morning weaning trials from mechanical ventilation. Measurements were recorded in groups at baseline and 30- and 60-minute intervals and included vital signs and Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) score. Sedative and analgesic medication volume consumption were recorded 24 hours prior to and after the intervention. The guided imagery group had significantly improved RASS scores and reduced sedative and analgesic volume consumption. During the second session, oxygen saturation levels significantly improved compared to the comparison group. Guided imagery group had 4.88 less days requiring mechanical ventilation and 1.4 reduction in hospital length of stay compared to the comparison group. Guided imagery may be complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) intervention to provide during mechanical ventilation weaning trials.

Motor imagery training improves upper extremity performance in stroke patients.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate whether motor imagery training has a positive influence on upper extremity performance in stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-four patients were randomly assigned to one of the following two groups: motor imagery (n = 12) or control (n = 12). Over the course of 4 weeks, the motor imagery group participated in 30 minutes of motor imagery training on each of the 18 tasks (9 hours total) related to their daily living activities. After the 4-week intervention period, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity outcomes and Wolf Motor Function Test outcomes were compared. [Results] The post-test score of the motor imagery group on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity outcomes was significantly higher than that of the control group. In particular, the shoulder and wrist sub-items demonstrated improvement in the motor imagery group. [Conclusion] Motor imagery training has a positive influence on upper extremity performance by improving functional mobility during stroke rehabilitation. These results suggest that motor imagery training is feasible and beneficial for improving upper extremity function in stroke patients.

The influence of imagery vividness on cognitive and perceptual cues in circular auditorily-induced vection.

In the absence of other congruent multisensory motion cues, sound contribution to illusions of self-motion (vection) is relatively weak and often attributed to purely cognitive, top-down processes. The present study addressed the influence of cognitive and perceptual factors in the experience of circular, yaw auditorily-induced vection (AIV), focusing on participants imagery vividness scores. We used different rotating sound sources (acoustic landmark vs. movable types) and their filtered versions that provided different binaural cues (interaural time or level differences, ITD vs. ILD) when delivering via loudspeaker array. The significant differences in circular vection intensity showed that (1) AIV was stronger for rotating sound fields containing auditory landmarks as compared to movable sound objects; (2) ITD based acoustic cues were more instrumental than ILD based ones for horizontal AIV; and (3) individual differences in imagery vividness significantly influenced the effects of contextual and perceptual cues. While participants with high scores of kinesthetic and visual imagery were helped by vection “rich” cues, i.e., acoustic landmarks and ITD cues, the participants from the low-vivid imagery group did not benefit from these cues automatically. Only when specifically asked to use their imagination intentionally did these external cues start influencing vection sensation in a similar way to high-vivid imagers. These findings are in line with the recent fMRI work which suggested that high-vivid imagers employ automatic, almost unconscious mechanisms in imagery generation, while low-vivid imagers rely on more schematic and conscious framework. Consequently, our results provide an additional insight into the interaction between perceptual and contextual cues when experiencing purely auditorily or multisensory induced vection.

Walk this Way: A Brief Exercise Imagery Intervention Increases Barrier Self-Efficacy in Women

This study investigated whether imaging a brisk walk once a day over a week could increase barrier self-efficacy among women who wanted to increase their exercise behavior. Participants (N = 32, mean age = 31.90 years, SD = 10.17) were randomly allocated to either an imagery rehearsal group or control group. The 4 min 10 s guided imagery script was designed to tap several sources of self-efficacy (e.g., performance accomplishments). The participants completed the Barriers Self-Efficacy Scale (BARSE; McAuley 1992) before and after the intervention. Scores increased significantly for the rehearsal group but not for the control group but these changes were no longer significant after controlling for pre-exercise levels. Results show preliminary evidence that imagery can be used by women to increase their barrier self-efficacy, which in turn may increase the likelihood of successful exercise adherence.

It wears me out just imagining it! Mental imagery leads to muscle fatigue and diminished performance of isometric exercise

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aftereffects of self-generated mental imagery of an effortful task on physical self-control endurance and muscle fatigue. Participants performed two isometric handgrip endurance trials (50% of maximum contraction) separated by either an imagery manipulation or a quiet rest period. The imagery group showed greater negative changes in endurance performance from trial 1 to trial 2 (p=.003, d=0.87) and increased muscle activation at baseline (p=.01, d=0.73) and at 25% (p=.03, d=0.61) of the second endurance trial compared to controls. We conclude that imagined performance of an effortful task depletes self-control strength and contributes to muscle fatigue.

Motor imagery group practice for gait rehabilitation in individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis: A pilot study

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, with walking impairment being a devastating indicator of chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Limited resources exist for individual treatments; therefore, the delivery of safe group exercise therapy is highly desired. To examine whether the application of group-based motor imagery practice to community-dwelling individuals with chronic hemiparesis improves gait. Sixteen individuals with chronic hemiparesis from two community centers participated in the study, with eight from each center. Four participants in each center received five weeks of the experimental intervention, consisting of group-based motor imagery exercises of gait tasks, followed by five weeks of control treatment of motor imagery exercises for the affected upper extremity. Four other subjects in each center received the same treatments in reverse order. Pre- and post intervention measurements included clinical and biomechanical gait parameters. Comparisons within (pre- vs. post) and between treatments (experimental vs. control) indicated no significant change in any gait variable. Nevertheless, the verbal reports of most participants alluded to satisfaction with the experimental intervention and to an increase in self-confidence. Despite the lack of evidence for the effectiveness of group-based motor imagery practice in improving gait among individuals with chronic hemiparesis, the contrast between the measured outcomes and the positive verbal reports merits further inquiry.

Feasibility of Central Meditation and Imagery Therapy for dementia caregivers

Family dementia caregivers are at high risk of depression and burnout. We assessed the feasibility of Central Meditation and Imagery Therapy for Caregivers (CMIT-C), a novel 8-week group meditation and guided imagery group therapy program, for dementia caregivers reporting stress because of caregiving responsibilities. Twelve family dementia caregivers enrolled in CMIT-C. Primary outcomes included depression and anxiety, and secondary outcomes included insomnia, quality of life, and mindfulness. Changes over the study and 3 month follow-up were analyzed with non-parametric related samples tests. Correlations of feeling state changes from meditation diaries at 1 week were made with symptom changes post meditation training. Ten participants completed the study. Completers came to an average of 7 ± 1 sessions out of a possible 8 sessions, and turned in home practice logs of 90 ± 10% of the time. Anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms decreased, and mindfulness ratings improved with large effects (all p < 0.05 and Cohen's d ≥ 0.7). Gains were stable at 3 months. Early response during the first week of meditation practice was associated with subsequent home meditation practice, anxiety change at 8 weeks, and endpoint satisfaction with CMIT-C. Central Meditation and Imagery Therapy for Caregivers is a feasible intervention for dementia caregivers. Results suggest that this therapeutic technique can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and increase levels of mindfulness. Early response to meditation practice predicted those with the greatest short-term benefits, and this may inform future studies of meditation. Larger controlled efficacy studies of CMIT-C for dementia caregivers are warranted.

A PETTLEP Imagery Intervention with Young Athletes

Abstract The PETTLEP model of imagery (Holmes &amp; Collins, 2001) was designed to produce more effective imagery. The PETTLEP acronym represents seven key elements (i.e., Physical, Environment, Task, Timing, Learning, Emotion, and Perspective) which should be considered by researchers and practitioners when delivering an imagery intervention. It is thought that by including these elements the functional equivalence at the neural level between imagery and performance will be increased. A number of interventions have supported the use of PETTLEP imagery in improving performance of motor skills (e.g., Smith, Wright, Allsopp, &amp; Westhead, 2007, 2008). To date, however, these PETTLEP interventions have mainly been applied to adult populations with very few conducted with children. The aim of the present study was to test the effects of a 5-week layered-PETTLEP intervention (i.e., adding PETTLEP elements progressively) on movement imagery ability and performance of a soccer task in children. A secondary aim was to examine the potential for a sport-specific nutritional intervention to serve as an effective control condition. Thirty-six children (34 male, 2 female, M age=9.72 years, SD = 2.05) from a local futsal club were age matched and then randomly allocated to either a PETTLEP imagery intervention group or a nutrition control group. Pre-testing consisted of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire for Children and a dribbling and passing motor task. Post-test protocol was the same with the addition of a nutritional knowledge test. Despite the imagery intervention producing no significant improvements in imagery ability or motor task performance, there was a significant correlation at post-test for the imagery group between age and external visual (r=0.56, p&lt;0.05) and kinesthetic imagery ability (r=0.57, p&lt;0.05). Furthermore, the nutrition group scored significantly higher than the imagery group on the nutrition test (p&lt;0.05). This study highlights important aspects that need to be considered when delivering PETTLEP imagery interventions to children. This study is also one of the first studies to show that control groups, especially with children, can be used for educational purposes. Similar control groups should be considered in future research, as it means interventions can not only be used in a practical manner to improve sporting performance but also to educate and improve knowledge.

Efeito agudo da imagética no desempenho de lances livres e percepção de autoeficácia em atletas

It is becoming ever more common for the difference between winning and losing in sport to be decided by the smallest details. In basketball, free throws can be a differentiating factor between teams and motor imagery (IMA) has been studied as a potential ergogenic agent to improve free throw performance, but little attention as been given to its acute effects, particularly among athletes. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a single mental training session on the free throw performance and self-efficacy of young athletes. Eleven young basketball players from the Federação Paulista de Basquete junior league were enrolled on the study. Players were either allocated to an IMA group and watched a 1 minute video before a 3-minute motor imagery session, or to a control group and were rested for 4 minutes, before taking 10 free throw shots in both cases. All participants completed a self-efficacy questionnaire before and after the intervention. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon test, plus measures of Smallest Worthwhile Change (SWC). There were no significant difference between median results for the two groups, but the SWC statistic indicated an 84% likelihood that mental training had a beneficial effect on performance in the first two free throws. It is concluded that motor imagery used in advance has an 84% chance of having a beneficial effect on performance in up to two free throws.

Imagery Speed and Self-Efficacy: How Fast (or Slow) To Go?

Due to inconsistent findings regarding the effects of speed of imagery on performance, the purpose of the present investigation was to explore how different imagery speeds affected performance and self-efficacy beliefs on a golf-putting task. Sixty-two university students were randomly assigned to one of three imagery groups (slow-motion, real-time, fast-motion) or a control group. Participants completed a series a golf putts at two times. Results of a 4 × 2 × 2 (imagery × task difficulty × trials) mixed model MANOVA indicated the imagery groups' performances were not significantly different from each other or the control group. However, nonsignificant differences emerged, as both the real-time and slowmotion imagery groups consistently improved their performances. Self-efficacy beliefs also did not differ across groups. Future imagery speed research should attempt to use a variety of tasks, differing in complexity and length of execution as well as different variations in imagery speed.

Pre-sleep worry decrease by adding reading and guided imagery to insomnia treatment

Introduction Worry is considered an important insomnia maintenance factor. There is an urge in researching new treatments for insomnia that target diminishing pre-sleep cognitive arousal or worry. Although reading is a popular method of getting to sleep, it is recommended in stimulus control not to read in bed. Guided imagery is considered a way of dealing with cognitive pre sleep arousal. Our aim is to compare the effect on pre-sleep worry from reading and guided imagery added to insomnia treatment. Materials and methods Eighty volunteer participants were divided in reading ( n = 42; 30 females; mean age = 52.1 years) and imagery ( n = 38; 27 females; mean age = 53.3 years) groups after two baseline weeks. Treatment lasted 3 weeks and after 4 weeks follow-up was made during one week. Pre-sleep arousal scale (PSAS) was measured at baseline, post treatment and follow-up. PSAS is a 16-item scale that measures separately the somatic and cognitive arousal associated with pre-sleep time. Treatment included lectures on sleep hygiene, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep, microanalitic and cognitive models of insomnia and the role of worries in maintaining insomnia. Reading group was asked to read during 15 min before sleep a boring, or difficult or calming book. Imagery group received a 14 min CD with imagery instructions related to get rid of worries that disturbed sleep to be listened before sleep. The Federal University of Sao Paulo Ethics Committee approved the protocol, and all candidates signed the study consent form (#01677/04). Results The comparison shows that there is no difference between reading ( p = 0,977) and somatic ( p = 0,877) groups at baseline (B), post treatment (PT) and follow-up (FU) for the cognitive and somatic components. Compared to baseline, cognitive component at post treatment and follow-up decreased significantly ( p p = 0,233) and decreased at follow-up ( p = 0,001).When compared to post treatment, somatic component showed significant decrease at follow-up ( p = 0,003). Conclusion Reading and guided imagery added to insomnia treatment are useful tools in reducing pre-sleep arousal. However, both had a quicker effect on cognitive components, while effects on somatic components appeared just at follow-up. As thoughts and worry are very important in maintaining insomnia, reading and guided imagery added to the treatment may help to cope with cognitive arousal. Acknowledgements I acknowledge Dr. Charles Morin for his generous help.

Positive Effects of Imagery on Police Officers' Shooting Performance under Threat

SummaryWe investigated the effects of imagery on police officers' shooting performance under threat. To this end, 66 officers executed a realistic shooting exercise against an opponent that initially did not shoot back with painful coloured‐soap cartridges (low‐threat condition) followed by a condition in which he did [high‐threat (HT) condition]. In between conditions, participants performed an imagery intervention: one group imagined ‘successful shot execution’ and one imagined ‘successful shot execution under threat, including the accompanying emotions’; a control group received no imagery intervention. Although for the control group shot accuracy was significantly lower in the HT condition than under low‐threat conditions, both imagery groups were able to maintain their shot accuracy in the HT condition, despite increased levels of anxiety. It is concluded that focusing on successful shot execution is pivotal, whereas adding emotional statements does not seem to have an additional positive effect. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Combining Motor Imagery With Selective Sensation Toward a Hybrid-Modality BCI

A hybrid modality brain-computer interface (BCI) is proposed in this paper, which combines motor imagery with selective sensation to enhance the discrimination between left and right mental tasks, e.g., the classification between left/ right stimulation sensation and right/ left motor imagery. In this paradigm, wearable vibrotactile rings are used to stimulate both the skin on both wrists. Subjects are required to perform the mental tasks according to the randomly presented cues (i.e., left hand motor imagery, right hand motor imagery, left stimulation sensation or right stimulation sensation). Two-way ANOVA statistical analysis showed a significant group effect (F (2,20) = 7.17, p = 0.0045), and the Benferroni-corrected multiple comparison test (with α = 0.05) showed that the hybrid modality group is 11.13% higher on average than the motor imagery group, and 10.45% higher than the selective sensation group. The hybrid modality experiment exhibits potentially wider spread usage within ten subjects crossed 70% accuracy, followed by four subjects in motor imagery and five subjects in selective sensation. Six subjects showed statistically significant improvement ( Benferroni-corrected) in hybrid modality in comparison with both motor imagery and selective sensation. Furthermore, among subjects having difficulties in both motor imagery and selective sensation, the hybrid modality improves their performance to 90% accuracy. The proposed hybrid modality BCI has demonstrated clear benefits for those poorly performing BCI users. Not only does the requirement of motor and sensory anticipation in this hybrid modality provide basic function of BCI for communication and control, it also has the potential for enhancing the rehabilitation during motor recovery.

Counseling Groups: A Creative Strategy Increasing Children of Incarcerated Parents’ Sociorelational Interactions

Children of incarcerated parents are at a greater risk for developing social and relational issues due to negative socialization. By using a creative integration of imagery, bibliotherapy, and traditional group counseling, this intervention addresses children's relational and social competencies. The purpose of this article is to provide mental health counselors with a creative, pragmatic approach to use with youth struggling with relational issues. The brief, 6-week intervention outlined in this article may benefit children both socially and behaviorally. Improvement in social and relational competencies helps youth form healthy relationships in the future.

The Effect of Future Time Perspective Manipulation on Affect and Attentional Bias

Socioemotional selectivity theory proposes that decreased future time perspective would lead to an emphasis on goals of well-being, with attentional preference for positive information. We developed a procedure to manipulate future time perspective, based on mental imagery, to experimentally investigate its effects on attention and affect. In experiment 1, we tested a new measure of future time perspective, the scrambled sentence test. In experiment 2, 41 undergraduates were randomly assigned to the imagery procedure with either short-term or long-term future scenarios. Attentional bias was measured by an exogenous cueing task. Between-group differences were found on the scrambled sentence test, indicating that the manipulation induced a different future time perspective in the long-term future imagery group compared to the short-term future imagery group. Although there were no differences in attentional bias at group level, a more expansive future time perspective after the manipulation correlated with more avoidance of negative information. These results indicate that future time perspective is related to information processing, which may point to an affect regulation strategy.

Corticospinal Excitability Following Short-Term Motor Imagery Training of a Strength Task

Abstract Motor imagery and actual movement engage similar neural structures, however, whether they produce similar training-related corticospinal adaptations has yet to be established. The aim of this study was to compare changes in strength and corticospinal excitability following short-term motor imagery strength training and short-term strength training. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the contralateral motor cortex (M1) to elicit motor-evoked potentials in the dominant biceps brachii muscle prior to and following 3-week strength training using actual bicep curls or motor imagery of bicep curls. The strength training (n = 6) and motor imagery (n = 6) groups underwent three supervised training sessions per week for 3 weeks. Participants completed four sets of six to eight repetitions (actual or imagined) at a training load of 80% of their one-repetition maximum. The control group (n = 6) were required to maintain their current level of physical activity. Both training groups exhibited large performance gains in strength (p &lt; 0.001; strength training 39% improvement, imagery 16% improvement), which were significantly different between groups (p = 0.027). TMS revealed that the performance improvements observed in both imagery and strength training were accompanied by increases in corticospinal excitability (p &lt; 0.001), however, these differences were not significantly different between groups (p = 0.920). Our findings suggest that both strength training and motor imagery training utilised similar neural substrates within the primary M1, however, strength training resulted in greater gains in strength than motor imagery strength training. This difference in strength increases may be attributed to adaptations during strength training that are not confined to the primary M1. These findings have theoretical implications for functional equivalent views of motor imagery as well as important therapeutic implications.

Use of Motor Imagery Enhances Vastus Medialis Obliquus Muscle Recruitment Amplitudes During Closed Kinetic Chain Squat Exercises

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the use of motor imagery during the performance of a simple exercise results in increased recruitment in the actively contracting muscles. Sixteen female participants were randomly assigned to an imagery group (n = 8) or a control group (n = 8). Participants performed 3 repetitions of 2 exercises (squats and plies). Although there were no significant differences in vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) muscle activation (electromyography [EMG]) amplitudes between the imagery and control groups, there was a clear trend toward higher EMG amplitudes in the imagery group compared with the control group for the left VMO, which was attributed to the imagery group partici-pants directing their imagery to the left limb. For both groups, the squat exercise elicited sig-nificantly higher EMG amplitudes than the plie exercise in both the concentric and eccentric phases of the movement. Although the expected significant differences in EMG amplitudes between the imagery and control groups were not observed, the results of this study suggest that motor imagery is a simple and cost-effective technique that may result in more effective training/rehabilitation practices.

The Impact of the Judo’s Mental Imagery Learning on the Imaging Ability among High Institute Students

Mental imagery involves the athletes’ imagery themselves in a specific environment or performing a specific activity. Different uses of imagery in sport include: mental practice of specific performance skills, improving confidence, and positive thinking, problem solving, controlling arousal and anxiety, performance review and analysis, preparation for performance and during imagery, (plessenger., 2009). Our study aims to identify the effect of a learning program of mental imagery method in judo standing on the imaging ability. 48 students male divided into three groups of 16, (mean age 21.0 ± 1.85) voluntarily participated in this study. Group 1, has a judo mental imagery learning; group 2 has an observational judo learning and group 3 has an analytical judo learning. The revised movement imagery questionnaire (MIQ-R) developed by Hall & Martin (1997) was used in our study before and after the training programs in order to evaluate the ability of imagery overall the subjects. The statistical data shows that there is progress in the imaging capacity through the application of the three learning methods warranted by the results of the Student test, which is significant at P <. 001 in favor of the mental imagery group.

Effects of imaging snacking on subsequent intentions and consumption

This study investigated the effect of mental imagery in a snacking context on subsequent intentions to consume and actual consumption of fruit and biscuit bars. Two hundred and twenty-three participants were randomized to (a) no imagery, (b) imagining snacking on fruit, and (c) imagining snacking on biscuit bars. Intentions were measured using an online questionnaire; consumption was assessed by choice of snack immediately following completion of the questionnaire, and via self-report, using email follow-up at two days. No significant differences were found between groups in intentions toward or perceptions of future fruit consumption (largest F(2,221) = 0.618, p = 0.54). Significant differences were found in intentions toward and likelihood of future biscuit bar consumption (smallest F(2, 222) = 3.30, p = 0.04), where the biscuit bar imagery group reported significantly greater intentions to consume biscuit bars, and greater likelihood of consuming biscuit bars compared to other groups (smallest t(149) = 2.81, p

In Memory of Jeanne Achterberg, PhD, 1942-2012

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Reiki and guided imagery on pain and fatigue in oncology patients. This quasi-experimental study with a pretest and posttest design was conducted with 180 oncology patients at the oncology clinic of Dicle University Hospital in Turkey, between July 2017 and February 2018. The patients were divided into three groups: Reiki, guided imagery and control, with 60 patients in each group. The Reiki and guided imagery group patients underwent their respective interventions for three consecutive days separately (25–30 min; mean: 15.53 min). The interventions of Reiki and guided imagery reduced pain and fatigue in the oncology patients. It is recommended that oncology nurses use Reiki and guided imagery in patient care.