Guided Imagery
A new Israeli study states: Guided imagination provides in-depth treatment for Parkinson's disease, with a 75 percent success rate. Following the treatment, patients report a new feeling of freedom of movement and control over their bodies. Tomer and Mr
"I imagine that I am standing on the top of Masada. It is early morning, the sun is hanging in the sky and a light autumn wind is scattering the fall leaves around me. In front of me is the Judean Desert and behind me is evidence of the 2000-year history of the Jewish people. The feeling is wonderful. I decide to go down to the Dead Sea and wade in its cool waters. I feel confident and in full control of my body. I no longer tremble. I am healthy."
Hadas was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early 50s, when she was about XNUMX years old. "The tremors first started in one arm, then moved to the leg and then to the whole body," she recalls. "In the beginning I still functioned as usual, but later my handwriting became illegible and I started having concentration and thinking problems, to the extent that I could not perform simple arithmetic operations."
Following her illness, Hadas had to retire from her position as a teacher, and began to spend most of her time at home. "It's depressing to know that even simple actions like sewing a button or reading a book can't be done," she says. "The body simply has no coordination."
However, over the past few months Hadas' life has changed significantly. Almost every week she allows her imagination to take over her, disconnects from reality and visits the world without diseases and tremors. What's more: with the help of this apparently simple operation, Hades fights her illness.
She began to wage this war with the help of Dr. Ilana Schlesinger, the director of the Center for Movement Disorders and Parkinson's at the Rambam Hospital, and with the help of Orna Ben-Yaakov, the director of nursing at the Department of Advanced Internal Medicine and Outpatient Clinics, as part of a workshop on Parkinson's and guided imagery that the two are giving. "There is no doubt that after every workshop the feeling is amazing," says Hadas. "I feel that I am finally in control of my body and am able to do actions that I never believed I would be able to do."
No longer shaking. Parkinson's disease Photo: Getty Images
Completely by chance, Singer and Ben-Yacob were the first in the world to study the connection between Parkinson's disease and relaxation using guided imagery. As part of their study, recently published in the Movement Disorders Journal, Parkinson's patients suffering from significant, moderate to severe tremors were asked to participate in a weekly workshop during which they underwent relaxation with the help of guided imagery.
For two hours, the patients' reactions were recorded as three types of stimuli that cause relaxation: relaxing music, self-relaxation and guided imagination. During the experiment, tremor levels were measured using an accelerometer-a watch-like device with a tiny computer. In addition, some patients underwent an EEG test, which shows the state of the brain waves, during relaxation.
Surprisingly, however, among all the subjects, the level of trembling decreased dramatically for hours, and during the guided imagery, 75 percent of the subjects stopped shaking completely for long hours and even days.
The results of the study received a lot of attention among the international medical community, and for good reason: according to Dr. Schlesinger, it is possible that for the first time in the world a treatment has been found that may alleviate the tremors of Parkinson's patients without any side effects. "Following the study, we received inquiries from doctors all over the world who want to learn about the treatment and try The same for their patients," she says. "It's very exciting
To know that our work may be a global breakthrough in the field."
As in many cases, Schlesinger and Ben-Yacob's important discovery came by chance. "A few years ago, we decided to invite the hospital's Parkinson's patients to complementary medicine workshops, which included physical therapy, belly dancing, shiatsu and acupuncture, to try and help them deal with the disease," recalls Dr. Schlesinger. "One day the physical therapist did not come, and because We had a substitute guide, and Orna, who is an expert in guided imagination, offered to conduct a workshop on the use of imagination on the spot."
"The first time the patients stopped shaking completely, they and we were also shocked," remembers Ben-Yaakov. "It worked like magic. I watched them and I couldn't believe it. At the end of the workshop they just got up and went home and it was impossible to tell that they had Parkinson's."
According to Ben-Yaakov, the explanation for the treatment's effectiveness lies in the relaxation and stress relief it provides to patients. "It's like the stage before the dream, where the tension drops completely," she says. "As a facilitator, I provide patients with ways to release and relax. My background as a nurse is an advantage, because I can relate to the physiological aspects of the disease and create unique and meaningful content while guiding the patients. The guided imagination allows the patients to imagine that they are not shaking, and that is what actually happens."
Days of silence
"At first they deny the disease and try to give rational explanations for the strange tremors that happen in the body," describes Rachel, a Parkinson's patient who participates in the workshop. "For example, when I lost my sense of smell, I convinced myself that the smells had changed. "At a certain point, the body became very clumsy and the movements of my arms and legs were short and stiff, and I even stopped going to the supermarket because I can't open the bags."
According to her, since she started the guided imagery treatments, there are whole days during which she hardly shakes. "When we wake up from the relaxation, I feel like a new person without any medical restrictions. I believe that the body and mind are one and if the mind is good, then the body feels healthy too. Usually, since I am in a great mood, I immediately run to the supermarket to show myself that I can to open bags".
"Various treatments have been tried for Parkinson's through complementary medicine, but to date none of these treatments have shown significant results," concludes Dr. Schlesinger, "this is the first time that an unconventional treatment improves the signs of the disease. Although this is a preliminary study, we have opened the door for further studies. If we manage to prove the effectiveness of the treatment and implement it on a daily basis, we will be able to significantly improve the quality of life of the patients. The treatment of Parkinson's disease is complicated and the possibility of adding relaxation therapy to the tools available to the therapist brings hope for a future where the treatment of the disease will be better."
Guided imagination - what it is
Orna Ben-Yaakov treats guided imagery and NLP, helps Parkinson's patients reduce tremors and ease the symptoms of the disease through guided imagery.
Yael Tal
What is guided imagination?
An ancient method that at the beginning of the 20th century became a practical therapeutic technique, based on our natural ability to imagine. The brain reacts to an event that occurs in reality and an event that occurs in the imagination in the same way and the body reacts accordingly. The physiological activity during the guided imagination slows down and a feeling of peace and relaxation is created. Using this method, it is possible to alleviate a wide range of physical and mental symptoms that worsen in stressful situations, such as: tremors, itching, sleep disorders, anxiety, pain and disturbing thoughts. It is possible to adapt the instruction in imagination to the treatment of the difficult problem, thereby helping patients to improve their function and quality of life. For example, a patient with Parkinson's disease who froze in her mobility for several weeks returned to function and wrote to me: "I can walk, I go to the table, sit and get up to get a spoon without thinking about it, without planning the route and without dragging my feet, I am no longer a prisoner whose legs are tied For an iron ball... I'll send the email and then I'll get up lightly and go to the Feldenkrais class." Those who know Parkinson's patients in a state of stasis know the great difficulty and impaired functioning caused as a result.
How did you discover that guided imagery helps Parkinson's patients?
I have been leading a support group for Parkinson's patients for about five years. About three years ago, I decided to use guided imagination as part of the group, a technique I learned and specialized in. In the group, most patients suffer from tremors of varying degrees. The first time I guided the patients through guided imagery, much to my surprise, their tremors stopped. I thought I was imagining things, but at the end of the process there was great excitement among the patients who felt the cessation of tremors and reported a lasting effect. There is currently no medicine that can eliminate the tremor in this way.
I noticed that the phenomenon was repeating itself and I reported it to Dr. Ilana Schlesinger, a neurologist, director of the Center for Movement Disorders at Rambam. Together we investigated the phenomenon by measuring the levels of tremors throughout the guided imagery instruction process. Among the majority of patients there was a complete cessation of tremors for 13 to 30 minutes and the tremor level even remained low during the additional 14 minutes in which it was measured. The patients reported an effect of up to XNUMX hours after the instruction. The research was published in a scientific journal called Movement Disorders and aroused great interest in the world. I later discovered that guided imagery helps Parkinson's patients even in a state of stagnation, a state in which the ability to move and function decreases drastically. We will soon start a study among Parkinson's patients regarding the effect of guided imagery on this symptom.
איך זה עובד?
Guided imagination, as it is called, is done in a guided and deliberate manner, in a relaxed atmosphere, in calm language and through images, symbols and the use of the senses. In guidance, the imagination is fed with positive information and in accordance with the needs and goals of the guide and the person is like watching a movie from his world. In the group, in light of the patients' requests and in light of the results, we regularly end each session with guided imagery. The content of the guidance changes depending on the topics that came up during the meeting, such as strengthening coping skills, finding new solutions to the problem, strengthening the feeling of control over the disease and of course releasing tension, muscle stiffness, pain, etc.
My tips for relaxation (not only for patients)
- Take a vacation in imagination. The body's reaction will be the same as if you went on vacation in reality.
- Focus on the one. Instead of looking for what is not in our lives, focus on what is.
- Listen to quiet music. It is always pleasant and relaxing.
- Experiencing difficulty? Remember the events in which you had an experience of success.
Orna Ben-Yaakov is the director of nursing in the ambulatory and super-inpatient service division, Rambam Medical College, a therapeutic group leader, a senior leader in guided imagery and NLP, (a method that provides cognitive and emotional tools for coping with change and dealing with difficulty).
