110 Guided Imagery: Beyond Procedural Fear and Pain - Techniques For Children, Adolescents and You, the Health Professional

Abstract

‘You have had blood tests before, haven’t you?’ “Yeah, but never this exciting!” The response to the question quoted above came from an 11 year-old boy with special needs following his venepuncture ‘in imagery’. The procedure was ‘exciting’ because he was playing his favourite game - cricket. He hit a fantastic score, got ‘run out’ and won the game, all in the space of seven (7) minutes from the beginning to the end of the procedure. Guided Imagery is a therapeutic technique that enables a top-down shift in experience from pain and fear to a chosen reality in imagery. It is used to help a child gain a sense of being in control in the face of fear, anxiety and pain during medical procedures. This presentation will include: an overview of guided imagery video of a child undergoing a procedure in imagery; mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT (Hayes & Smith, 2005) in relation to procedural pain and fear; and, moving from patterns of ‘avoidance and bravery’ to ‘acceptance and achievement’ in managing pain. Delegates attending this presentation will have an opportunity to engage in a mindfulness exercise. Hayes, S.C. & Smith, S. (2005). Get out of your mind and into your life: The new acceptance and commitment therapy. Oakland: New Harbinger.