Psychoneuroimmunology and spiritual healing . . . I think they share common ground. For psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) researchers, it’s important to work with the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – and not just a single biological system. Here’s some research that shows the connection between PNI and spiritual health. Ruth Tanyi, DrPH and her research team in California investigated the effect of what they referred to as a PNI-based lifestyle intervention on depression. The intervention included spiritual guided imagery, muscle relaxation, and humorous videos. After conducting pre-intervention tests using the Beck Depression Inventory, researchers randomized the participants into two…

Who would have thought that an iPod could hold the treatment for sufferers of post traumatic stress? I certainly didn’t, but research conducted at Duke University and the Durham, NC Medical Center suggests that guided imagery on an MP3 player can successfully treat symptoms resulting from military sexual trauma. No pharmaceuticals, no therapy, just a guided imagery soundtrack – and the subjects of the study reported a huge decrease in symptoms across the board. “Many survivors of PTSD can be re-traumatized by being pushed to discuss a traumatic event.” Treatment approaches for post traumatic stress vary widely, but new research…