Provide suggestive evidence that guided imagery can elevate immune system responses

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There is also some suggestive evidence that guided imagery can elevate immune system responses perhaps through reducing distress (Trakhtenberg, 2008). However, the research in this area is sparse and often confounds imagery interventions with relaxation interventions. A meta-analysis (Miller & Cohen, 2001) of 85 trials found that relaxation is reliably associated with total salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) concentrations, but not consistently related to other stress-related immunological indicators (e.g., natural killer cells). Although this meta-analytic review did not specifically address guided imagery, it revealed that hypnosis was the relaxation-related intervention most consistently related to immune system responsiveness. Hypnosis has some overlap with guided imagery in that they both typically evoke imagery-related sensory experiences. It is unknown, however, if hypnosis had its effects on the immune system through inducing relaxation or through image-specific mechanisms. On the whole, the evidence is modest at best that guided imagery can modulate the immune system. More research with higher quality methodology is needed before any definitive conclusions can be drawn.