Home Based Guided Imagery to Treat Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain
Making one of the most effective treatments for FAP available to the majority of children with this disorder
By: Miranda A. L. van Tilburg, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders, Chapel Hill, NC
Dr. van Tilburg is the recipient of the 2007 IFFGD Research Award for Junior Investigator – Pediatrics. Her research has been looking at ways to design interventions and tools that help patients and families better manage GI symptoms.
Summary
Functional Abdominal Pain (FAP) is a common childhood disorder defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition as “long lasting intermittent or constant abdominal pain without evidence of an organic cause.” It afflicts 8–20% of children and is associated with disability and decreased quality of life. Standard medical care consists of reassurance that nothing major is wrong with the child, education, setting of realistic treatment goals and medications to relieve symptoms. This approach is helpful, but in many cases children continue to have debilitating symptoms and are in need of additional therapies.
Guided imagery: a non medicated way to control pain
Guided imagery and self-hypnosis, which are two related techniques, are widely used to treat all sorts of pain – from headaches and stomachaches to pain resulting from medical procedures such as bone marrow aspirations, in both children and adults. Children are especially good candidates for guided imagery as they are used to imaginative play and have a natural ability to get absorbed in stories and experience them vividly in their mind.
However, due to the cost, training, and time requirements, guided imagery is currently not available to the majority of children with pain problems. To overcome these challenges, our lab developed a 2-month home based program in which guided imagery is delivered through audio and video materials that can be prescribed by any health care professional. We therefore eliminated the need for a therapist and for weekly visits as well as greatly reducing the cost of the treatment.
How can I obtain the program?
Currently the program is only available to children participating in research studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Goryeb Children’s Hospital in New Jersey. We are working hard to make this treatment available within the next year for limited use.