and reprinted from the Endometriosis Association Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 6, with its permission. The Association has recently acquired 100 EMERGENCY SERIES sets for the benefit of their members, support groups, and chapters across the U.S. and Canada. For more informa- tion, write to Endometriosis Association, Inc., International Head- quarters, 8585 North 76th Place, Milwaukee, WI 53223. You may also telephone (800) 992-3636 in the United States or (800) 426-2363 in Canada, Facing surgery is hard! Fortunately, there’s a new develop- ment in this area that can make a major difference. It’s hard to put into words the anxiety that occurs for most of us when facing surgery, even when we're well-prepared and feel confident in our surgeon. It seems that every day before surgery a certain anxious gloom pervades the mind at least part of the time and grows in the days just before the proce- dure. Last year, when I was facing surgery again (my fifth for endo) I was fortunate to find an aid that made this surgery far more emotionally manageable than my earlier surgeries. At the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscop- ists’ annual meeting in November 1990, Dr. Ronald Burke of the University of Massachusetts Medical School presented the results of a study by Suzanne Jonas, Ed.D.; the Fertility Institute of Western Massachusetts; and himself, using special relaxation audiotapes. In the study, one group of patients used
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Hemi-Sync® Journal 1992-2 (Spring) · 1 Hemi-Sync® Journal 1992-2 Spring.pdf
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the tapes before coming to the hospital, while under anesthe- sia, and in the recovery room, while another group of patients did not use the tapes. All the patients underwent diagnostic or operative laparoscopy. The patients using the tapes had signif- icantly less pain and nausea following the operation, and returned to full activity quicker than the group that had not used the tapes. Another study, reported in The Lancet (August 27, 1988, Vol. 2, No. 8609, p. 491), found that patients who listened to a relaxation tape during hysterectomy recovered more quickly with less fever and significantly less gastrointestinal problems than patients who listened to a blank tape. Other studies have suggested that operating room sounds may be registered in the brain even though the patient is under general anesthesia and these sounds may influence recovery. So part of the effect of the tapes, besides putting positive, affirming, reassuring thoughts in the patient's head, may be that they block out operating room sounds and statements that could be disturbing. Some anesthesiologists now make gentle suggestions to the patient, such as telling the patient, still under anesthesia, that the operation is over and was a complete success and that she will be waking soon and will do well, because of these studies. I decided to try out the tapes used in the Jonas/Burke study for my surgery last year and share the experiences with our members, who face so many operative laparoscopies. My
doctor (my general practitioner) was supportive and gave me another article on the subject. I contacted The Monroe Institute in Faber, Virginia, which produces the specialized tapes that were used in the Jonas/ Burke study. The Institute is a nonprofit educational and research organization devoted to understanding human con- sciousness and practical applications of this understanding. I was sent the set of six tapes called the EMERGENCY SERIES, surgical support tapes, which the brochure in the cassette holder said was “designed to assist individuals through a physical crisis such as major illness, traumatic injury, or surgery.” The tapes included one for use before surgery, one for use during surgery, one for the recovery room, one for recuperation from surgery, one called Energy Walk, and one called Surf, recorded surf sounds. The tapes include the blended, sequenced sound patterns that are the result of research by Robert Monroe and col- leagues at The Monroe Institute. Their work has identified specific signals, called “binaural beats,” which are fed into each ear through stereo earphones to produce synchroniza- tion of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, (which The Monroe Institute calls “Hemi-Sync”). These audio signals help reduce “that constant psychological turmoil that people go through” with surgery, says one surgeon who has used them for his patients. Binaural beats are not the same as the subliminal messages