The Effect of Visualized Meditation on Anxiety, Pain, and Comfort in Patients Undergoing Colonoscopy
The Effect of Visualized Meditation on Anxiety, Pain, and Comfort in Patients Undergoing Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is one of the most frequently performed procedures for the early diagnosis and treatment of intestinal diseases and plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of lower gastrointestinal disorders. However, for many patients, colonoscopy is considered an invasive, highly painful, and extremely uncomfortable procedure. Furthermore, the anxiety and fear felt before the procedure can affect patients in many ways. These negative feelings can disrupt patient comfort and cause the pain to become even more severe.
Meditation and visualization exercises have been found to alter an individual's mood and perception. Recent neuroscience literature suggests that meditation practices alter brain chemistry, structure, and function more permanently. Meditation facilitates increased selective attention, which increases the ability to silence unwanted outcomes while focusing on a specific outcome, and reduces activity in the amygdala, which is associated with the production of fear and anxiety. Guided meditation with background music is effective in increasing attention, reducing stress, and therefore improving mental health. Visualization is the conscious control of mental imagery. Imagery often plays a fundamental role not only in experiencing reality but also in creating it. In this context, it can be argued that visualized meditation may also allow for the reshaping of perceived reality, such as anxiety and pain, and reduce their negative effects on the patient. This study was conducted to determine the effects of visualized meditation on anxiety, pain, and comfort in patients undergoing colonoscopy.
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