“Bernie, I am using guided imagery on a weekly basis in my anaesthetic practice, finding it very useful for successful procedures (iv line placement, mask tolerance) in children and adults. You have changed my anaesthetic career for the better and helped me help many patients.”
(Email from an Anaesthetist, Australia)
Starlight Children’s Foundation hosted a ‘Stress, Emotions and Pain in Paediatric Palliative Care’ workshop Baker St. London Monday 23 May 2022. Click on the Workshop Brochure.
Milk Bottle Tops for Fear (Over the River Nile in Cairo)
Workshops conducted at 62 NHS Trusts and Hospitals worldwide since 1995.
Role Play Milk Bottle Tops for Fear with Vanessa at ISPP 2023 Halifax
International Symposium on Pediatric Pain (ISPP) Halifax, Nova Scotia 1-4 October 2023
Mindful Distraction A4 download here.
VERY NEW: Mindfulness of Music with a PCP take on The Chessboard Metaphor. You can have some fun with this one especially with older children and adolescents. Maybe your music from the 60s &70s? coupled with ‘their’ latest music. Download Here.
Dr Bernie Whitaker Chaired and presented a session on Wednesday 4 October: “I Know a Way we Can Make This Easier: Would You Like to Try? Working Together to Manage Procedural Fear and Pain with Children and Adolescents,”
NEW Click on Guided Imagery Audio to hear Dr Bernie Whitaker using guided imagery in actual cases.
2024 Marks 30 years since Dr Bernie Whitaker joined IASP and the Pain in Childhood SIG (Special Interest Group)
upcoming workshops
Starlight Children’s Foundation UK Monday 23 June 2025. Venue TBC
Recent Workshops
Starlight Children’s Foundation Hammersmith, London UK Wednesday 13 November 2024
Johannesburg, South Africa. Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital. Saturday 9 November 2024.
Cape Town, South Africa. UCT Medical School, Observatory. Saturday 2 November 2024.
Children’s Hospital Coimbra Portugal Wednesday 23 October 2024
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool UK Tuesday 15 October 2024
Swan Hill District Health, Victoria Australia August 2024
Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Dublin. May 2024.
Keech Hospice Luton. May 2024.
Royal Darwin Hospital. April 2024.
Paediatric Project ECHO Program. The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Canada. December 2022, March 2023.
Workshops Available
Distraction, Pain and Guided Imagery workshop.
Stress, Emotions and Pain in Palliative Care Workshop for Health and Social Care Professionals.
Emotions and Stress in Health Care.
More information? Hit the Contact link. The Distraction, Pain and Guided Imagery workshop brochure is here. The Palliative Care Workshop brochure is here. Emotions and Stress Workshop.
If you would like Dr Bernie Whitaker to speak on managing pain and fear, anxiety, ACT or Palliative Care and Guided Imagery at your conference or event please Contact Here.
Welcome to Top-Down Pain Control: Education and training in managing procedural pain and fear in children and adolescents and ACT and guided imagery skills for parents and health/social care professionals in palliative care. The approach is a synthesis of Personal Construct Psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
The first time I used guided imagery with a child in a procedure was over 30 years ago. The boy was 5 years-old and I took four sutures out of his eyelid in an emergency department while he sat with his eyes closed happily engaging with his friends, playing football (Aussie Rules) in imagery. When we had finished he opened his eyes and asked me, "Is it going to hurt?" My astonished reply was along the lines of, "We're all done Mate". I have to say that sparked a passion to learn more about managing procedural pain and fear in children. With this in mind I explored the types of imagery that worked well in a Masters degree and then a PhD in psychology examining the effects of distraction, relaxation and imagery on procedural pain and fear in children. I never intended this to 'sit on the shelf' and collect dust so in 1995 I started teaching people how to use these techniques.
The guided imagery technique I developed is not a script; it is conversational and very interactive. The child always chooses their imagery while you guide and are guided by their imagery as it unfolds.
The images above are from a video of me using guided imagery with a boy who is having a venepuncture while playing cricket in his imagery. He was truly amazing hitting the ball again and again over the fence for a 'big six' before being 'run out' in the dramatic style of his cricketing heroes and yes, of course, his team won the game.
If you navigate to Guided Imagery Audio you can listen to the audio from this case.
Why Top-Down?
Because in a constructivist sense the brain is not an end-point, it is both the generator and modulator of experience be it pain, fear, joy, memories or the thoughts you are having right now. Globally, Top-Down Pain Control is all about:
WALKING THE ROAD WITH THE CHILD AND IMPROVING THE MANAGEMENT OF PROCEDURAL PAIN AND FEAR, AND
Dr Bernie H. Whitaker
PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK FOR LIVING AND WORKING WITH THE INEVITABLE STRESS OF WORK, LIFE AND SPECIAL AREAS SUCH AS PALLIATIVE CARE
WORKSHOPS
From distraction and pain to living and working with high-level stress and palliative care. There are workshops for you and your staff to build on existing skills and develop further.
Take Action
Ready to take the next step? Click on the Contact Link above for a Zoom workshop or thankfully now again a face-to-face workshop if you would like to host a workshop in your hospital/workplace.