The brief psychotherapeutic intervention “relaxation, mental images and spirituality”: A systematic review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The brief psychotherapeutic intervention “relaxation, mental images and spirituali-ty” (relaxamento, imagens mentais e espiritualidade, RIME) is a form of complementary and alternative health-related therapy. It is a pioneer in the matter of relating the elements of spirituality to relaxation and to visualization of mental images. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the history, use and benefits of RIME that have been reported in the scientific literature, within different health/disease contexts. The questions that guided this study were: In what contexts has the brief RIME psychotherapeutic intervention been used? What were its benefits? DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic review, conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, in a public university. METHODS: The BVSPsi, CINAHL, MEDLINE, SciELO, SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were searched in September and October 2018. RESULTS: The findings showed that RIME promoted resignification of the symbolic pain of the death of patients without the possibility of cure; improved quality of life within the process of dying; contributed to the quality of life of breast cancer patients with cure possibilities; contributed to the emotional wellbeing of ostomized patients; brought quality-of-life benefits for patients with head-and-neck cancer; promoted empowerment for women with breast cancer and strengthened their libido; and promoted resignification of the spiritual pain of bereaved youths, offering a satisfactory return from mourning preparation. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that RIME has a construct history based on rigorous scientific methodology, covering quality of life and spiritual, emotional and subjective wellbeing. RIME has not been used interna-tionally and new studies within this field, with different cases, should be encouraged. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO ID 164211.