General notes on the use of Support for Stroke Recovery click here

The Monroe Institute and Interstate Industries, Inc. are not medically or therapeutic organizations.  Support for Stroke Recovery is recommended for use with the knowledge, cooperation, and/or participation of the patient's health care practitioners, as a complement to standard care.

Relaxation - Since the beginner of human existence, relaxation has been a natural pathway back toward homeostasis and personal harmony.  "The relaxation response" is a state in which individuals evoke a bodily calm that has the opposite effect of the fight-or-flight response.  Many health benefits of the relaxation response have been documents, and the special Hemi-Sync sounds on each of these exercises have been proven to help facilitate movement into profound states of deep relaxation. 

Affirmations - Affirmations are positive statements designed to strongly reinforce your intention, in this case your desire, to return to normal, healthy functioning.  These statements are repeated as you move into deep relaxation and natural sleep to support and communicate your desire to all parts of your conscious and subconscious awareness.

Mental or Guided Imagery - Imagery, or guided visualization, is the use of the imagination to invoke each or all of the senses.  Imagery has been referred to as the communication mechanism between perception, emotion, and physical changes and, as such, as a long history rich in traditional healing rituals.  Through research in labs and clinical settings, mental imagery has been shown repeatedly to be effective for a wide variety of positive outcomes.  In addition, most individuals report the additional advantage of feeling a new sense of control over their treatments and, most importantly, their lives.

Recent Brain Research - Researchers are learning that the brain is always growing and changing, and that its  inherent plasticity contributes to recovery after damage, as well as to learning and memory.  Recent studies suggest that the brain is far more flexible and adaptive than scientist had previously believed.  As an example, conventional scientific wisdom states that the left hemisphere of the brain governs speech.  Yet recently a number of children who had their entire left hemispheres surgically removed were able to recover their linguistic abilities.  Their linguistic faculties had transferred to the right side of the brain.

Exercises three and four in the series utilize this important new information by providing the imagery of a bridge which connects the two halves of the brain. While in a state of deep relaxation, you sense or imagine that relevant information is being transferred across this bridge to the perfect location on the other side of the brain.  Your brain knows how to do this naturally and easily, in order to preserve its natural and perfectly balanced state.

Description of Exercises

1 - Relaxation into Sleep:  Relaxation of various body parts leads progressively into deep, natural sleep,  Affirmations to help strengthen your mind/body/spirit communication and to support your body's natural ability to heal are repeated softly as you move into restorative sleep.

2 - Healing Energies:  Following relaxation, guided imagery takes you to a sunlit stream and from there to opportunities to merge with healing energies from the earth, the water, a tree, the air...total vital energy filling all parts of you...balancing and healing, leaving you in restful sleep.

3 - Support for Speech Recovery:  From a state of deep relaxation, you mentally transfer information from the left side of your brain across the bridge to the right side.  All of the information of your life experience relating to your ability to communicate verbally is transferred to the right side of your brain.  If you wish to continue this process at times other than while listening to the tape, the following guidelines are provided:

From this moment forward whenever you wish to participate in this natural function of information exchange, all you need do is inhale deeply, hold your breath for a moment and say in your mind "transfer...heal...transfer."  Then exhale as if you were blowing out a candle.  When you o this your entire brain will naturally and easily continue the process of information exchange to areas that are functioning perfectly.  Your brain knows how to do this naturally and will continue to do so to preserve its natural perfectly balance state.  The more you use this command and function to exchange information and create new neural pathways, the easier and more effective it will become.

4 - Support for Motor Skills Recovery:  In a deeply relaxed state, you mentally transfer all of the information of your life experiences pertaining to your ability to move, across the bridge to the other side of your brain.  Your brain knows how to do this easily and naturally, and is working with you and your intention to restore its natural functioning.  As in Tape 3, similar guidelines for continuing the process at times other than while listening to the tape are offered.

How to Use the Series

1 - Environment - Listen to the exercises in a dimly lit room or area where there will be no intrusion or interruption for any reason for at least 45 minutes.  Go to the bathroom so that your bladder will be empty.  You can be lying down or seated in a comfortable chair with a back tat will support your head as your neck relaxes.  Loosen any tight clothing and remove shoes, glasses, and contact lenses. Be sure you are warm enough.  If you itch during a tape, scratch - you will move gently back to your pattern of relaxation.

2 - Listening Volume - Set volume levels so that the voice is very low, just at the point where you can hear and understand the words, but no louder.  It is not important you you consciously hear the background sounds.  Stereo headphones that cover the entire ear offer the best results.

3 - Visualization - As you hear any vocal descriptions on the tape, visualize or think of being in the state as described.  It is best to not use words in such visualizations.  See yourself doing or thin of doing what the tape relates.  Allow yourself to come up with images that are meaningful to you, even if they differ wit those given on the tape.  The language on the tape is only a guide.

4 - Listening Schedule - You will have the most success with this series by working with it on a consistent basis.  This does not mean you need to do it constantly, but preferably with a consistent regularity.  Develop a schedule for listening to the tapes that most easily and comfortably fits into your other daily activities.

5 - Patience and Trust - Try to be patient and to not expect instant, dramatic improvement in your speech or motor skills.  Trust that your mind/body/sprit communication is growing stronger each time you listen to an exercise.  Over time you will realize and come to know the genius of your body to repair itself, to restore balance. You will sense a shift, feel stronger and more resilient, as your mind and body work in unison directed by your strong intent to heal.

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