York Town News
Local team explores the power of healing through imagery
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - For local resident Beth Boynton and her business partner and friend Cheri Trombley, there is no question of the value of guided imagery in the healing and health process.As they put it in their new brochure detailing the guided imagery available through Healing Imageries, "Since ancient times people have used words to paint pictures in the minds of others. These pictures, often with supportive music, take the listener on a journey for a stated purpose. Guided imagery can be useful for healing in a variety of ways…"
And while they acknowledge their guided imageries are intended to be a supportive healing tool and do not guarantee effectiveness, both Boynton and Trombley are firm believers in the power of the technique.
That is what prompted this pair of women - who have each had different experiences using guided imagery - to found their business, Healing Imageries, literally from the kitchen table in Trombley's home.
Trombley is a breast cancer survivor and Boynton, who is an organizational development consultant specializing in team-building strategies, has worked in the medical profession as a registered nurse and holds a degree in biochemistry.
Alternately from life and work experience, each of these women has experience with guided visualization and spoke of its value within both holistic and traditional medical practices.
"We both believe in this technique. We wondered what we could do to move it forward," Trombley said.
That discussion began four years ago, and Boynton has since scripted the two Healing Imageries discs completed so far while Trombley's soothing voice leads listeners through the steps to focus on boosting the body's natural resistance or building bone density.
For Trombley, belief in the power of this practice came with the success of her radiation treatments for breast cancer and her minimal scarring, as using guided imagery was a part of her healing process.
For Boynton, it was a dear friend's battle with osteonecrosis - a disorder in which there is no circulation to the bone - and her desire to help, creating a guided imagery script in an effort to use the power of the mind and the imagination to encourage improved circulation.
From those discussions came writing time in York for Boynton and kitchen meetings in Trombley's Dover, N.H., home - complete with one session where she used her coffee pot to hold a microphone in place for her demo recording of what was to come.
"There's really nothing like this," Boynton said of the discs completed to date.
Trombley agreed.
"There's really nothing out there that does what this does," she said of the bone density disc she and Boynton have created for those who suffer from osteoporosis.
The discs are a combination of soothing music, carefully scripted guidance and - though Trombley would not praise her own contribution of narrating the discs, even when Boynton pointed it out - the reassuring, soothing tones of her voice.
Both Trombley and Boynton noted that more and more scientific information is becoming available on the benefits of guided imagery to health and healing.
"It was my personal experience that made me believe in this even more," Trombley said. "We started thinking this could benefit other people."
They have also partnered with Cheryl Brigham of Cherations, who has coordinated the Healing Imageries ocean-inspired logo.
"For those people who are open to this, we envision a whole library," Boynton said of the discs, with her enthusiasm for this work evident in her expression and smile.
Trombley agreed, adding that the third installment in the series is planned for July with a theme of enhancing relaxation responses.
To learn more about Healing Imageries, to order copies of the discs or to find locations where they are sold in the Seacoast, visit www.healingimageries.com or call (603) 743-3862.
For more about Boynton's work in consulting, visit www.bethboynton.com.
