THE IMPACT OF VISUALISATION ON EMOTIONAL STATES AND OXYTOCIN SECRETION IN PATIENTS AFTER MYOCARDICAL INFARCTION

Background: Psychological interventions are increasingly used in the rehabilitation process after myocardial infarction. Previous studies have shown that guided visualization, which was also used in our research, is one of the most effective interventions. Subjects and methods: The study involved 20 participants undergoing rehabilitation after myocardial infarction at the Internal Clinic of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. They were divided into two groups, experimental and control. Participants in the experimental group performed guided visualization daily for 28 days. At the first and last sessions, two saliva samples were collected from all participants - before and after guided visualization. Participants measured their heart rate variability (HRV) parameters using a mobile application during visualization. Statistical methods used to determine the effects of visualization included t-test for two dependent samples and Wilcoxon test. Independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for comparisons between groups. Results: The study results show a significant impact of visualization on reducing negative affective states, while other variables showed changes in the expected direction that were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Study findings can contribute to the development of a more comprehensive psychophysiological approach to patients recovering from myocardial infarction, and they can also serve as a basis for the development of non-invasive post-infarction treatment with oxytocin. Keywords: visualization, oxytocin secretion, myocardial infarction, emotional states, heart rate variability