RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEST RESULTS
•  Before beginning, sit or lay down in a quiet, comfortable place where you will not be distracted or interrupted.
•  Use headphones. By blocking out distractions, you will generally enhance the effectiveness of the Story Meditation.
•  Set aside at least 30 minutes before listening to the recording. Thirty minutes will give you enough time to listen to the CD, but optimally you will have another 30 minutes afterwards to sit in your post-meditative state, allowing your body and mind to relax and heal in quiet and without demands on either.
•  Do not listen to the CD while driving!  Please read PRECAUTIONS below for more details.

FREQUENCY OF USE
The optimal use varies depending on how the story affects you and what you like to use it for.  Some people use it daily to help put them in a calm and peaceful state before falling asleep at night.  Some use it daily during rough periods because they feel it centers them and puts things into perspective again. 

The CD is very calming and has great restorative effects on your body, and therefore we recommend that you listen to the CD every few days to give your mind and body the rest and rejuvenation it needs.  However, even if you listen to it just once, you will benefit from the CD.

We expect that you will use this like you would a warm bath or a cup of hot chocolate.  It is a treat for your mind and body.  But, unlike these things, the more you use it, the better you will feel about yourself overall.  The positive messages embedded in the story will help you enjoy life more, see the positive qualities in yourself, and feel optimistic about the future.  It will help you to feel more connected to yourself, to nature, and to the world in general.

PRECAUTIONS

The CDs make many people sleepy
Do not use these CDs while driving!  Our Story Meditation CDs use relaxation techniques. They should never be used while driving or operating machinery. Nor should they be used while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  You may want to consult a professional if you are on medication, to make sure there can be no interaction between your medication and the content of this CD.

You will probably feel tired during and/or after listening to the story.  In our research most participants felt extremely relaxed and even sleepy during or immediately after listening.  Some people use it to help them fall asleep at night.  Since many people feel sleepy when using them, you should not use our CDs if you need to be alert during or after listening to the CD.

 
The CDs Have Strong Short-Term Effects
The good news is that the CDs have powerful effects.  Oh!Mind did an in-house study of Story Meditation and found that all of our 24 participants improved on either positive mood (had more of it) or negative mood (had less of it), or both.  The results of our study were very positive.

However, Story Meditation is just being released (March 1st, 2005).  Therefore, we have not had enough time to monitor the longer-term effects of using the CD.  We do not anticipate any problems, but feel it is our responsibility to let you know that while the short-term effects are relatively clear and highly encouraging (for example more than 90% felt less stressed, depressed, annoyed and stuck; while more than 80% felt more relaxed, calm, blissful, and serene), the long-term effects are unknown.

Our Story Therapy products have a slightly stronger effect on depression.  Click here to find out more about Story Therapy.

The CDs May Remind You of Something
Like any scene from a movie yet more powerful, you will be taking in thoughts, messages, and images that may remind you of something else - positive or negative - and may bring up deeper issues that you have.  Nothing negative happens in the stories (for Story Meditation).  However, even a tree can be a negative reminder of something for a person.  Please read the story summary before purchasing a Story Meditation CD, to make sure that the general content of the story will not be upsetting to you.  These summaries are provided on the Story Meditation Products Page.
 

  Story Meditation CDs  
 
  What is Story Meditation?  
 
 
How to Use Story Meditation
  
 
  Story Therapy CDs  
 
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