Summary of how to do relaxation practice at home using the MRI sound samples:
At the bottom of this page are MRI sound samples of various lengths. Choose the length of time you want to practice. Start with a short MRI practice sound sample first, building up duration very slowly over days.
Make sure that the volume is not too loud. The volume should not be uncomfortable and intimidating. This is even more important if you choose to use headphones. Once volume adjusted, start playing the sample from the beginning.
Lie flat on your bed and be as motionless as you can throughout the practice. In the sound samples, I will announce when the MRI scan is over.
Keep your eyes gently closed
The most important thing is to practice the various methods you can use to keep your mind busy (“managing your mind”). As one method gets boring, practice switching to another method.
This kind of practice is not for everyone. It is common when one starts to practice, that one will feel some increased anxiety. However, if you find that after a few practice sessions, your anxiety is not decreasing or perhaps even increasing, please stop immediately. For you, it may be better not to practise and you may find the scan ok without practice.
You may choose to aim to eventually practice for about ten or fifteen minutes. This will give you a feel of how to manage on the day of your real MRI scan. If you are up to it, you may want to practice to a duration that you think is reasonably near the expected duration of your real MRI scan. However, this can be tedious. For most people, shorter practice sessions may well be enough. Some practice is better than no practice!
Below are the MRI practice sound samples that I have made. They are in the “mp3” format, which your phone/computer should be able to play easily.They are of various lengths, going up to 30 minutes. Start with the short ones, and slowly, over days go up in length. If you need to practice longer than 30 minutes, please play an appropriate shorter sound sample after the 30-minute sample.
