It is also quite possible that there is a significant "placebo effect" when dealing with GI (or other) treatments. The patients may be truly relaxing, but may also believe that they are managing their pain through breathing and imagery, meaning they are, in fact doing just that (Bresler; Menzies). Evidence-Based Practice Analysis -- Clearly, the use of GI techniques to supplement and help wean patients off pharmaceutical pain management solutions is not only positive, but cost-effective and more efficient. The research shows that not only is GI helpful for pain management, it can also be an effective technique to lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, work in a pre- and post-op setting, to help prevent patients from "test or exam" panic, and to increase pain tolerance. Physicians could help disseminate this technique by supplying their patients with a disk or zip-drive with several different (length, style, etc.) GI scenarios. Giving the technique some legitimacy would also aid in attention to more research on the subject. Qualitatively, research is relatively straight forward. quantitatively, though, would be a bit more complicated in that studies would need to identify a robust enough population with a similar pain issue, allow some to have just their current regime of pharmaceuticals, then replace the pharmaceuticals for the Control Group with a placebo, but add several daily sessions of GI. This may or may not pass an ethics committee, since one is witholding what might be perceived as "needed medication." This might be overcome by designing the study so that one group had the option and was encourged to reduce their use of pharmaceuticals by using more GI.

Dissemination of Data -- on a macro scale, the data about GI may be...

At the micro level, the best way to disseminate is to use the techniques as much as possible, share those experiences with colleagues, and encourage patient's to tell others about ways to mitigate pain without drugs. Word of mouth is a powerful too, and particularly if nurses and physicians use this technique themselves, there will be a stronger likliehood that GI will become standard in pain therapy.
Bibliography

Bresler, D. (2010, July 1). Raising Pain Tolerance Using Guided Imagery. Pratical Pain Management, 1-5. Retrieved May 2013, from http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/psychological/raising-pain-tolerance-using-guided-imagery

Ferrell, B., et al. (1994). Pain Management for Elderly Patients with Cancer at Home. Cancer, 74(1), 2139-46. Retrieved May 2013, from http://prc.coh.org/pdf/Pain%20mgt%20elderly.pdf

Menzies, V., et al. (2006). Effects of Guided Imagery on Outcomes of Pain, Functional Status, and Self-Efficacy in Persons Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 12(1), 23-30. Retrieved May 2013, from http://www.encognitive.com/files/Effects%20of%20Guided%20Imagery%20on%20Outcomes%20of%20Pain,%20Functional%20Status,%20and%20Self-Efficacy%20in%20Persons%20Diagnosed%20with%20Fibromyalgia.pdf

Weydert, J., et al. (2006). Evaluation of guided imagery as a treatment for recurrent abdonimal pain in children. British Medical Journal of Pediatrics, 6(18), 29-37. Retrieved May 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17090333