Jeremy Olson — MSocSc, Waikato University

Life after spinal cord injury can be richer than you think

Twenty years of research, practice, and lived experience across three programs — all dedicated to improving quality of life, respiratory health, and physical recovery after SCI.

Explore the Research Get in Touch
Pillar 01 — Deakin University
Quality of Life Research
78 participants · 41 surveys analysed · 8 domains of life
Pillar 02 — Hands-Free Programme
Harmonica for Quadriplegia
Respiratory strengthening · Musical expression · 6-module curriculum
Pillar 03 — Mind-Body Therapy
Guided Imagery Programme
Five guided practices · Three-phase method · Research-grounded
"What helps people not just survive SCI — but flourish?"

My name is Jeremy Olson. I hold a Masters of Social Sciences majoring in Psychology from Waikato University, New Zealand, and conducted my graduate research at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, under the supervision of Professor Robert Cummins.

Over two decades I have pursued one question through three very different lenses: academic research, musical rehabilitation, and mind-body medicine. This website brings that work together for the first time in one place.

Whether you are a person living with SCI, a rehabilitation clinician, a researcher, or a family member — I hope something here is useful to you.

01
Deakin University · Melbourne

Quality of Life Research

A graduate psychology study examining subjective quality of life and strategies of control in 78 people with SCI — supervised by Professor Robert Cummins. Five key publications from this body of work are summarised below.

78
Participants
41
Surveys analysed
4,709
Total data points
18 yrs
Avg time post-injury
Five Key Publications

Each summary is written in plain English — then followed by the academic version. Click Read Article to open the full text.

01
Methodology · Quality of Life Measurement
How Do You Measure Whether Life Is Going Well?
When someone has a spinal cord injury, doctors often look at things like whether they can walk or work — but these don't tell the whole story. This paper argues that the most honest way to measure how life is going is simply to ask the person themselves. After all, two people with the same injury can feel very differently about their lives. It also examines the best way to design the questions — how many options to give, how to word them — so that people's answers truly reflect how they feel.
This paper examines the theoretical and methodological basis for using subjective rather than objective indicators in quality of life assessment following SCI. It argues that self-reported life satisfaction — assessed through bidimensional, end-defined, 10-point Likert scales — provides the most valid and culturally equitable measure of rehabilitation outcome, and presents the rationale for the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale (ComQol) as the preferred instrument.
Olson, J. M. — Deakin University, 2001 · Chapter 1: Quality of Life Measurement
Read Article
02
Meta-Analysis · 41 Studies · 4,709 People
How Satisfied Are People With SCI With Their Lives — Compared to Everyone Else?
This paper pulls together data from 41 different studies involving 4,709 people with spinal cord injuries, and compares their life satisfaction to people in the general population. The finding is clear: people with SCI report lower satisfaction across almost every area of life — work, relationships, health, money, and overall happiness. But the gap varies. Some areas are closer to normal than others, and the research points to specific places where rehabilitation could make the biggest difference.
A systematic meta-analysis of 41 published surveys of the SCI population (total N = 4,709) examining subjective quality of life across eight life domains. All data were converted to a common Percentage of Scale Maximum (%SM) metric and compared against general population norms. Statistically significant deficits were identified in the domains of material well-being, productivity, intimacy, place in community, spirituality, and life in general (p < .001). Safety and emotional well-being did not reach significance.
Olson, J. M. — Deakin University, 2001 · Chapter 2: Reported Levels of SQOL after SCI
Read Article
03
Domain Analysis · Eight Areas of Life
What Actually Affects Life Satisfaction After SCI — Area by Area
Life satisfaction isn't just one thing — it's made up of different areas: money, health, work, relationships, safety, community, emotional wellbeing, and spirituality. This paper looks at each one in detail for people living with SCI. It explains what the research says about why scores are low in some areas (like work and money) and why others (like close relationships and spirituality) tend to hold up better — and what can be done about the ones that are struggling.
This chapter presents a domain-specific analysis of subjective quality of life across eight areas of life as defined by the ComQol framework. Drawing on both quantitative survey data and qualitative participant narratives, it examines the psychosocial, environmental, and structural determinants of satisfaction within each domain. Particular attention is given to the relationships between employment, independence, social support, physical health, and domain-specific life satisfaction in the SCI population.
Olson, J. M. — Deakin University, 2001 · Chapter 3: The Quality of Eight Domains of Life
Read Article
04
Key Finding · Strategies of Control · Fatalism
The Surprising Mindset That Predicts a Better Quality of Life After SCI
You might think that people who try hardest to control their situation would be happiest — but this study found the opposite. Among 78 people with SCI, the only mental strategy consistently linked to higher life satisfaction was this: when something goes wrong and you can't change it, blaming bad luck rather than yourself. People who could let go of what wasn't in their control — and put it down to chance rather than personal failure — reported significantly better wellbeing across six areas of life. This finding suggests that a degree of fatalism, far from being negative, may be an important part of psychological resilience after SCI.
This empirical study investigated the relationship between five strategies of control — as measured by the Optimisation in Primary and Secondary Control Scale (OPS-Scale; Heckhausen & Schulz, 1995) — and levels of subjective quality of life in 78 persons with SCI. Multiple regression analysis identified compensatory secondary control, specifically protective attribution to bad luck, as the sole significant predictor of total life satisfaction (β = .412, p < .01), accounting for 12.3% of unique variance. Findings are discussed in relation to the role of external locus of control and fatalistic orientation as adaptive coping mechanisms in SCI rehabilitation.
Olson, J. M. & Cummins, R. A. — Deakin University, 1999 · Key empirical paper
Read Article
05
Qualitative Research · 78 Voices · Coping
What Helped — and What Didn't — In the Words of 78 People Living With SCI
Instead of just using numbers and statistics, this part of the research simply asked 78 people with spinal cord injuries two questions: what has helped you cope most, and what has made it hardest? Their answers are honest, sometimes raw, and deeply human. Family, friends, faith, attitude, and humour came up again and again as sources of strength. Pain, loss of independence, physical barriers, financial stress, and other people's attitudes came up as the hardest things to deal with. No questionnaire could capture what these voices do.
This paper presents a thematic qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses from 78 individuals with SCI addressing the questions: "What has allowed you to cope best with your injury?" and "What has made coping most difficult?" Responses were coded and categorised according to the eight ComQol life domains. Beneficial factors were most frequently attributable to the domain of intimacy — particularly familial and social support networks. Factors impeding coping clustered predominantly within the domain of safety — specifically loss of independence and physical accessibility barriers. The absence of any spirituality-related statements in the negative coping category is a notable finding.
Olson, J. M. — Deakin University, 2001 · Qualitative component
Read Article

The only strategy of control significantly associated with higher life satisfaction was "compensatory secondary control" — specifically, attributing the inability to achieve a goal to bad luck. A sense of fatalism, rather than self-blame, predicted wellbeing across six life domains.

Olson & Cummins (1999) — Deakin University
Key Implication for Rehabilitation

People with SCI placed significantly greater importance than the general population on productivity, safety, and place in community — yet reported lower satisfaction in those same areas. These three domains may need greater emphasis in rehabilitation planning. Greater age and longer time since injury were both associated with higher life satisfaction, suggesting that adaptation deepens over time.

02
Hands-Free Programme

Harmonica for Quadriplegia

A free, self-paced blues harmonica curriculum designed for people with high-level spinal cord injuries — addressing respiratory health, emotional expression, and quality of life through music. Each module has a demonstration video and a full written guide.

"Strengthening the breath and living longer is a by-product of having a good old-fashioned blast on the harp."

Jeremy Olson — Programme founder
Six Modules — Free Self-Paced Course

Video demonstrations for each module coming soon. Click Full Curriculum for the complete written guide.

Week 1
Module 1 — Foundation & Setup
How to fit your harmonica rack, produce your first clean single notes using the puckering technique, and build a practice schedule that actually works.
Single notesRack setupPuckeringPractice habits
Module 1 Demo
Video coming soon — upload to YouTube and paste the video ID here
Week 2
Module 2 — Rhythm & Expression
Harmonica chugging for instant bluesy grooves, your first improvised phrases using call and response, and your first song: Spoonful by Etta James.
ChuggingCall & responseSpoonful
Module 2 Demo
Video coming soon
Weeks 3–4
Module 3 — Bending Notes
The characteristic blues wail comes from bending draw notes. This module covers tongue position, air control, and how to use the Bendometer app to see exactly which note you're hitting.
Draw bendsTongue positionBendometer
Module 3 Demo
Video coming soon
Week 5
Module 4 — Blues Scale & 12-Bar Structure
Seven notes. That's the blues scale. This module shows you what they are, how they feel, and how to use them over the 12-bar blues structure. Song: Happy by Pharrell Williams.
Blues scale12-bar bluesHappy
Module 4 Demo
Video coming soon
Weeks 6–7
Module 5 — Riffs, Effects & Harmonica Talk
Classic riffs, slides, throat vibrato, trills, octaves — and how to use speech consonants to make your harp literally speak. Songs: Roadhouse Blues and Smells Like Teen Spirit.
RiffsVibratoSlidesTrills
Module 5 Demo
Video coming soon
Weeks 8+
Module 6 — Performance & Improvisation
Building longer phrases, finding your personal style, playing with other musicians, and performing 5 complete songs from memory. You finish this module as a performer.
Improvisation5 songsJammingPersonal style
Module 6 Demo
Video coming soon
Full Written Curriculum →
1-on-1 Tuition
Book a private session
with Jeremy
Whether you're stuck on bending, want to work on a specific song, or just need someone to play along with — private sessions are tailored entirely to where you are right now. All levels welcome. Sessions run via video call.
Prices shown in NZD. International students are charged the equivalent in their local currency — Stripe handles the conversion automatically so you always see your local price at checkout.
What to expect in a session:
✓A short warm-up to hear where you're at
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✓Playing together on backing tracks
✓A clear practice goal to take away
✓Recorded session available on request
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✓60-minute video call
✓Any module or technique
✓Suitable for all levels
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✓3 × 60-minute sessions
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03
Mind-Body Therapy

Guided Imagery Programme

What if your mind could play a role in healing your spinal cord? Not as wishful thinking — but as a deliberate, structured practice grounded in neuroscience, available here as a self-directed set of guided imagery practices.

"After two decades of research in quality of life and rehabilitation psychology, this programme is my synthesis of what the evidence supports — and how I think it might be put into daily practice."

— Jeremy Olson, developer of the Guided Imagery Programme

Before You Begin

These practices involve doing something with your body and mind in response to instructions. They are informed by research but are not clinical treatments. Please read this short notice before using any of them — it covers who the practices are for, the pain caveat, and how the audio is made.

An honest note on practising

If you only practise lying down at night, you'll often fall asleep without doing the visualisation work — your body and mind associate that posture with sleep. This is one of the real difficulties of the programme. The way around it is to practise during the day too, in a position your body associates with attention rather than rest. The five-minute returns to the breath that the closing of each practice describes — those are doing genuine work.

What this is

Every 90 minutes or so, your body does something remarkable. It enters a natural window of deep rest — a state where your mind becomes quieter, your breath slows, and something shifts. Scientists call it the Basic Rest-Activity Cycle. Most people let these moments pass without noticing.

You can learn to recognise the rest phase as it approaches. The signs are quiet but consistent:

  • A wish to take a break from the external environment
  • A slowing and deepening of the breath
  • A felt sense of relaxation
  • A pull to close the eyes and turn attention inward

Once you're in the rest phase itself, the experience is recognisable:

  • A sense of relaxation that allows expression to come without effort
  • A feeling of being both part of and apart from what's happening
  • A natural ability to focus attention on inner bodily processes
  • A heightened receptivity to mental imagery and suggestion

Guided Imagery Programme is about learning to recognise those windows — and then using them. Not to zone out, but to direct specific mental imagery toward a part of your body you want to work with. Research on motor imagery has shown that this kind of focused mental rehearsal produces measurable changes in the brain's motor circuits, even when the muscles themselves can't execute the movement.

Is this proven? Not yet. I'll be honest with you about that. The outcome depends on the nature of your injury, your consistency, and your belief in the process. But the neuroscience of mind-body interaction is real. The placebo effect — the documented ability of belief and imagination to produce measurable physical change — is real. And after two decades of research into what helps people flourish after SCI, this is the most exciting thing I have found.

Everything is free, and everything is here on the page. The longer practices each take about 20 minutes; the window practices take just a few breaths. There is no schedule and no enrolment — only the practices, and your own rhythm with them.

"The imagination is one of humanity's oldest and greatest healing resources. Every cell in the body regenerates at least once every seven years. All impediments to spinal cord regeneration are only illusions."

The method, in plain words

Directed daydreaming

There is a name for what this practice is, and it is a useful one: directed daydreaming. Relaxation comes first; imagery follows. You enter a quiet, receptive state, and then you turn your attention deliberately toward the body — toward the part you want to work with — and you hold an image of it functioning well.

Imagery, in this view, is two-directional. It is both the cause of bodily change and the record of it — every shift in mood, posture, or health leaves a trace in the imagination, and every clearly held image leaves a trace in the body. You are not trying to force anything. You are working with a feedback loop that is already running.

It is also worth saying that there is no single correct image. Part of the practice is permission to try on different mental pictures until one feels right — and to let the imagery shift over time. What works in week one may not be what works in week six. The image that comes to you spontaneously is often more potent than one you've been told to use.

Belief acts like the rudder on a large ship — small in itself, but able to steer a great deal. When you genuinely hold open the possibility that the imagination can influence the body, more of your nervous system engages with the practice. This is not magical thinking; it is simply how attention works. What you do not believe in, you cannot give your full attention to.

The practices draw on four ways of building these neuronal patterns, woven together throughout the work:

i. Imagining perfect function. Holding a vivid mental picture of the body — or a specific part of it — working as it was designed to.
ii. Visualising the effect of medications and treatments. When you take a medication, imagine its action in your body — this gives the substance a partner in the imagination.
iii. Using the breath. Imagining each inhale carrying something the body needs, each exhale releasing what it doesn't — letting the breath do the work of the imagery.
iv. Recalling past states of wellness. Bringing to mind a time when the body felt strong, and inviting that memory to return as a felt sense, not just a picture.

Used together, these four create the broadest possible pattern of neuronal firing — which is, in the end, what gives the imagery its physical reach.

Individual Practices

Five guided practices to explore

Each practice uses the same three-phase method (Ideal Being → Anatomical Pathway → Breath and Light) applied to a different target. All five are free to use.

Each can be used independently. The order is yours to choose, but if you'd like a starting point, the hand and grasp practice is a useful first encounter with the three-phase method — it's the most concrete of the five and the fastest to develop a vivid sense of.

"Listen to your self-doubt. Hear the voice criticising yourself — the voice saying that what you are doing is a waste of time, or that your progress is too slow.

Rather than fight the voice, listen for a while, then move on. Kindness to yourself helps build confidence and courage."

Practice One · Top-Priority Function
Hand and Grasp
Closing the hand — the movement most people with neck-level injuries say they would most want back.
Practice Two · Top-Priority Function
Bladder Awareness
Working with bladder signal recognition and pelvic floor coordination.
Practice Three · Top-Priority Function
Bowel Awareness
Working with bowel awareness, predictability, and pelvic floor coordination — paired neurologically with the bladder practice.
Practice Four · Top-Priority Function
Sexual Sensation and Pleasure
Working with embodied sensation — the highest-ranked recovery priority for people with paraplegia.
Practice Five · Sensory Target
Spasticity Softening
Working with spasticity — the involuntary muscle tension that lives in the body after injury.
The science behind it

When you think, neurons fire. When neurons fire, chemicals are released that affect other cells in your central nervous system. The imagination is not separate from the body — it is a biological event.

Ernest Rossi's research The Psychobiology of Mind-Body Healing traces the precise biological pathways by which mental imagery during states of deep rest influences the immune and endocrine systems. The practices on this page build on that foundation.

The outcome is unknown. It depends on injury, belief, and consistency. But if there is any chance the mind can influence recovery — these practices are designed to give it every opportunity to do so.

Important: These practices are not clinical interventions and do not replace medical care, medications, or professional advice. Please read the full notice about the practices before beginning. You are free to stop at any time.

Taking the practice into your day

Using the Three Windows

Three moments in your day are unusually receptive to mental imagery work. They're already happening, whether you use them or not. Knowing how to use them changes the whole nature of the programme.

The morning window

The first sixty seconds after you wake — before you reach for your phone, open your eyes fully, or turn over — your nervous system is in its softest state. Spasticity is at its lowest. Pain is often quieter. The analytical mind hasn't fully booted. Imagery lands deeply.

The evening window

The minutes between climbing into bed and actually falling asleep are similarly potent. Your mind drifts. The boundaries between thought and image soften. Whatever you bring your attention to in this window tends to follow you into sleep — and the brain continues its consolidation work overnight.

The daytime windows

Every 90 minutes or so, your body moves through a natural rest phase — about fifteen to twenty minutes long — when attention naturally softens, focus fades, and your mind starts to drift. You might notice it as a mid-morning lull, or that quiet pull around 3pm when concentration just goes. Most people push through these moments with caffeine or by switching tasks.

They're not weakness. They're your nervous system following its own rhythm — the same rhythm it follows through the stages of sleep at night, continued into the day.

These daytime drift phases are the most underused windows you have. They happen multiple times in a working day. And during them, your nervous system is in much the same receptive state it's in around sleep.

What to do in any of these windows

Don't reach for a device. Don't put on the audio. Don't open this page. The whole point of these windows is the softness — and that softness is broken the moment a screen, a script, or an instruction is involved.

Instead, draw on whatever practice you've been working with during the day. The imagery you've used in the longer sessions is now in your memory. You can return to it without prompts.

If you've been practising the hand, return to the feeling of the hand closing — the warmth in the palm, the curl of the fingers — for two or three breaths.

If you've been practising bladder or bowel awareness, return to the warm light pooled in the lower belly. Just a few breaths of attention there.

If you've been practising sexual sensation, return to the warmth in the pelvic centre. Welcome it without judgement.

If you've been practising spasticity softening, take a few long out-breaths and send a quiet signal of safety to wherever your body is holding.

If you haven't yet started a longer practice, the simplest entry is the warm light at the crown — a soft warmth at the top of your head, like sun on your scalp. Return to this feeling for a few breaths in any of the windows. The longer practices will give you more specific imagery to work with as you go.

Fragments are enough

You don't need to complete a full practice in these windows. Three breaths of returning to an image is doing real work. The brain is in a state where small inputs travel further than large ones.

The longer practices teach the vocabulary. The windows are when that vocabulary is used.

Most people miss the daytime drift phases entirely — pushing through them with willpower or caffeine. Once you start to notice them, you'll find you have more practice opportunities every day than you imagined.

The longer practices and the windows work together. Without the longer sessions, you don't yet have a vocabulary to return to. Without the windows, the longer sessions stay confined to themselves. Both are part of the work.

If you've been practising for a few weeks and feel that nothing is changing — or you've stopped and are thinking about coming back — there is a separate page for that. It addresses both moments honestly: When Nothing Seems to Be Happening.

Full Protocol — For those already enrolled

The complete five-step protocol and anatomy visualisation aids are available below. Sign up above to receive the guided email version with full stage-by-stage instructions.

References

Bibliography

References cited across the Quality of Life research conducted at Deakin University, Melbourne, supervised by Professor Robert Cummins, and across the Guided Imagery Programme.

Pillar 1 — Quality of Life Research

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Andrews, F., & Withey, S. (1976). Social Indicators of Well-being. Plenum Press, New York.

Bach, J. R., & Tilton, M. C. (1994). Satisfaction and well-being measures in ventilator assisted individuals with traumatic tetraplegia. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 73, 627–632.

Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization. In P. B. Baltes & M. M. Baltes (Eds.), Successful Aging: Perspectives from the Behavioural Sciences (pp. 1–34). Cambridge University Press, New York.

Barone, S. H. (1993). Adaptation to spinal cord injury. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54–07B, 3547.

Best, C. (1996). The quality of rural and metropolitan life. Unpublished Thesis, Deakin University, Melbourne.

Bodenhamer, E., Achterberg-Lawlis, J., Kevorkian, G., Belanus, A., & Cofer, J. (1983). Staff and patient perceptions of the psychosocial concerns of spinal cord injured persons. American Journal of Physical Medicine, 62(4), 182–193.

Boschen, K. A. (1990). Life satisfaction, housing satisfaction, and locus of control: A comparison between spinal cord injured and non-disabled individuals. Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation, 4(2), 75–85.

Boschen, K. A. (1996). Correlates of life satisfaction, residential satisfaction, and locus of control among adults with spinal cord injuries. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 39(4), 230–243.

Boswell, B., Dawson, M., & Heininger, E. (1998). Quality of life as defined by adults with spinal cord injuries. Journal of Rehabilitation, 64, 27–32.

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Buckelew, S. P., Baumstark, K. E., Frank, R. G., & Hewett, J. E. (1990). Adjustment following spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 35(2), 101–109.

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Carlson, C. E. (1979). Conceptual style and life satisfaction following spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 60, 346–352.

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Chwalisz, K., Diener, E., & Gallagher, D. (1988). Autonomic arousal feedback and emotional experience: Evidence from the spinal cord injured. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(5), 820–828.

Clayton, K. S., & Chubon, R. A. (1994). Factors associated with the quality of life of long-term spinal cord injured persons. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 73, 633–638.

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Cummins, R. A. (1996). Assessing quality of life. In R. Brown (Ed.), Quality of Life for Handicapped People. Chapman and Hall, London.

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Cummins, R. A. (1998). Normative life satisfaction: Measurement issues and a homeostatic model. Draft Paper, Deakin University, Melbourne.

Cummins, R., McCabe, M. P., Romeo, Y., & Gullone, E. (1994). The Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale (ComQol): Instrument development and psychometric evaluation on tertiary staff and students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 54, 372–382.

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Decker, S. D., & Schulz, R. (1985). Correlates of life satisfaction and depression in middle-aged and elderly spinal cord injured persons. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 39(11), 740–745.

Dew, M. A., Lynch, K., Ernst, J., & Rosenthal, R. (1983). Reaction and adjustment to spinal cord injury. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 14, 32–39.

Elliott, T. R., & Frank, R. G. (1996). Depression following spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 77, 816–823.

Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 219–239.

Foroughi, E. (1995). Cross-cultural quality of life among Persians. Unpublished Thesis, Deakin University, Melbourne.

Fuhrer, M., Rintala, D., Hart, K., Clearman, R., & Young, M. (1992). Relationship of life satisfaction to impairment, disability, and handicap among persons with spinal cord injury living in the community. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 74, 552–557.

Gagnon, L., Noreau, L., & Laramee, M. (1997). Quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury. The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 20(1), 168.

Gerhart, K. A., Bergstrom, E., Charlifue, S. W., Menter, R. R., & Whiteneck, G. G. (1993). Long-term spinal cord injury: Functional changes over time. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 74, 1030–1034.

Golding, D., & Cummins, R. A. (1997). Spirituality and Quality of Life. Deakin University, Melbourne.

Hanson, S., Buckelew, S. P., Hewett, J., & O'Neal, G. (1993). The relationship between coping and adjustment after spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 38, 41–54.

Heckhausen, J., & Schulz, R. (1995). A life-span theory of control. Psychological Review, 102(2), 284–304.

Heckhausen, J., Schulz, R., & Wrosch, C. (1997). Optimisation in Primary and Secondary Control Scale (OPS-Scale). Unpublished manuscript, Max Planck Institute.

Heinemann, A. W., Bulka, M., & Smetak, S. (1988). Attributions and disability acceptance following traumatic injury: A replication and extension. Rehabilitation Psychology, 33(4), 195–206.

Kennedy, P., Marsh, N., Lowe, R., Grey, N., Short, E., & Rogers, B. (2000). A randomized controlled trial of a brief psychological intervention after spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 45(2), 143–154.

Krause, J. S. (1992). Life satisfaction after spinal cord injury: A descriptive study. Rehabilitation Psychology, 37, 61–70.

Krause, J. S. (1998). Subjective well-being after spinal cord injury: Relationship to gender, race-ethnicity, and chronologic age. Rehabilitation Psychology, 43(4), 282–296.

Krause, J. S., & Crewe, N. M. (1991). Chronologic age, time since injury, and time of measurement: Effect on adjustment after spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 72, 91–100.

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer, New York.

Lin, K., Chuang, C., Kao, M., Lien, I., & Tsauo, J. (1997). Quality of life of spinal cord injured patients in Taiwan: A subgroup study. Spinal Cord, 35, 841–849.

Lundquist, C., Siosteen, A., Blomstrand, C., Lind, B., & Sullivan, M. (1990). Spinal cord injuries: Clinical, functional, and emotional status. Spine, 16, 78–83.

Matheis, E. N., Tulsky, D. S., & Matheis, R. J. (2006). The relation between spirituality and quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 51(3), 265–271.

McColl, M. A., & Rosenthal, C. (1994). A model of resource needs of aging spinal cord injured men. Paraplegia, 32, 261–270.

McMillen, J. C., & Cook, C. L. (2003). The positive by-products of spinal cord injury and their correlates. Rehabilitation Psychology, 48(2), 77–85.

Nieves, C. C., Charter, R. A., & Aspinall, M. J. (1991). Relationship between effective coping and perceived quality of life in spinal cord injured patients. Rehabilitation Nursing, 16(3), 129–132.

Olson, J. M., & Cummins, R. A. (1999). The relationship between strategies of control and levels of subjective quality of life after spinal cord injury. Unpublished Manuscript, Deakin University, Australia.

Post, M. W., de Witte, L. P., van Asbeck, F. W., van Dijk, A. J., & Schrijvers, A. J. (1998). Predictors of health status and life satisfaction in spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 79, 395–401.

Putzke, J. D., Richards, J. S., & Dowler, R. N. (2000). The impact of pain in spinal cord injury: A case-control study. Rehabilitation Psychology, 45(4), 386–401.

Richards, J. S., Elliott, T. R., Shewchuk, R. M., & Fine, P. R. (1997). Attribution of responsibility for onset of spinal cord injury and psychosocial outcomes in the first year post-injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 42(2), 115–124.

Rintala, D. H., Loubser, P. G., Castro, J., Hart, K. A., & Fuhrer, M. J. (1998). Chronic pain in a community-based sample of men with spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 79, 604–614.

Rothbaum, F., Weisz, J. R., & Snyder, S. S. (1982). Changing the world and changing the self: A two-process model of perceived control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42(1), 5–37.

Schulz, R., & Decker, S. (1985). Long-term adjustment to physical disability: The role of social support, perceived control, and self-blame. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(5), 1162–1172.

Sherman, J. E., DeVinney, D. J., & Sperling, K. B. (2004). Social support and adjustment after spinal cord injury: Influence of past peer-mentoring experiences and current live-in partner. Rehabilitation Psychology, 49(2), 140–149.

Siosteen, A., Lundqvist, C., Blomstrand, C., Sullivan, L., & Sullivan, M. (1990). The quality of life of three functional spinal cord injury subgroups in a Swedish community. Paraplegia, 28, 476–488.

Ville, I., & Ravaud, J. (1996). Work, non-work and consequent satisfaction after spinal cord injury. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 19, 241–252.

Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070.

Whiteneck, G. G., Charlifue, S. W., Gerhart, K. A., Lammertse, D. P., Manley, S., Menter, R. R., & Seedroff, K. R. (Eds.). (1992). Aging with Spinal Cord Injury. Demos, New York.

Yerxa, E. J., & Baum, S. (1998). Engagement in daily occupations and life satisfaction among people with spinal cord injuries. The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 6(5), 271–283.

Young, M. E., Rintala, D. H., Rossi, C. D., Hart, K. A., & Fuhrer, M. J. (1995). Alcohol and marijuana use in a community-based sample of persons with spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 76, 525–532.

Pillar 3 — Guided Imagery Programme
SCI functional priorities

Anderson, K. D. (2004). Targeting recovery: Priorities of the spinal cord-injured population. Journal of Neurotrauma, 21(10), 1371–1383. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2004.21.1371

Snoek, G. J., IJzerman, M. J., Hermens, H. J., Maxwell, D., & Biering-Sorensen, F. (2004). Survey of the needs of patients with spinal cord injury: Impact and priority for improvement in hand function in tetraplegics. Spinal Cord, 42(9), 526–532. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3101638

Ditunno, P. L., Patrick, M., Stineman, M., & Ditunno, J. F. (2008). Who wants to walk? Preferences for recovery after SCI: A longitudinal and cross-sectional study. Spinal Cord, 46(7), 500–506. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3102172

Collinger, J. L., Boninger, M. L., Bruns, T. M., Curley, K., Wang, W., & Weber, D. J. (2013). Functional priorities, assistive technology, and brain-computer interfaces after spinal cord injury. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 50(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2011.11.0213

Lo, C., Tran, Y., Anderson, K., Craig, A., & Middleton, J. (2016). Functional priorities in persons with spinal cord injury: Using discrete choice experiments to determine preferences. Journal of Neurotrauma, 33(21), 1958–1968. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2016.4423

Bladder and bowel function

Bourbeau, D., Bolon, A., Creasey, G., Dai, W., Fertig, B., French, J., et al. (2020). Needs, priorities, and attitudes of individuals with spinal cord injury toward nerve stimulation devices for bladder and bowel function: A survey. Spinal Cord, 58(11), 1216–1226. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-020-00545-w

Krogh, K., Christensen, P., Sabroe, S., & Laurberg, S. (2006). Neurogenic bowel dysfunction score. Spinal Cord, 44(10), 625–631. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3101887

Bryce, T. N., Tsai, C.-y., Wecht, J. M., & Spielman, L. (2025). Development and testing of the Spinal Cord Injury Bladder and Bowel Control Questionnaire (SCI-BBC-Q). Neurourology and Urodynamics, 44, 109–116. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.25589

Motor imagery — clinical evidence in SCI

Mateo, S., Di Rienzo, F., Bergeron, V., Guillot, A., Collet, C., & Rode, G. (2015). Motor imagery reinforces brain compensation of reach-to-grasp movement after cervical spinal cord injury. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 9, 234. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00234

Mateo, S., Di Rienzo, F., Reilly, K. T., Revol, P., Delpuech, C., Daligault, S., Guillot, A., Jacquin-Courtois, S., Luauté, J., Rossetti, Y., Collet, C., & Rode, G. (2015). Improvement of grasping after motor imagery in C6-C7 tetraplegia: A kinematic and MEG pilot study. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 33(4), 543–555. https://doi.org/10.3233/RNN-140466

Grangeon, M., Revol, P., Guillot, A., Rode, G., & Collet, C. (2012). Could motor imagery be effective in upper limb rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injury? A case study. Spinal Cord, 50(10), 766–771. https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2012.41

Mateo, S., Roby-Brami, A., Reilly, K. T., Rossetti, Y., Collet, C., & Rode, G. (2015). Upper limb kinematics after cervical spinal cord injury: A review. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 12, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-0003-12-9

Lei, Y., & Perez, M. A. (2018). Phase-dependent deficits during reach-to-grasp after human spinal cord injury. Journal of Neurophysiology, 119(1), 251–261. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00542.2017

Cramer, S. C., Orr, E. L., Cohen, M. J., & Lacourse, M. G. (2007). Effects of motor imagery training after chronic, complete spinal cord injury. Experimental Brain Research, 177(2), 233–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-006-0662-9

Decety, J., & Boisson, D. (1990). Effect of brain and spinal cord injuries on motor imagery. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 240(1), 39–43.

Di Rienzo, F., Collet, C., Hoyek, N., & Guillot, A. (2014). Impact of neurologic deficits on motor imagery: A systematic review of clinical evaluations. Neuropsychology Review, 24(2), 116–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-014-9257-6

Aikat, R., & Dua, V. (2016). Mental imagery in spinal cord injury: A systematic review. Journal of Spine, 5(4), 310. https://doi.org/10.4172/2165-7939.1000310

López-Larraz, E., Antelis, J. M., Montesano, L., Gil-Agudo, Á., & Minguez, J. (2012). Continuous decoding of motor attempt and motor imagery from EEG activity in spinal cord injury patients. Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2012, 1798–1801. https://doi.org/10.1109/EMBC.2012.6346299

Motor imagery — safety and honest framing

Gustin, S. M., Wrigley, P. J., Gandevia, S. C., Middleton, J. W., Henderson, L. A., & Siddall, P. J. (2008). Movement imagery increases pain in people with neuropathic pain following complete thoracic spinal cord injury. Pain, 137(2), 237–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2007.08.032

Opsommer, E., Chevalley, O., & Korogod, N. (2020). Motor imagery for pain and motor function after spinal cord injury: A systematic review. Spinal Cord, 58(3), 262–274. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-019-0390-1

Motor imagery — foundational theory

Jeannerod, M. (1994). The representing brain: Neural correlates of motor intention and imagery. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 17(2), 187–245.

Decety, J., & Grèzes, J. (1999). Neural mechanisms subserving the perception of human actions. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3(5), 172–178.

Lotze, M., & Halsband, U. (2006). Motor imagery. Journal of Physiology-Paris, 99(4–6), 386–395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphysparis.2006.03.012

Mulder, T. (2007). Motor imagery and action observation: Cognitive tools for rehabilitation. Journal of Neural Transmission, 114(10), 1265–1278.

Malouin, F., & Richards, C. L. (2010). Mental practice for relearning locomotor skills. Physical Therapy, 90(2), 240–251. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20090029

Kinesthetic vs. visual motor imagery

Stinear, C. M., Byblow, W. D., Steyvers, M., Levin, O., & Swinnen, S. P. (2006). Kinesthetic, but not visual, motor imagery modulates corticomotor excitability. Experimental Brain Research, 168(1–2), 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-0078-y

Malouin, F., Richards, C. L., Jackson, P. L., Lafleur, M. F., Durand, A., & Doyon, J. (2007). The Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ) for assessing motor imagery in persons with physical disabilities. Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy, 31(1), 20–29. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NPT.0000260567.24122.64

Action observation combined with motor imagery

Eaves, D. L., Riach, M., Holmes, P. S., & Wright, D. J. (2016). Motor imagery during action observation: A brief review of evidence, theory and future research opportunities. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 10, 514. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2016.00514

Vogt, S., Di Rienzo, F., Collet, C., Collins, A., & Guillot, A. (2013). Multiple roles of motor imagery during action observation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 807. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00807

Small, S. L., Buccino, G., & Solodkin, A. (2012). The mirror neuron system and treatment of stroke. Developmental Psychobiology, 54(3), 293–310. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.20504

Mental chronometry and timing

Guillot, A., & Collet, C. (2005). Duration of mentally simulated movement: A review. Journal of Motor Behavior, 37(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.3200/JMBR.37.1.10-20

Decety, J., & Michel, F. (1989). Comparative analysis of actual and mental movement times in two graphic tasks. Brain and Cognition, 11(1), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-2626(89)90007-9

PETTLEP framework and best practice

Holmes, P. S., & Collins, D. J. (2001). The PETTLEP approach to motor imagery: A functional equivalence model for sport psychologists. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 13(1), 60–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200109339004

Wright, D. J., Wakefield, C. J., & Smith, D. (2014). Using PETTLEP imagery to improve music performance: A review. Musicae Scientiae, 18(4), 448–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864914537668

Schuster, C., Hilfiker, R., Amft, O., Scheidhauer, A., Andrews, B., Butler, J., Kischka, U., & Ettlin, T. (2011). Best practice for motor imagery: A systematic literature review on motor imagery training elements in five different disciplines. BMC Medicine, 9, 75. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-9-75

Ultradian rhythms

Kleitman, N. (1963). Sleep and wakefulness (Revised ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Rossi, E. L., & Nimmons, D. (1991). The 20-minute break: Reduce stress, maximize performance, and improve health and emotional well-being using the new science of ultradian rhythms. Jeremy P. Tarcher.

Rossi, E. L. (1991). The wave nature of consciousness: A new direction for the evolution of psychotherapy. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 32(3), 178–206.

Hypnagogic state

Mavromatis, A. (1987). Hypnagogia: The unique state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Schacter, D. L. (1976). The hypnagogic state: A critical review of the literature. Psychological Bulletin, 83(3), 452–481. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.83.3.452

Ghibellini, R., & Meier, B. (2023). The hypnagogic state: A brief update. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(1), e13719. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13719

Sleep-dependent motor consolidation

Walker, M. P., Brakefield, T., Morgan, A., Hobson, J. A., & Stickgold, R. (2002). Practice with sleep makes perfect: Sleep-dependent motor skill learning. Neuron, 35(1), 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0896-6273(02)00746-8

Walker, M. P., Brakefield, T., Seidman, J., Morgan, A., Hobson, J. A., & Stickgold, R. (2003). Sleep and the time course of motor skill learning. Learning & Memory, 10(4), 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.58503

Stickgold, R., & Walker, M. P. (2007). Sleep-dependent memory consolidation and reconsolidation. Sleep Medicine, 8(4), 331–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2007.03.011

Clinical classification

American Spinal Injury Association. (2019). International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI). ASIA. https://asia-spinalinjury.org/

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