Your source for the latest news about Guided Imagery, Imagery International, workshops, articles and products from our members.
June 4, 2010
Forgiveness and Imagery by Jann Fredrickson, MS, LICSW
One of my foster father’s died this past week. I say one because I actually had three. Wendell was the last one an also the longest. I lived in his home for three years and then periodically when I was in college. When I heard of his death, my first reaction was, well, how am I supposed to feel about a person I hardly knew? How am I supposed to feel about a man who barely seemed to tolerate me in life? Was I SUPPOSED to be sad? How about his own four children who only recently have reached out to me as an adult? Ho am I supposed to feel when they decide to include me in the ritual of “walking down with the family” that goes on in funerals? Was I supposed to be glad that NOW they finally decide to accept me? To little, too late, was my first reaction. Bitterness and anger, and a very quiet, lingering hurt was the second reaction. Oh, how familiar these emotions are to me whenever I think of all those years in foster homes.
So, what to do? I remember my foster sister who didn’t talk to me the entire three years that I lived at Wendell’s home except through the filter of her parents or by the surreptitious glares across the dinner table at one of my foster mother’s unbelievably find dinners. Or the best one….her completely ignoring me at her wedding and going out of her way to make sure everyone in the family got flowers but me.
Boy, does anyone ever “get over” that nagging, indulgent self-pity that goes with the more subtle forms of abuse? I had no scars. I was well fed, (in this particular home), well-clothed, warm and I had clean sheets. What more could one ask? I kept asking these questions on the solitary drive to Wendell’s funeral, two hours from my home in St. Paul, Minnesota to a small Northern town in Iowa called Northwood.
Wasn’t it time to forgive? And if so, HOW? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Spiritual | No Comments »
May 21, 2010
May 25, May 26, November 6, February 5, 2011: Leslie Davenport, MFT teaches at John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, California
Leslie Davenport, MFT
Over the last 20 years, medical research has confirmed what certain spiritual and indigenous traditions have known for centuries: Our states of mind and emotions directly affect our physiology. What, then, is the true cost to our health of dark moods or incessant worry? Davenport, a pioneer in bringing mind-body approaches into the halls of contemporary medicine, speaks to the beneficial side of this link. She’ll also present tools to help enhance your everyday health and sense of well-being.
May 25: Take Charge of Your Health: The Mind-Body Connection
6:30 PM, Pharmaca, 7514 Redwood Blvd. #104, Novato, Ca. FREE
May 26: Take Charge of Your Health: The Mind-Body Connection
4:45 PM Reception, 5:15 Program. Commonwealth Club, San Francisco.
Click here to buy tickets. 
$12.00 to Members, $20.00 public.
November 6: Clinical Application of Deep Imagination, Part 1
10:00 am – 5:00 pm John F Kennedy University, Pleasant Hill, California
Note: A continuing, more advanced workshop will be offered on February 5, 2011. This class is a prerequisite.
 6 hours of CE credits available for MFT’s, LCSW’s, RN’s.
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To find out more about Leslie Davenport, visit her website:
http://www.lesliedavenport.com/
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May 15, 2010
Beyond Massage Therapy: Expand Your Practice with a Complementary Credential by Brad Schlossberg
Published in the May issue of Massage Magazine.
“By earning a credential outside the massage field, touch therapists can expand their work to the level of dual practice.”
Rebecca Klinger, LMT
Long time Imagery International member Rebecca Klinger was one of several massage therapists interviewed for this article. She is based in Manhatten, New York. Rebecca talks about the value of adding Holistic Health Counseling (HCC) and Guided Imagery to her touch practice.
“With massage, I can immediately affect physical injuries, aches and pains,” Klinger says. “With the Holistic Health Couseling credential, I can also address other contributing factors such as exercise, sugar and caffeine intake, rest and any life situations that may be causing stress.”
“Guided Imagery helps me teach people how to use the power of imagery– their imaginations–to manage stress and pain, access their creativity, resolve inner conflicts and so much more,” she says. It’s a wonderful third leg on my mind-body practice.”
To see more about her work and the advantages of additional credentials see the May 2010 issue of Massage Magazine.
Rebecca Klinger, LMT
80 East 11th Street, Suite 521
New York, NY 10003
http://www.rebeccaklinger.net
Posted in Bodywork, CAM, Counseling, Member Articles | No Comments »
May 7, 2010
Dr. Charlotte Reznick
Dear Community,
Bonding with Kids on Mother’s Day
May has just begun and Mother’s Day is already next weekend! What a great opportunity to “check in” with the kids in your life – whether you work with them or have them – and enjoy some creative play together.
According to various studies, mothers’ time spent with children benefits youngsters in numerous ways – from producing lower rates of obesity to higher scores on verbal tests.
But there’s a more immediate advantage to spending quality time with your child. It helps you understand “where he or she is at” and gives you a chance to have fun together – a very important aspect of child development.
Here are 4 creative activities to do with kids this Mother’s Day:
Make “Me” Portraits: With a marker, trace the outline of your bodies on an old sheet. Decorate your self-portraits with symbols, colors, words, and pictures. Use markers, crayons, paints, glue, sparkles, and cut-up magazines.
Make a Mini-Movie: Using a smart phone, flip cam, or video camera, write, star in, and produce your own movie. Ideas… mom and kid talent show; commercial for your favorite thing; stupid human or pet tricks with commentary; fashion show. Post it on YouTube for friends and family.
Read more… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Children, Member Articles | No Comments »
April 30, 2010
The Long Shadow of Trauma audio recording
with Bessel van der Kolk
Dr. van der Kolk discussed Complex Trauma and the need for a new diagnostic category – Development Trauma Disorder (DTD) to go into the DSM-V and the obstacles facing recognition of the adoption of the new diagnosis.
Rich Simon, PhD of the Psychotherapy Networker who interviewed Dr. van der Kolk reports:
Over 1600 people registered for this week’s One-on-One web interview, The Long Shadow of Trauma, with Bessel van der Kolk. This record turnout for our Networker LIVE webcast interview is a testimony to the central role that trauma treatment plays in our field.
“The FREE audio MP3 file of the April 14 interview with Bessel van der Kolk is now available on our website. Listen or download now. · To earn your CE credit, click here. Remember, you will have to log into the site to purchase your CE.”
Best,
Rich Simon, Editor
Networker Plugged-In Year-Round Learning
Posted in News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
April 29, 2010
Two Techniques for Working with Trauma
Ruth Buczynski asks:
Are there more trauma-inducing events happening in the world or is it that I’m just tuned-in to them more?
Maybe it’s a little bit of both, and that probably means, too, that we need to know a lot more about its impact and treatment…information that is too new to be part of our previous graduate programs.
Go to my blog to find out about a new approach that blends two techniques that have shown a decrease in PTSD symptoms.
It’s really quite remarkable.
All best,
Ruth
Ruth M. Buczynski, PhD
President and Licensed Psychologist
The National Institute for the Clinical
Application of Behavioral Medicine
NICABM, PO Box 523, Mansfield Center, CT 06250, USA
Posted in News | No Comments »
April 17, 2010
Using Guided Imagery for Creativity, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Problem Solving
By the end of the day we want to use our minds in a proactive, positive way to be the driver of our life and not slaves to inner thoughts/emotions/memory/illusions – the spaghetti mind.
Why spaghetti? Because even though man has made tremendous advancements in science and technology, the mind’s operating system is still a mystery. We don’t really know the algorithm that is behind motivation and attention.
We all experience associative thoughts/emotions/sensations popping into our bodymind which influence our behavior and the quality of our life.
I see imagination as the simulator of the mind for creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and problem solving. It’s an unlimited tool to check possibilities, explore a variety of options and be “open minded” where our logical, rational mind, that is so connected to acquired knowledge, sometimes prevents us from doing.
Imagination is a resource that has an ambivalent connotation: it’s positive when used for art and creativity…it’s negative when it is used as illusionary mind or ill mind.
Our minds like gestalt scenarios. We like stories that are structured, with beginnings, bodies and ends. When we lack information or when our memories betray us, imagination comes in and fills the holes with information to complete the picture/ the story.
So how do we utilize imagination as a resource for creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and problem solving and at the same time be aware and cautious of its illusionary side that can harm our balance and sanity? The first stage is to cleanup and order the desktop of our consciousness. The “I” should look at himself in the mirror, observe the whole complexity of the dynamic layers of his being, and let the sane part of the mind take dominance in the whole process of self-management. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Bodywork, Coaching, Energy, Member Articles, Personal Growth | 2 Comments »
April 4, 2010
Saturday April 10, 9 am to 5 pm through Sunday April 11, 9 am to 1 pm
Weekend Workshop : Phenomenology, Imagery and Dreams
Presented by The American Institute for Mental Imagery – West
During these two days in La Jolla, California you will learn to:
- Become the Creator of your own Healing Visualizations
Use Mental Imagery, the “Language of Freedom” to free yourself from the pain of anxiety, self-doubt, illness, difficult relationships
- Discover the Remarkable Wisdom of your Dreams
Build your confidence in the power you already possess by listening to your dreams
- Practice the Ancient Art of Face Reading
Lead a balanced life tailored to your specific needs by using the 6000 yr old art and science of facial morphology
Fee includes an organic vegetarian lunch and a copy of Healing Visualizations by Gerald Epstein, MD
* see Workshop Schedule for more details
Posted in Workshops | No Comments »
March 26, 2010
A free electronic copy of March 2010 edition of ImagiNews is available here:
http://imageryinternational.org/imaginews.htm
From the President’s Mind & Editor’s Imagination
by Bev Hollander
Bev Hollander
“Joy” being our theme this quarter, I must share with you a beautiful event I recently witnessed. I was waiting curbside at the airport for my husband’s arrival when I noticed a 30-something man and an older gray-bearded gentleman, who I guessed might be his father, exiting the airport. As they reached the sidewalk, two young girls came running towards the older man. The younger of the two girls arrived first. She
raced towards the elder of the two gentlemen (grandfather?) with a gorgeous smile on her face and threw herself into his arms, squealing in delight. The second girl arrived right behind her and did the same. The “grandfather” was engulfed in this two person hug and I had to Imagine, because his back was to me, the smile on his face and the Joy he surely felt having such a loving and Joyful welcome. Tears sprang to my eyes witnessing this special event.
As always, each article in the issue relates to “Joy” in some way. I won’t say any more about them here because you might enjoy the surprises that await you. I want to thank all of our contributors for their dedication and efforts that make each issue of ImagiNews possible.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in ImagiNews | No Comments »
February 25, 2010
Telechat date: February 10, 5 to 6 PM Pacific Standard Time
How to Read Mental Images: Learning the Hieroglyphic Language of the Mind for Clinical Use
with Gerald Epstein, MD
Dr. Epstein
Hieroglyphs – the pictorial language of the ancient Egyptian Pharaonic tradition is the only language ever to unite art and the spiritual dimension. In an analogous fashion, mental imagery is a hieroglyphic language where a pictorial representation intersects and combines with a divine language. The image is the true and natural language of the mind. These representations are called symbols, reflecting our everyday visible measurable reality and our invisible subjective qualitative consciousness – itself the repository of all the knowledge of ourselves. This language, like any other, is to be read as it is a book of life revealing ourselves to ourselves. In this talk I will discuss how to apply this method to both reading and fashioning imagery in your clinical practice.
Click here to visit Dr. Epstein’s website and read free articles written by him or about him.
Imagery International members can email us a note if you wish to attend this telechat.
We offer qualified non-member professionals a one time opportunity to join the conversation. Click here to request admission to the telechat.
Gerald N. Epstein, MD, has been a leading pioneer in the use of mental imagery for treating physical and emotional problems.  His education includes Medical school, residency in psychiatry and post-graduate training in psychiatry.  He trained 9 years with Madame Colette Aboulker-Muscat in “Waking Dream Therapy (long and short imagery practices); also influenced by the phenomonology practice of Medard Boss, MD.  He directs the American Institute for Mental Imagery (AIMI) a New York State Regent’s Chartered Post Graduate Training Center. His books include: Waking Dream Therapy; Healing Visualizations: Creating Health through Imagery; and most recently, Kabbalah for Inner Peace: Imagery and Insights to Guide you Through Your Day. Audios include: The Natural Laws of Self Healing, The Phoenix Process and Emotional Mastery (Feb, 2010). Under the auspices of the NIH OAM, he researched the efficacy of mental imagery in the treatment of asthma. As his work evolved over the years, he has become a leading exponent of the Western spiritual tradition and its application to healing and therapeutics.
Posted in News, Telechat | No Comments »
