The Academy for Guided Imagery

From: http://www.interactiveimagery.com/index_ie.html

The Academy for Guided Imagery is dedicated to educating and supporting practicing clinicians in their uses of imagery and imagery related approaches to therapy and healing. The Academy is an accredited Post-graduate training provider for health professionals, and a source of self-care products and programs for those struggling with a chronic, difficult, or painful illness. It is the culmination of 25 years of clinical research, practice and exploration into the use of the human imagination in the healing process.

The Academy provides the nations only comprehensive, integrated curriculum for teaching Interactive Guided ImagerySM skills. It was formed in California in 1989 by the professional working partnership of David E. Bresler, Ph.D., a health psychologist and Martin L. Rossman, M.D., a medical doctor. Since its founding the Academy has produced books, audio and video tapes, workshops and self-study courses for health professionals, organizations, and the general public. It is the preeminent organization teaching health professionals how to work directly with the imagery process.

The Academy provides training and certification in a process called Interactive Guided ImagerySM, a clinical approach which uses imagery in a highly interactive way. By evoking the patient's own inner resources - insight, creativity, physiologic healing states, good decision-making -- Interactive Guided ImagerySM enhances the patient’s own ability to participate in their health and healing.

Interactive Guided ImagerySM utilizes innovative principles and techniques from conventional and Ericksonian hypnosis, Neurolinguistic Programming, psychosynthesis, and Jungian active imagination, and adds a unique interactive component that transforms the therapeutic relationship into one of supportive collaboration and successful self-actualization.

The Academy’s professional courses are accredited by the American Psychological Association, the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, the National Association of Social Workers, the California Alcoholism and Drug Counselors Education Program, and the California board of Registered Nursing. The Academy has taught over 10,000 psychologists, physicians, social workers, family counselors, nurses, and other health professionals in its workshops around the world.

Using their experience training thousands of health professionals, Dr’s. Bresler and Rossman have also developed two highly effective self-care programs for the public. Dr. Rossman’s program, Healing Yourself: A Step-By-Step Program For Better Health Through Imagery and Dr. Bresler’s program, Free Yourself from Pain, teach the critical skills of mind/body healing in clear, easy-to-follow steps.

These self-care programs are an inexpensive way to help people participate in their own recovery. They are a step-by-step guide through the processes of relaxation, visualization, pain relief, problem-solving, and mind/body awareness that support the whole person’s healing process.

The Academy holds its annual convention in the fall of each year. Special programs of clinical interest are presented to the imagery community focusing on such issues as mind/body connection in cancer treatment, heart disease and emotional and spiritual healing. Many of the leading authorities in mind/body medicine including such pioneers as Andrew Weil, MD, Jeanne Achterberg, PhD, Larry Dossey, MD, Joan Borysenko, PhD, O. Carl Simonton, MD, Emmett Miller, MD, Stan Grof, MD, and Dean Ornish, MD, among others, have spoken at the Academy’s annual conferences. Continuing Education Credits are available for many professions.