12 AGI Faculty

AGI Faculty


Jeanne Achterberg, PhD

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Jeanne Achterberg is a Professor of Psychology at Saybrook Institute, a research consultant and a board member of many foundations. She also provides training in the use of mind/body therapies for health care professionals in Europe, Japan, Argentina, and to refugees in Kosova and Macedonia. She has authored over 100 papers and five books, including Imagery in Healing, Woman as Healer and Rituals of Healing. Lightning at the Gate, the story of her personal healing journey, was published in 2001. She is currently Senior editor for the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.



Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABHM

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Daniel J. Benor s a wholistic psychotherapist who includes a variety of body/mind approaches, spiritual awareness, and healing in the practice of what he calls "WHEE: Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT." He is a founding diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine, Editor of the International Journal of Healing, author of Healing Research, Volumes I-III, Founder of the Council for Healing and Doctor-Healer Networks.



David E. Bresler, PhD, LAc

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David Bresler is the President and Co-Founder, Academy for Guided Imagery, and Executive Director of The Bresler Center in Los Angeles. He is the former Founder and Executive Director of the UCLA Pain Control Unit and Associate Clinical Professor, UCLA School of Medicine; Former White House Commissioner on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy; Author of Free Yourself From Pain, Break Your Smoking Habit With Guided Imagery, and numerous other books, workbooks, articles, and scientific publications.



Hyla Cass, MD

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Hyla Cass is a board-certified psychiatrist who combines imagery and nutritional medicine in her practice, writings, lectures, and media appearances. She is a former Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine, Associate Editor of Total Health magazine, and author of numerous articles and books, including Natural Highs, 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health, and Supplement Your Prescription. For more information, please visit www.drcass.com.



Effie Poy Yew Chow, PhD, RN, LAc

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Effie Poy Yew Chow was appointed to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and was the recipient of the “Visionary of the Year 1997,” “The Humanitarian of the Year 1999,” and “The Visionary of the Decade 2000” Awards. Dr. Chow has been working to integrate Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Medicine for over 40 years. Toward this goal, she founded the East West Academy of Healing Arts (EWAHA) in 1973 and in 1988, an arm of that organization, The EWAHA Qigong Institute, was established to promote research in medical Qigong.



Gavin de Becker

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Gavin de Becker is the bestselling author of The Gift of Fear, which spent four months on the NY Times Bestseller List and has been published in 13 languages. He and his work have appeared on the Oprah Winfrey and Larry King shows numerous times, on the pages of Time and Newsweek, and been endorsed by every major women’s magazine. Mr. de Becker was twice appointed to the President's Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Justice. He is a Senior Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, and a Senior Advisor to the Rand Corporation.



James Ellroy

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James Ellroy is one of the world's best-selling crime writers and essayists, known for his unique "telegraphic" writing style, which omits words other writers would consider necessary, and often features just sentence fragments. The author of LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia, he struggled with alcohol and drugs early in his career, but was able to achieve long-term sobriety by creating a powerful inner vision of a satisfying drug free life. He will share his thoughts and experiences about addiction and addictive behaviors.



Lyn Freeman, PhD

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Lyn Freeman is a specialist, researcher, and consultant of mind-body medicine as treatment for chronic disease. She is the founder and President of Mind Matters Research, an Alaskan-based research center specializing in interventions for late-term and long-term effects of cancer and its treatments. Lyn recently completed a National Cancer Institute-funded research study of an imagery program she created for breast cancer survivors. The imagery program, entitled "Envision the Rhythms of Life" produced statistically and clinically significant outcomes. Lyn has authored academic textbooks, chapters and medical manuals on the evidence, benefits and limitations of complementary and alternative medicine. Her most recent academic text is Mosby’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Research Based Approach(3rd ed) (2008). She is a Professor of Psychology at Saybrook Graduate School, San Francisco. More information is available on her website www.compmedalaska.com.



James S. Gordon, MD

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James S. Gordon is the Founder and Director of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC, a Clinical Professor at Georgetown University Medical School and former Chairman of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy. He is the author of Manifesto for a New Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Care, and the soon-to-be-released Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven Stage Journey out of Depression. (Penguin, April 2008).



Peter Guber

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Peter Guber is the Chairman/CEO of the Mandalay Entertainment Group, which specializes in motion pictures, television, sports entertainment and new media. Over his forty year career, the films Guber personally produced have earned more than $3 billion worldwide and more than 50 Academy Award nominations, including the Best Picture Oscar for Rain Man. He is a nationally recognized speaker, and can be seen every Sunday morning on AMC, as co-host of Shootout currently in its fifth season and shown in over eighty countries and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Guber is a full professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and has been a member of the faculty for over 30 years.



Dennis Jaffe, PhD

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Dennis Jaffe is a founding partner of Relative Solutions, and professor at Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco. He is an advisor to families about family business, wealth and philanthropy. He received his BA degree in Philosophy, MA in Management, and Ph.D. in sociology, all from Yale University, and is a licensed psychologist.



Dieter Kallinke, MD, Dipl.Psych.

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Dieter Kallinke holds doctorates in both Medicine and Clinical Psychology. Dr. Kallinke has served as a consultant to the University of Heidelberg Pain Control Unit, has supervised the training of post-doctoral psychotherapists utilizing a combination of conventional therapies and complementary and alternative approaches. He has lectured and written extensively about psychotherapeutic applications for pain medicine. Because of his own health challenges, he has experienced many of these approaches personally.



Paula King, PhD

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Paula King is a licensed psychologist and certified sports consultant who utilizes Interactive Guided Imagerysm to enable clients to use the power of their inner wisdom to support the understanding and development of the skills necessary to accomplish their performance enhancement goals. Athletes are singularly impressed with the power and effectiveness of working with their own "inner coach.”



Stanley Krippner, PhD

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Staney Krippner is the Alan Watts Professor of Psychology, Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, San Francisco, CA. In 2002, the American Psychological Association gave him its Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology; the International Association for the Study of Dreams gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.



Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, PhD

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Lewis Mehl-Madrona is currently Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He is the author of Coyote Medicine, Coyote Healing, Coyote Wisdom, and Narrative Medicine. He is American Board certified in his specialties and also holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and a Master's in Philosophy in Qualitative (Narrative) Methodologies. His current interests are in traditional cultural healing and healers.



Maria Daru Maer, LPC, MA

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Maria Daru Maer is the Academy’s Director of Clinical Training. She specializes in mental health counseling, pre and post operation preparation, pain control, weight loss surgery support, and in helping clients and their families cope with depression, anxiety, PTSD, addictions, family of origin issues, life changes, and loss and grief utilizing Interactive guided imagerysm and EMDR. She is also currently working with families who are dealing with depositions, trials, and other challenges related to medical transplants.



Emmett Miller, MD

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Emmett Miller is internationally acknowledged as one of the architects of holistic, mind/body medicine. He has spent more than 35 years helping people access and activate their innate wisdom to gain control of their minds, bodies, and behavior and ultimately improve their health. His mission now is to extend individual healing to society and the planet as a whole using the social networking afforded by the Internet. He has authored five books, and his latest CDs are entitled Healing Our Planet and Awakening the Leader Within. Dr. Miller has also created a virtual online university at www.drmiller.com.



Helmut Milz, MD

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Helmut Milz holds specialty degrees in Psychosomatic Medicine, General Medicine and Psychotherapy. He has more than 30 years of experience in different psychosomatic therapies and education and is also honorary professor of Public Health at the University of Bremen. He is a former inhouse consultant to the WHO, co-authered the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, lectures internationally and wrote various books on integrative medicine, health promotion and body oriented issues. He works in private practice and resides in Germany.



Jean-Luc Mommaerts, MD, MSc

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Jean-Luc Mommaerts has been a doctor of medicine since 1986 and a master in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence since 1997 with a university degree in Hypnosis. Having had a medical practice for eight years, he has become very much aware of the fact that modern people's health needs point to the immense strength of the subconscious that can best be attained by the use of autosuggestion. After years of practice, he spent 4 years developing a medical decision support system for Kluwer Editorial. Since 1997, he has developed the autosuggestion ideas into 37 books, 169 AURELIS CDs, AurelisOnLine and workshops.



Dean Ornish, MD

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Dean Ornish is the founder, president, and director of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, where he holds the Safeway Chair. He is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the author of five best-selling books, including New York Times’ bestsellers Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Eat More, Weigh Less, and Love & Survival. Dr. Ornish was appointed to The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and has been a physician consultant to The White House and to several bipartisan members of the U.S. Congress.



Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD(hc)

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Kenneth R. Pelletier is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and University of California School of Medicine (UCSF) in San Francisco, Director of the Corporate Health Improvement Program (CHIP) with research involving 20 of the Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of 12 bestselling books including Mind As Healer, Mind As Slayer, The Best Alternative Medicine, Sound Mind- Sound Body, Stress Free for Good: Ten Scientifically Proven Life Skills for Health and Happiness, and his newest book, New Medicine : Integrating Conventional and Alternative Medicine.



Susan Reynolds, MD, PhD

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Susan Reynolds is the President and CEO of The Institute for Medical Leadership, which provides executive coaching and leadership development for physician leaders and health care executives. A former emergency physician, CEO of an emergency medical center, White House advisor, and executive search consultant, she created a physician leadership training institute, initially for the American Medical Association. Her clients include numerous medical societies as well as many hospitals and health systems. She also developed the highly acclaimed Chief of Staff Boot Camps, which have trained over 1,000 physician leaders and hospital administrators.



Martin L. Rossman, MD

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Martin Rossman is the Co-Founder of AGI, and the Founder of www.thehealingmind.org, a premier resource for evidence-based guided imagery audio tools for self-healing. He is the author of the popular books Guided Imagery for Self-Healing and Fighting Cancer from Within, and many articles and book chapters on imagery, mind/body medicine and integrative medicine.



Francine Shapiro, PhD

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Francine Shapiro is the creator of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a senior research fellow at the Mental Research Institute, and founder of the EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs (a nonprofit organization that coordinates disaster response and pro bono trainings worldwide). She is a recipient of the International Sigmund Freud Award of the City of Vienna, for distinguished contribution to psychotherapy, and the Distinguished Scientific Achievement in Psychology Award presented by the California Psychological Association.



C. Norman Shealy, MD, PhD

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C. Norman Shealy is a neurosurgeon, developer of TENS, Founding President of the Americn Hoilistic MedicAl Association and President of Holos University Graduate Seminary. Dr. Shealy has published over 300 papers and 25 books, including LIFE BEYOND 100-SECRET OF THE FOUNTAIN and PONY WISDOM OF THE SOUL. He is also the producer of MEDICAL RENAISSANCE-THE SECRET CODE.



Nimrod Sheinman, MD

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Nimrod Sheinman is the founder and director of the Israel Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Over the last twenty years, he has taught Guided Imagery and Mind-Body Priciples in hospitals, institutes, universities and international conferences in Israel, Australia, Europe and USA. He is a graduate (1986) of the National College of Natural Medicine (Portland, Oregon, USA), and a graduate of the Academy for Guided Imagery's Interactive Guided Imagery℠ Training.



David S. Sobel, MD

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David S. Sobel is Medical Director of Patient Education and Health Promotion for The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. and Kaiser Permanente Northern California which serves over 3 million members. His research and teaching interests include medical self-care, patient education, preventive medicine, behavioral medicine and psychosocial factors in health. He is coauthor of seven books including: Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions, The Healing Brain, Healthy Pleasures and Mind&Body Health Handbook.



Hillary Tindle, MD

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Hilary Tindle is a clinical investigator and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research and clinical efforts focus on mind body therapies for addiction in general and smoking cessation and relapse prevention in particular. As director of the “Kick the Habit” Smoking Cessation Clinic at University of Pittsburgh, she actively translates promising research findings into clinical practice. Her work is currently supported by an NIH-sponsored Multidisciplinary KL2 career development award, the Mind and Life Foundation, and the Pittsburgh Foundation.



Andrew Weil, MD

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A world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, Andrew Weil is a best-selling author and editorial director of DrWeil.com, the leading online resource for healthy living based on the philosophy of integrative medicine. Dr. Weil's books include the national bestsellers Spontaneous Healing, 8 Weeks to Optimum Health, Eating Well for Optimum Health, and The Healthy Kitchen. His latest book, Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being, was published in October 2005.



Judith Westerfield, MFT, CHT

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Judith Westerfield is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice since 1986. She is a Senior Faculty Instructor for the Academy and teaches Self-Hypnosis and Therapeutic Creative Expression Workshops that include creative journaling, mask painting, and process painting. She specializes in utilizing Clinical Hypnosis and Interactive Guided Imagerysm for life altering medical conditions such as fibromyalgia, cancer, pain, and stress.



Kathryn P. White, PhD, DHM, LAc

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Kathryn P. White is a licensed clinical psychologist, licensed acupuncturist, and doctor of homeopathic medicine practicing in Beverly Hills, CA. She serves as President of the American University of Complementary Medicine, Professor & Coordinator of the Clinical Health Psychology Doctoral Programs at Alliant International University, Los Angeles, and Assistant Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.