The Academy for Guided Imagery was founded in 1989 by David E. Bresler, PhD, LAc, a health psychologist and acupuncturist, and Martin L. Rossman, MD, a medical doctor, both of whom had been independently researching clinical applications of the mind/body connection since the late 1960s.
Having studied fields as
diverse as Psychosynthesis, Jungian psychology, meditation,
Oriental healing approaches, neurobiochemistry, and
neurophysiology, both doctors were greatly influenced by
Irving Oyle, MD, an early visionary in the emerging field
of holistic medicine. Together with Dr. Oyle, they began to
integrate the explosion of knowledge that was then becoming
available with a focus on the power of imagery to help
people with a wide range of medical, psychological, and
spiritual challenges.
In 1982, Drs. Bresler and Rossman presented their initial
findings at a conference sponsored by Marquette University
and the University of San Francisco called
The Power of
Imagination. During this conference, leading
clinicians and researchers introduced more than 1,400
health professionals nationwide to the practical
applications of imagery work.
Frequent requests for clinical training led to the creation
of Clinical Guided Imagery courses taught by Drs. Bresler
and Rossman around the United States from 1982 to 1989.
Advanced training courses and an innovative clinical
supervision format (Preceptorships) soon emerged, and in
early 1989 the Academy for Guided Imagery was created to
provide thorough training to health professionals in this
remarkably effective approach.
In 1995, the mission of the Academy was expanded to include
teaching the public, health care educators, coaches, lay
practitioners, and organizations to work with the imagery
methods the Academy has refined over the years.
In 2001, it became clear that the costs of travel and
lodging to attend AGI training programs prevented many
interested professionals from receiving Academy training.
To reduce these costs, a large portion of the curriculum
was converted to a home study format, although the two
Clinical Preceptorships still require students to learn and
practice their imagery skills in a faculty supervised,
small group setting.
In 2004, Dr. Rossman retired as an officer and director of
the Academy which was relocated to Malibu, California, and
has been under the leadership of Dr. David Bresler since
that time. Dr. Bresler and his AGI team produced the first
major medical meeting ever held entirely in cyberspace
(see 20th Annual
Conference), and they are currently
converting the AGI training programs into an online
learning format that will permit students from all over
the world to learn these vital guided imagery and
mind/body skills.