Based on the Simontons' experience with hundreds of patients at their world-famous Cancer Counseling and Research Center, Getting Well Again introduces the scientific basis for the "will to live." In this revolutionary book the Simontons profile the typical "cancer personality": how an individual's reactions to stress and other emotional factors can contribute to the onset and progress of cancer -- and how positive expectations, self-awareness, and self-care can contribute to survival. This book offers the same self-help techniques the Simonton's patients have used to successfully to reinforce usual medical treatment -- techniques for learning positive attitudes, relaxation, visualization, goal setting, managing pain, exercise, and building an emotional support system.

`I would recommend reading this enjoyable book in which the authors convey practical, creative and compassionate authenticity throughout. I think it will appeal to experienced counsellors, psychotherapists and arts therapists. It will also be a valuable resource to students′ - Therapy Today `Hall et al bring many years of practice and academic experience to their material. The book is accessible in its style and makes extensive use of interesting case histories′ - Eisteach (Journal for the Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) `fascinating scenarios.... a useful book to have - I have really enjoyed reading it′ - International Arts Therapies Journal (Online) Guided Imagery is a unique, practical guide to using imagery in one-to-one therapeutic work with clients. Through numerous examples drawn from their own experience, the authors show how the techniques involved can be integrated into everyday practice. The authors describe the different processes of using guided imagery and working from a script and show how drawing can be used to augment imagery work. In addition to planned strategies for using imagery, they also show how images which arise spontaneously during sessions can be harnessed and used to enhance the therapeutic process. The practical strategies and techniques outlined in the book are examined in the context of a variety of theoretical frameworks (the person-centred approach, gestalt, existentialism and psychosynthesis) and research findings. Potential pitfalls and ethical considerations are also explored, making Guided Imagery a useful resource for practitioners and an ideal text for use on counselling and psychotherapy training courses.

The therapeutic potential of working with clients' mental images is widely acknowledged, yet there is still little in the counselling and psychotherapy literature on more inclusive approaches to the clinical applications of mental imagery. Using Mental Imagery in Counselling and Psychotherapy is a unique, accessible guide for counsellors and psychotherapists who wish to develop their expertise in this important therapeutic practice. Contemporary practitioners have at their disposal a large repertoire of imagery methods and procedures comprising the contributions from different therapeutic schools and clinical innovators. Valerie Thomas identifies some of the common features in these approaches and offers a transtheoretical framework that supports integrative practitioners in understanding and using mental imagery to enhance therapeutic processes. The book: Examines the development of the theory and practice of mental imagery within a wider context of the history of imagination as a healing modality; Describes the different ways that mental imagery has been incorporated into therapeutic practice and evaluates recent developments; Reviews explanations of the therapeutic efficacy of mental imagery and considers how recent theoretical concepts provide a means of understanding the role that mental images play in processing experience; Includes reflections on ways to develop more inclusive theory and proposes a model that can inform integrative practice. Using a wide range of clinical vignettes to illustrate theory and cutting-edge research, Valerie Thomas proposes a new integrated model of practice. Providing clear and detailed guidance on applying the model to clinical practice, the book will be essential reading for psychotherapists and counsellors, both in practice and training, who wish to harness the therapeutic efficacy of mental imagery.

Richly illustrated with clinical material, this book presents specific techniques for working with multisensory imagery in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Leading researcher-clinician Lusia Stopa explores how mental images--similarly to verbal cognitions--can trigger distress and drive maladaptive behavior. She guides the therapist to assess imagery and help clients to recognize and explore it. A range of interventions are described, including imaginal exposure, imaginal reliving, rescripting, working with self-images, and using positive imagery to improve well-being. Extensive sample dialogues and a chapter-length case example demonstrate the techniques in action with clients with a range of frequently encountered psychological problems.

There is a growing awareness in the counselling and pastoral care professions that the appropriate use of imagery and symbolism in counselling can be a useful tool in helping clients to resolve inner conflicts which they would otherwise find hard to confront. This comprehensive book explores the therapeutic use of imagination and how the use of myths, legends and spontaneous images can clothe feelings with images, and thereby make them easier to work with and control. The book is intended as a working model which takes the reader through the various stages of imagery and symbolism, and is illustrated by many case studies that highlight various principles and topics, and create a bridge between theory and practice. A companion volume Dictionary of Images and Symbols in Counselling provides an 'A-Z' of images and symbols.

Using methods he has taught to thousands of patients and health-care professionals since 1972, Dr. Rossman teaches a step-by-step method of harnessing the power of the mind to further one's own physical healing. Versatile and easy-to-learn, mental imagery as explained by Dr. Rossman, can be used to: Achieve deep physiological relaxation Stimulate healing responses in the body Create an inner dialogue and gain a better understanding of one's health Improve health and general well-being. The idea of guided imagery as an aid to the healing process is a recognized key component in the health care equation of mind/body healing. Starting with a discussion of the nature of imagery and how it works, Dr. Rossman presents specific scripts that can be used directly. Scripts include: Exploring Your Imagery Abilities, Basic Relaxation Skills, Deepening Techniques, Your Healing Imagery, Meeting Your Inner Advisor, Symptoms are Symbols, Grounding Your Insight, Learning From Your Resistance, and Your Image of Wellness. A practical and helpful book not only for those facing specific health problems but for all who wish to use the imagination for a wide range of individual purposes unlimited to health situations.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th Scandinavian Conference on Image Analysis, SCIA 2007, held in Aalborg, Denmark in June 2007. It covers computer vision, 2D and 3D reconstruction, classification and segmentation, medical and biological applications, appearance and shape modeling, face detection, tracking and recognition, motion analysis, feature extraction and object recognition.