“Imagination is our oldest human technology, but it is still a vital tool if we want to create anything new. It allows us to turn the invisible into the visible. Every great invention, every act of kindness, every step toward progress begins with someone looking into their own mind and discovering something new.
In this book, Cassi brings forward this amazing aspect of being human through a variety of lenses: scientific, psychological, even spiritual. She does a great job elevating imagination to its rightful place as a creative tool, while also showing it to be a fundamental part of what it means to be human. The book shows how just like everything else, you have your own particular brand of imagination. It’s part of what makes you who you are.”
~ Pete Docter, Chief Creative Officer, Pixar Animation Studioes
My purpose is to shift people's perspectives, so they can see new possibilities, and be kinder to themselves, others, and the planet. I work to stretch people's worldviews, infuse their lives with a sense of awe and wonder, and help them use these expanded perspectives to do good in the world.
Cassandra Vieten, PhD is a professor, licensed clinical psychologist, mind-body medicine researcher, author, consultant, and internationally recognized workshop leader and public speaker. Her current research projects focus on investigating the nature and potentials of imagination; elevating the research capacity of complementary and integrative health training programs; establishing training guidelines for spiritual and religious competencies for mental health professionals; developing and delivering wellness programs for law enforcement agencies and personnel; developing virtual reality tools and experiences designed to induce perspective shifts that change people’s worldviews; and studying the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
Cassi is a Clinical Professor in the Centers for Integrative Health in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, where she serves as the Director of the Center for Mindfulness. The CFM is one of the leading mindfulness centers in the country, offering courses in mindfulness to the general public, conducting research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), incubating new MBIs for special populations and settings, and training and certifying professional mindfulness teachers.
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Transforming Mental Health Care
As co-chair of the American Psychological Association task force to create Professional Practice Guidelines for addressing spirituality and religion in psychotherapy, Cassi has been a leader in how to include the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—in mental health care.
Speaking
Cassandra has been speaking, leading groups, and facilitating workshops for over 20 years. She has given hundreds of lectures, talks, and presentations at international scientific, scholarly, and popular conferences, including three TEDx talks, research presentations at the American Psychological and American Psychiatric Association annual conventions, the Society for Experimental and Social Psychology, Nexus Global Youth Summit at the United Nations, the Esalen Institute, and many others. She regularly appears in media and podcasts, and her audiences consistently are wowed, saying she is clear and precise, heartfelt and inspirational, humorous and engaging, and mind-expanding.