The Glass Enclosure

by David S. Gordon and Cynthia Costas Cohen
Type: Softcover

This is a book filled with wonder and wisdom. What you will find in this practical guide are the steps to learn a form of guided imagery that has enlightened the lives of UCLA faculty and trainees for years—and a clinical practice that is a powerful tool that will supplement any psychotherapy approach. David and Cynthia have brilliantly assembled the verbatim transcripts of their supervision discussions and the verbatim transcripts of each of their individual therapy sessions that utilize the many specific guided images that Marielle curated over the years.

But what exactly is guided imagery? And why would this semiguided daydreaming be such a powerful way to both illuminate and transform the mind? In my own personal use of guided imagery, I have
discovered and healed many inner aspects of my own mental life that had been unknown to me, unclear, or unresolved. And for the people I see in clinical practice, using guided imagery, either in the specifically designated forms presented here, or in a more general and open-ended approach building on the important principles of imagery, has enabled me to empower these individuals to explore their inner lives with more depth and focus, and then to track and transform this inner world in unique and healing ways—created by the individuals themselves. (Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., Clinical Professor, UCLA School of Medicine / Executive Director, Mindsight Institute)

REVIEWS

“At its root The Glass Enclosure affirms the power and importance of imagination and creativity in the healing arts. Imagining offers the capacity to distance one’s self from the surrounding world and then to reconstruct that world, bringing to mind something not wholly present. It is a unique ability of the human animal, and it underpins much of what we take for granted: storytelling, the fantasy play of childhood, the empathic concern for another’s circumstance, hoping for a better future, each are dependent upon the capacity to conjure images in the mind. It is through imagined reconstruction that art is created, religious beliefs are sustained, and the validity of a scientific hypothesis is explored. In short, imagination and creativity are the brain’s kissing cousins and the wellspring of personal and cultural vitality. David Gordon and Cynthia Costas Cohen understand these truths and in The Glass Enclosure skillfully demonstrate how to harness them in the service of the psychotherapeutic alliance. This is an important and insightful book not only for the practicing therapist but also for those laypersons fascinated with learning more about the inner workings of the mind.”
—Peter C Whybrow MD, Director of the Semel institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, award winning author of The Well-Tuned Brain: Neuroscience and the Life Well Lived.

“The potential power of encouraging and therapeutically guiding client projections in hypnosis is well illustrated by David Gordon and Cynthia Costas Cohen in their case narratives and Jungian-influenced psychodynamically oriented discussions. The Glass Enclosure makes a valuable contribution to the hypnosis literature by providing yet another perspective on ways hypnosis may be creatively applied.”
—Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and author of Trancework (4th edition) and Treating Depression with Hypnosis

“The Glass Enclosure elucidates the power of guided imagery. The book is organized into dynamic chapters, giving therapists beautifully crafted language to guide clients into the realm of the unconscious. The case descriptions that follow from Dr. Gordon and Ms. Costas-Cohen bring to life the depth and wonder of using guided imagery to empower and heal. The Glass Enclosure will inspire novice and seasoned clinicians alike.”
—Elaine Miller-Karas, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Trauma Resource Institute; author of
Building Resilience to Trauma: The Trauma and Community Resiliency Models

“The Glass Enclosure is the most brilliant coverage of guided imagery to date! This explains the theory and presents exquisitely detailed commentaries and analyses of case transcripts of therapeutic guided imagery. It is a must-read for all therapists.”
—Stephen Lankton, MSW, DAHB, Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, author of
The Answer Within, Practical Magic, and Tool of Intention.

DAVID S. GORDON, PH.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles, California, working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, families and groups. An associate clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, he supervises residents, teaches a class in guided imagery techniques, and consults in the School of Medicine. Dr. Gordon has been a member of the teaching faculty of the Southern California Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and has presented for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He regularly teaches workshops for clinicians of all levels of experience in clinical hypnosis. A board member of the Los Angeles Society for Clinical Psychologists for many years, Dr. Gordon has also served as its president.

CYNTHIA COSTAS COHEN is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Beverly Hills, California, and is nationally known for her expertise in trauma. Versed in a variety of modalities, Cynthia has had extensive training in clinical hypnosis under the tutelage of Drs. Michael Yapko and Jeffrey Zeig. She is certified by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and is a certified EMDR practitioner. She is the Director of Training at the Antioch University Counseling Center in Culver City. In addition, Cynthia teaches and serves as President of the Board for the Trauma Resource Institute, a global organization that provides training in the treatment of trauma using an integrative mind-body somatic approach. In the past several years, her work with the organization has taken her to Mexico, Guatemala, the Middle East, the Philippines, and Nepal on humanitarian projects. The Glass Enclosure is the second book on which Cynthia has had the pleasure to be the coauthor; she is also the coauthor of The 7-Day Energy Surge, a New York Times bestseller.