In this highly interactive workshop, Dr. Cassandra Vieten draws on her new book, Imagine That, and years of research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination to guide you through the emerging science of imagination: what it actually is, the three core domains it operates through (cognitive-narrative, sensory-motor, and social-emotional), and how it shapes your body, perception, and behavior in ways you rarely notice.
In this online course you will:
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Understand the science: Explore what imagination is, how it differs from memory and perception, and how it shapes the body and behavior through its three core domains: cognitive-narrative, sensory-motor, and social-emotional.
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Discover your imagination profile: Locate yourself on the neurodiversity spectrum of imagining and identify your personal strengths as an imaginer.
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Practice the VISTA toolkit: Leave with hands-on experience in Visualizing, Ideating, Sensing, Transforming, and Applying, and a clear sense of how to use each for health, relationships, and creative problem-solving.
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Apply imagination to your future: Learn practical approaches for using imagination to support mental and physical health and to actively chart a course toward your future self., and our collective futures.
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Explore imagination’s deeper dimensions: Connect the dots between imagination, consciousness, shamanism, psychedelic-assisted healing, and VR, and leave with a felt sense of how reclaiming imagination can re-enchant everyday life.
Imagine That: The Science, Power, and Magic of Your Imagination
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
10am – 12pm PDT
COURSE DEVELOPER
Cassandra Vieten is Clinical Professor and Director of the Center for Mindfulness at the Centers for Integrative Health in the Department of Family Medicine at UC San Diego. She is also Director of Research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination and Clinical Psychology Director at the Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UCSD. She is Senior Advisor of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation where she served as Executive Director from 2019-2023, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, where she served as President from 2013-2019. Her research has focused on spirituality and health, transformative experiences and practices, the development of mindfulness-based interventions for emotional well-being, and development of media technologies to inspire awe. She is author of the forthcoming book Imagine That: Transform How You Think, Feel, and Live with the Science of Imagination (Simon and Schuster, August 2026)
