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Jeanne Achterberg

Jeanne Achterberg is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jeanne Achterberg rather than just read about it. In short: Jeanne Achterberg (8 April 1942 – 7 March 2012) was an American psychologist known for investigating the therapeutic application of guided imagery and creative visualization. Education and career Achterberg received her Ph.D.in General Experimental Psychology from Texas Christian University, was a faculty member for 11 years at Southwestern Medical School, and Professor of Psychology at Saybrook Institute, San Franc…

Jeanne Achterberg — main illustration
Jeanne Achterberg — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Jeanne Achterberg belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Jeanne Achterberg to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Jeanne Achterberg from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jeanne Achterberg (8 April 1942 – 7 March 2012) was an American psychologist known for investigating the therapeutic application of guided imagery and creative visualization.

Education and career Achterberg received her Ph.D.in General Experimental Psychology from Texas Christian University, was a faculty member for 11 years at Southwestern Medical School, and Professor of Psychology at Saybrook Institute, San Francisco. She co-chaired the Mind–body interventions ad hoc advisory panel and the Research Technologies Conference of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), and was a member of the Advisory Board, Unconventional Cancer Treatments Study Group, Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress, president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and senior editor for the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Collaboration with Simonton and subsequent research Achterberg was originally influenced by her collaboration with O. Carl Simonton, a specialist in radiology and oncology, and a pioneer of psycho-oncology. Simonton worked with cancer patients to develop strategies by which they could reduce the stress and distress precipitated by diagnosis and treatment, and enhance the capacity to perceive therapeutic interventions, including radiotherapy, as a progressive process toward a successful outcome. Among Simonton's methods was the use of creative visualization, guided imagery and guided meditation; and he observed an alleged correlation between patients' positive images of and thoughts about treatment, and its successful course and outcome.

Achterberg subsequently researched the similarities and differences between the potential use of imagery as an intervention adjuvant to contemporary medicine, and its use in ancient indigenous healing rituals, particularly those she identified as part of a shamanic tradition, which she described in her book Imagery in Healing.

Death She died of metastatic breast cancer on 7 March 2012.

Selected works Books Achterberg, J., Imagery in healing: Shamanism and modern medicine. Shambhala Publications, 2013. Achterberg, J, Woman as healer. Shambhala Publications, 2013. Achterberg, J., Rituals of healing: Using imagery for health and wellness. Bantam, 1994. Articles Achterberg J, Cooke K, Richards T, Standish LJ, Kozak L, Lake J. Evidence for correlations between distant intentionality and brain function in recipients: a functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Dec;11(6):965-71. Achterberg, J., Matthews-Simonton, S., and Simonton, O. C., Psychology of the exceptional cancer patient: A description of patients who outlive predicted life expectancies. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, Vol. 14, No. 4, 1977, p416. Rider, Mark S., and Jeanne Achterberg. "Effect of music-assisted imagery on neutrophils and lymphocytes." Biofeedback and Self-regulation, Vol. 14, No. 3, 1989, pp247–257. Achterberg, Jeanne. "The psychological dimensions of arthritis." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 50, No. 6, 1982, p984. Gibbs, Harriett W., and Achterberg, J., Spiritual values and death anxiety: Implications for counseling with terminal cancer patients." Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol. 25, No. 6, 1978, p563. Achterberg, J., G. Lawlis, F., O. Carl Simonton, and Matthews-Simonton, S., Psychological factors and blood chemistries as disease outcome predictors for cancer patients. Multivariate Experimental Clinical Research, 1977. Williams-Orlando C, and Achterberg J, Patient Beliefs on Children’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal 2011;10(2):16-21.

References

External links Official Website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jeanne Achterberg

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jeanne Achterberg claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jeanne Achterberg before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jeanne Achterberg ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jeanne Achterberg

In research
Jeanne Achterberg appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Jeanne Achterberg in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Jeanne Achterberg is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1942 births, 2012 deaths, 20th-century American psychologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Jeanne Achterberg outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Jeanne Achterberg in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Jeanne Achterberg means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Jeanne Achterberg out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jeanne Achterberg in simple terms?

Jeanne Achterberg (8 April 1942 – 7 March 2012) was an American psychologist known for investigating the therapeutic application of guided imagery and creative visualization. Education and career Achterberg received her Ph.D.in General Experimental Psychology from Texas Christian University, was a…

Why does Jeanne Achterberg matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jeanne Achterberg?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jeanne Achterberg.

Tags

  • 1942 births
  • 2012 deaths
  • 20th-century American psychologists
  • 20th-century American women scientists
  • 21st-century American women scientists
  • American women psychologists
  • Neoshamanism
  • People in alternative medicine
  • Texas Christian University alumni

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