In recognition that millions of Californians receive a substantial volume of healthcare services from complementary and alternative health care practitioners, California Law allows access by California residents to complementary and alternative healthcare practitioners who are not providing services that require medical training and credentials. The following disclosure is provided in compliance with Section 2053.6 of the California Business and Professions Code.
The purpose of a program of shamanic hypnotic imagery facilitation is for vocational and avocational self-improvement (Business and Professions Code 2908) and as alternative or complementary treatment to healing arts services licensed by the state. An imagery facilitator is not a licensed physician or psychologist and imagery and hypnotherapy services are not licensed by the State of California. Services are non-diagnostic and do not include the practice of medicine, neither should they be considered as a substitute for licensed medical or psychological services or procedures.
Shamanic Imagery works with the power of the subconscious mind to change habits and behaviors. The subconscious mind is considered to be the source or root of many of our behaviors, emotions, attitudes and motivations. Imagery is believed to be a powerful tool for accessing the subconscious mind and creating improvements in our lives.
Services consist of a program of conditioning, including an undetermined number of online lessons, practice sessions with other in the group, and live case conferences and questions and answers, depending on the student's individual needs and level of commitment. The facilitators/teachers will to the best of their ability to endeavor to accomplish the objectives of the student's goals for this course. While shamanic and hypnotic imagery may be an effective technique for many purposes, the effectiveness may vary from individual to individual, and the suitability as a therapist will vary from individual to individual, and therefore, no specific results or progress can be promised or guaranteed.
The use of imagery could elicit memories of past events which may or may not be literally true. It is possible that events will be distorted or misconstrued. Memories or images evoked in the imagery state are not necessarily accurate and may be a construction or a composite of memories. Without corroborating information, it is not possible to determine whether a specific memory is true or false, even if it seems true to the client/student.
While it is the practice of the teachers and Tree of Life School to keep information confidential, information revealed in the group discussions or in practice sessions is not subject to the psychotherapist-patient privilege. A court may order disclosure of information learned in Shamanic Imagery sessions. Even though imagery facilitators are not bound by counseling laws, we attempt to adhere to them, and therefore if anything is disclosed that may indicate that child abuse or elder abuse has occurred, this information must be reported to the appropriate agencies within 24 hours. Also, if there are any disclosures made by students to teachers or to other students about physical bodily harm that may be done to self or others, this information must also be reported within 24 hours to the appropriate agencies.