Brian J. Satt, Ph.D.
Dr. Brian Satt was born and raised in Los Angeles. He attended UCLA where he received his BA in Psychology. He was awarded his doctorate in clinical psychology at The California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles having completed his dissertation by examining the ability of the unborn baby to learn. This culminated in the release of “A Day in the Life of the Unborn Baby,” audio recordings from inside the womb and “A Sound Beginning” a prenatal parenting program emphasizing bonding, family development and the transition and calming of baby using a “Womb Song”.
He has developed intensive outpatient programs for school districts designed to keep their most difficult high school students functioning and growing in both school and at home. In the last ten years his attention has turned the deepening of love and intimacy through the development of a Sacred Lovemaking lifestyle, as presented in “Extraordinary Lovemaking Techniques,” found at AdvancingAwareness.com.
He is in private practice in Westlake Village, where he specializes in the removal of disturbing feelings using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and promotes health and growth by expanding one’s spiritual self. He is currently devoted to expanding worldwide discussions and building internet communities dedicated to reducing fear and violence by expanding the daily experience of love in peoples’ lives. He presents this information at his site, Advancing Awareness (AdvancingAwareness.com) and through his phone application “Luv Splats”
A Note from A Sound Beginning founder
My training as a clinical psychologist prompted me to consider the value of this information in terms of helping people. There was both direct and indirect evidence that the postnatal effects of intrauterine learning provided parents with a unique, effective communication link with their newborn, enabling them to calm their fussy baby and it was pleasurable to the newborn. Also, I had learned from interviewing the new mothers in the research that they had found the relaxation and musical stimulation to baby a valuable and enjoyable pregnancy experience.
Alas, I had come full circle, back to my original interest in helping parents reach their full potential to be the kind of parents they desired to be. Here was a simple method to help babies and parents connect better with each other, smoothing the adjustment to their new family life.
Although an important tool, intrauterine learning did not fully address the many mental, emotional, and physical changes brought about by this miraculous but incredibly stressful life event.
Dr. Seymour Zelen and I began exploring the many psychological aspects of pregnancy to determine what, if anything, could be developed to help couples cope more easily with the troublesome times and events of pregnancy and adjustment with their new baby.
Before my clinical training I didn’t know that “seeing images” had a name. I was familiar with the types of images I could remember seeing during my dreams at night. They were somewhat like watching television but the scenes were much better because they were in 3D and I was an actor in the scene. Then, through a guided fantasy experience (similar to the “Womb Journey”)
I became aware of the ability to consciously and willfully create and control the images of the mind.
Throughout my clinical training, I grew more fascinated with the process of “visualization” (the mind’s ability to see images or pictures). I learned that visualization techniques were commonly used by therapists to help people cope more effectively with their lives and reach solutions to problems. Today, visualization is a widely used growth producing technique and a continually expanding movement among health professionals. A visualization process, (Reflective Imagination) became a part of ASB because it is a powerful and effective way to develop personal understanding, create personal changes and it can be done without the help of another. Almost anyone can sit with eyes closed and visualize in an unstructured way (day dream). But we wanted to provide a structure to enable expectant couples to identify, anticipate and prepare for these changes in a personally planned and relevant way.
Research shows that there are many common “themes” associated with pregnancy, birth, and new parenthood. Consequently, the special “Pregnancy Theme Images” were created (taking into account the natural development sequence of thoughts and concerns related to this life event) to reflect these themes and act as a starting point in the Reflective Imagination visualization process. Hence, Reflective Imagination was born.
You and your baby are not the only ones who will undergo dramatic changes during and immediately after pregnancy. Your partner and the rest of your family will also have many adjustments to make especially with the expectations of today’s fathers. (Usually a more active caregiver to his baby than his counterparts of yesteryear).
Our interest in having the whole family make a healthy and unified adjustment to baby’s arrival, prompted the creation of Parent Talk. We knew from our clinical experience and the research of others that couples rarely discuss and plan for their roles as future parents. It can be difficult to have focused, meaningful discussions about pregnancy, your baby and parenthood because it is often such an emotional time. Consequently, parenting has typically been approached haphazardly. Parent Talk will help you consider personal thoughts, strategies, and philosophies about child rearing. These safe, supportive conversations help in the development of a solid, mutually forged foundation for future family life.
The greatest satisfaction and appreciation of the value and power of ASB came through our own experience, the birth of our daughter, Lauren Nicole Satt.
Brian J. Satt, Ph.D.
