Welcome to the RIM Institute!

Regenerating Images in Memory

Here at the RIM Institute we have a grand mission to minimize individual suffering and maximize internal resources, so all people live healthy, vibrant and successful lives. My name is Dr. Deb Sandella and I originated the RIM Method and the RIM Institute over the last 20 years.

It all began in 1995 when my dad had a cardiac arrest in Kansas where I grew up. His blood pressure wasn't holding and the nurse called to say he was dying. As I hung up the phone, spontaneously, a vision came into my mind's eye, and I saw him walking toward the horizon. I also saw myself upset and yelling, "I'm not ready for you to leave." Slowly, my dad turned to look my way. With a radiant face he said, "Oh, I didn't know you felt that way." When I flew to be at his bedside the next day, I discovered that sometime during the night, his blood pressure had stabilized. He went on to live five of what he called "the best years of his life."

I was shocked by the power of this imaginary experience; "it was all in my mind, wasn't it?" Intrigued, I committed to understand and learn how to harness this curious power. At that time, I was a very successful psychotherapist with twenty-five years of practice and a strong academic background with a Master's in Psychiatric Nursing and a Doctorate in Human Communication. I had taught at the University of Colorado and conducted research through the University of Denver. None of that, however, seemed very significant as I faced my dad's potential death.

Over the last 20 years, I have been on a journey to weave together my knowledge of psychology and communication with an unbounded curiosity to know more of what is available to us in those unused parts of the brain. I have sought to expand the work beyond the psychological to the miraculous. Learn about RIM in my #1 International Bestseller Goodbye Hurt & Pain, 7 Simple Steps to Health, Love & Success.

RIM initially began as a synthesis of techniques that access the subconscious mind directly-Somatic Therapy, Ericksonian Hypnosis and Interactive Guided Imagery and has continued to expand and evolve. Originally, the acronym RIM stood for my book Releasing the Inner Magician so it could be conveniently referenced as a research intervention for people suffering with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). This study found that RIM significantly decreases the symptoms of stress-related illness and significantly increases one's quality of life (Boxwell, 2004). Currently, RIM has evolved into a scientific method for Re-generating Images in Memory.

At the RIM Institute, we have seen remarkable recoveries. Clients stuck in grieving from earlier events like a loved one's suicide or murder find peace in one session. Clients with physical conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson have gone into remission. One client with a "complete" spinal cord injury is walking in braces. Psychologically, clients have freed themselves from traumatic memories, and others have learned how to use RIM to make wise decisions in a split second. We have learned from client feedback that, "When [clients] leave a psychotherapy session [they] feel good. After a RIM session, [they] feel different." RIM clients look and act different too! One spouse remarked about her husband, after his session given as a birthday gift, "He looks ten years younger."

In fact, the RIM process allows clients to re-generate their internal neurologically grounded sense of self in such a profound way, we believe their emotional memory is permanently altered for the better. The latest neuro-science findings support the efficacy of RIM by explaining that the brain and nervous system is "plastic" or changeable. According to researcher Dr. Candace Pert (Molecules of Emotion), our emotional experiences are stored in the body at feeling-specific neurotransmitter sites and can be re-keyed to create different emotions than those feelings to which we have previously been addicted. Since the brain registers an imagined experience similar to a real experience, we can re-generate emotional memory to create neuro-pathways for new endings to old stories. All the while, factual memory remains stable. Finally, during the RIM process, clients integrate a new felt body-experience that translates to automatic or reflexive behavioral, physical, and psychological changes.

Thank you for your interest in RIM. Please peruse the Q & A section and RIM Video FAQs. If you have further questions, feel free to email director@riminstitute.com.

I invite you to accelerate your success in every area of your life by way of a private RIM session or a 4-day RIM personal intensive workshop. If you are a coach, therapist, teacher, manager, or healthcare provider, you can take your clients/employees to another whole level of health and success by employing RIM skills. The RIM Training program offers several levels of expertise. Click here for more information.

Wishing you more happiness than you can imagine,