Learn about the Fern Hill Center meditation and guided imagery practices
The practices of the Fern Hill Center were devised by Dr. Felipe Jain, MD, in an effort to incorporate principles of psychotherapy into meditation and guided imagery. Specifically, elements of mentalization, or how we understand our own mind and that of others, are built into the practices. For example, in the Situation Solver practice, you will first imagine yourself and your feelings during a challenging situation, and then imagine yourself as a loved one sees you when they interact with you, and also how they feel internally. This enables a deeper understanding and ability to cope with interpersonal challenges based on an improved understanding of the mind. The practices also incorporate elements drawn from physics pertaining to the interconnectedness within all things, and invite the participant to meditate on their Source as they understand it – whether a personal God, a mystery of nature or something else.
The Fern Hill Center practices have been researched in group programs by Dr. Felipe Jain and Dr. Liliana Ramirez Gomez at Harvard Medical School, and prior to that at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, San Francisco. Some of the promising findings reported in these initial research studies have been improvements in negative psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety, and improvements in positive qualities such as well-being and mindfulness. The techniques have also shown feasibility and demonstrated promising mood improvements when delivered by mobile application (which has information similar to this website but also provides daily practice reminders!) Dr. Jain developed the Fern Hill Center website to post the instructions in an accessible manner to a general audience.
To access the written meditation instructions and audio recordings, you will be prompted to create a free login account.
We advise that you read about and then try the practices in the order listed below.
Gentle Stretching and Breathing Meditation
Centered Awareness – “Eye in the Center”
