GET CERTIFIED IN OUR 150 HOUR TRAINING

Next SMGI® live online training in Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® led by Gina Vance: Meets weekly beginning March 15, 2025, ends September 13, 2025.

This immersive online training and professional certification program equips participants to safely and effectively guide others. The skills taught can be the foundation of a career as an SMGI® Guide, and a complement to many other kinds of services.

Happens once a year. Next opportunity to take this training will be March 2026.

All Live Sessions Recorded for Later Viewing!

Shine your light, share your gifts, help others.

Regardless of where you are in your process or on your life-path, you can help make this world a better place. You don’t need to be perfectly educated or perfectly healed to be able to shine your light and walk your path of destiny. You can offer service from the divine in you to the divine in others. Even if you feel like you or your life is a mess, your inner light is divine perfection.

Our trauma-informed certificate training gives you the methods and delivery support to create healing. The healing doesn’t come from you, but is a collaboration between your divine self and another’s divine self.

Our trauma-informed certificate training happens once a year, and unfolds over six months. With weekly live sessions, pre-recorded lectures, printable outlines, guidelines and how-to lists. This accessible, thorough training also provides business building support to help you in getting found by those seeking what you offer.

Move yourself and those you serve beyond current limits with trauma-informed, evidence-based mind-body tools, rooted in ancient practices, that empower radical transformation in gentle ways.

“Gina Vance is a brilliant teacher of her brilliant program of SMGI®. Much like her theory of how simple journey work can be, so is the organization of the program. Each week flowed, combining a group meeting, a video lecture, along with a practicum and various suggested readings. A cohesive and comprehensive program for all types of learners and healers. I highly recommend finding out more about SMGI®.” 

— Elizabeth Darnell Traub, SMGI® Guide, MA Somatic Psychology and Master Yoga Instructor, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

HEAR FROM STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE OF THE TRAINING COURSE.

A journey together.

We’ll journey together as a group over six months, with weekly live interactive sessions. All live sessions are recorded for later viewing if missed.

You’ll learn to guide others on inner-journeys of discovery, exploration and healing, and you’ll get to experience how easy this protocol makes it to get to deep places, great wisdom and phenomenal power - in yourself as a journeyer, and in those you guide into and through their inner world.

We’ll have rich experiences together in safe ways. Experiences you’ll find are changing you, and bringing confidence in the SMGI® protocol and its benefits for those in your life.

“This training has given me an amazing foundation to help shift my career into helping people subconsciously. I’ve been given and shown a tool that can better humanity. There’s a lot of somatic work available now, but this, this work is cutting-edge.”

— Mark Christian Bacigalupi, SMGI® Guide, NICASIO, CA

How is SOMATIC MINDFUL GUIDED IMAGERY® different than other popular healing methods?

 
  • If you value the way Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, developed by Francine Shapiro, reduces the charge activation of traumatic episodes, you’ll love how SMGI® empowers the completion of incomplete rites of passage, leading to an experience of achievement, triumph and initiated wisdom.

  • If you admire the “bottoms up” philosophy of Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easily, gently and quickly SMGI® gets you resourced so you can release the unexpressed survival responses held, stored and carried in the mind-body system.

  • If you appreciate the Internal Family Systems model, developed by Richard Schwartz, you’ll love how SMGI® simplifies parts work, with some similar, yet different understandings and protocols that heal and integrate the various parts quickly and gently in simple ways.

  • If you know of the benefits of releasing deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma with the Trauma Releasing Exercises developed by David Berceli, you’ll appreciate the subtle and gentle ways SMGI® supports one’s own Natural Expulsive Reflex to release what’s no longer beneficial from the mind-body systems.

  • If you’ve heard how psychotherapy has benefitted from incorporating Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment, developed by Janina Fisher, into a less pathologizing way to increase motivation to overcome self-destructive impulses, you’ll be relieved to know that with the simple formula in SMGI®, you can support healing of complex trauma by allowing the client’s own inner wisdom to show the way.

  • If you admire the way the psychotherapeutic method of Compassionate Inquiry, developed by Gabor Maté, explores the root cause of addictive behaviors along with the distorting impacts of traumas, while helping the therapist uncover what’s beneath the surface, so they can create recognition and liberation, then you’ll love the ease of the SMGI® steps that educe all this from the client’s own inner wisdom in a way that is ideally suited to support their desired outcomes.

  • If you value focus on calming inner chaos while resolving the root cause of problems, and ending traumatic events without reliving them, as with the Instinctual Trauma Response model developed by Louis Tinnin and Linda Gantt, you’ll be surprised at how little mapping-out of the details of traumatic events is required with SMGI®, as your inner wisdom takes you to where you need to go to create the results you desire.

  • If you’ve explored the benefits of bringing your attention into the present moment in a nonjudgemental way, you’ll find the SMGI® version of Mindfulness to be super simple to use, easy to incorporate on your feet, eyes-open, in up-tempo life situations, and a quick trick for calming, settling and stabilizing your nervous-system.

  • While high quality Guided Imagery has been shown to support sometimes miraculous change, the invitational and interactive way it’s used in the SMGI® formula incorporates an elegant trifecta of receptive, directive and interactive forms that educe your own most beneficial images, according to your own inner wisdom. With this model, there’s no need for the facilitator-guide to come up with images for the client-journeyer to comply with.

  • In 1800s Paris, France, Dr. Pierre Janet primarily used hypnosis with hospitalized trauma patients to help them heal, with astounding results. Though it went out of fashion for a while due to politics in conventional therapy at the time, its power and popularity have remained in the background, until its recent resurgence in popularity, as it has continued to resolve trauma in the hands of skilled practitioners - even before conventional psychotherapy came round to naming PTSD and later rediscovering that trauma is healable. SMGI® incorporates and demystifies some of the most beneficial elements of Hypnotherapy in easy, simple, clear ways, and shows how our most ancient ancestors used it to heal with the power within.

  • Really a category of a style of journeying within, Shamanism has been something all peoples have practiced to communicate with multiple levels of existence, experience, and life-forms to access information, personal power and healing. SMGI® goes beyond conventionally taught shamanism with simple steps that connect you to your power and resources, so you can clear your inner clutter, and retrieve your soul fragments so you can be whole, integrated and free.

  • The best Life Coaching draws your own best ideas and solutions out of you and helps you realize your strengths. SMGI® incorporates powerful subconscious blocks clearing methods along with specific coaching components that help you access the power of your deepest desires, so that you will be easily propelled into and beyond the dreams in your soul.

“This course is filled with a treasure trove of insight, information and clear guidelines. The methods and techniques are conveyed easily and concisely. This is an easy, effective and powerful protocol to resolve issues of trauma more quickly.”

— Jean-Pierre Weingarten, SMGI® Guide & Sacred Energy Optimizer, MILL VALLEY, CA

Curriculum

 
 

Weekly Live Sessions Online

We meet every week online for six months of fun, inspiring, and impactful sessions that demonstrate the exercises. Our group trainings provide ample interaction with Gina, your instructor, as well as with each other, so you’ll get the greatest benefit in our time together. Depending on your class size, our sessions are a little over two hours.

Downloads of Guidelines

You’ll be supported every step of the way with weekly downloads to walk you through the steps of the protocol. You’ll get diagrams and other helpful information you can organize in your own manual, to refresh your memory of a step, and share helpful information with your clients. Most of the video lecture-tutorials are downloadable as well.

Practical Experience

The evidence-based skills that you will learn have been documented to help lower levels of stress, improve mood, enhance resiliency and optimism, and help prevent chronic health conditions. We’ll move through them together in our weekly Live Sessions, and you will practice giving and receiving many sessions with your classmates.

 

Pre-recorded Video Tutorials

Our video lectures are amusing as well as richly informative, and range from under one hour, to a bit over two hours each week.

Business Building Support

Every. Step. Of. The. Way. Our business building support sections nudge you along each week, so you can easily market and prosper.

Community

The richly sweet bonds we develop over our six months together provide a lasting community of professional and personal resources.

 

Enrollment is $6,700

“Gina’s SMGI® training is a fantastic value. Gina has put tremendous thought into constructing the training. I was amazed by the depth and breadth of the content as well as how Gina has managed to integrate many different healing traditions and her own lived experience into the training. The live sessions and the trades ensured that the content did not remain theoretical but was grounded in practice. I grew personally and professionally in taking the training.

Through my recently completed schooling in psychology, I realized that SMGI® ties together all of the components of what is currently the state of knowledge in trauma treatment in a simple and elegant manner. Plus there are things included in SMGI® that mainstream trauma treatment does not know about or is not yet talking about (at least publicly).”

Sanjeev Balarajan, Coach & Somatic Journey Guide, Internal Family Systems (IFS) Practitioner, Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® Practitioner, Brainspotting Practitioner, MA in Psychology (AMFT), PALO ALTO, CA

“SMGI®, or Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery®, is a process that produces profound effects. This course teaches one to be a guide and it is rich with information and the Zoom classes are very engaging. Not only did I learn to be a confident guide, but also got so much more out of it. I highly recommend the class.”

Kirsten Kuhlmann

Kirsten Kuhlmann, Inner Journey Guide POINT REYES STATION, CA

“The 6-month intensive SMGI® training with Gina Vance was truly life-changing. The course content was like gold—so rich and comprehensive. What Gina taught us far exceeded the value of the investment. Her patience and non-judgmental approach were exceptional. I truly mean that, as she met every person in the training exactly where they were, regardless of differing viewpoints. I have never encountered someone so deeply accepting in my entire life, and it has transformed me forever.

I highly recommend this training to everyone, even if you’re not pursuing a healing profession. For your own life’s journey, this is one of the best methods available. It teaches you to tap into your own inner resources, instead of relying on therapists, shamans, healers, or scientists. The empowerment and clarity you gain are invaluable.

This course has not only helped me heal many parts of myself, but it has also empowered me to help others on their healing journeys. It’s hands down the best training I’ve ever taken, and it’s made me more committed to contributing to a world where we can all live with more peace and joy.”

Raji Navis, Psychotherapist, Brainspotting, and SMGI® Practitioner, SIDNEY, AUSTRALIA

“When I signed up for the SMGI® training course I thought it would be like any other class. I was wrong. There was no wasted time or lessons in this course, yet it was gentle and life-paced learning. The most beneficial part to me was the hands on practice. I loved it. By the second month of the course people were noticing a happy, more confident change in me. Indeed, as I was learning to help others I was getting helped myself. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of others”

AmyAnna Soto, SMGI® Guide MINNESOTA, USA

“I have spent years studying healing modalities like Past Life Regression, hypnosis and shamanic practices. I believe that SMGI® is the best modality for its effectiveness in getting to the heart of the matter in a quicker and more efficient manner. I would recommend SMGI® sessions to anyone wanting to improve themselves. It is especially transformational for someone who has experienced any form of trauma. Also for anyone who is a healer, the SMGI® course is a must.”

Mark McAdams SMGI® Guide NEWPORT BEACH, CA

“What can I say about this class, except sign up for it the next time it's available! I'm so glad I did! This training is a wonderful opportunity for those who truly want to better their lives and the lives of others. I've known Gina Vance for several years and I still continue to be amazed by her. She is an extremely gifted mind, body, spirit guide/coach. She has developed this comprehensive course which is perfectly suited for both experienced healers and practitioners, as well as for those from other walks of life. If you have the desire to help others tap into their inner resources, so they can gently heal from past trauma and feel happier within themselves, then take this class! You may be surprised by all that can be accomplished through SMGI®.”

Sue Westgate, SMGI® Guide Inner Allies & Alliances Coach, SOULSBYVILLE, CA

“This training was not only on how to become a better healer but was a training on how to have a better life. Be a better human/friend/parent. This was the best part of my week and unlike anything I could possibly have expected or imagined”.

Michelle McKayla SMGI® Guide, Psychic Medium, SAUSALITO, CA

“These tools are so profound, they just go straight to the point, they get right to the heart of what is really happening without all the thinking or trying to understand”.

Leila Samrad, MFT, SAUSALITO, CA

“Somatic Mindful,Guided Imagery® is a deep therapeutic tool that addresses trauma in a very different way than many therapies. The beauty of this work is the adaptability to whatever comes up in each person. Ultimately, what comes up in that moment is exactly what needs to be experienced. Every individual holds the secrets to healing themselves. I’ve seen miracles unfold with this work.”

Mark Christian Bacigalupi, Somatic Imagery Guide Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Access Bars Facilitator, intuitive healer NICASIO, CA

“I didn't know what to expect and had no specific goal in mind when I signed up, but after three years of experiencing the profound transformation that SMGI® brought to my life from my private sessions, I knew I wanted to continue the journey. Gina shared her incredible experience and wealth of knowledge, which inspired and empowered me even further. I now feel like I have the tools to fully incorporate SMGI® into my daily life, and I am so grateful for this ongoing growth.”

Rachel Walsh, DANVILLE, CA

“Gina’s SMGI® training is perfectly suited for anyone with the desire to help others to find their path in the world while forging their own unique journey. In nearly every class session, someone spoke of the transformational power of this work - whether for themselves, a client, or loved ones. This world-class training acts as a catalyst, propelling both you and your clients towards self-illumination and lasting transformation. It doesn’t just unlock your inner wisdom; it’s a key that opens a treasure chest of insights and revelations - turning your soul into a wellspring of knowledge, ready to assist and uplift your clients. If you're drawn to the art of healing, I wholeheartedly urge you to enroll in this course. It's like a magical elixir that empowers you to mend yourself and extend the magic to those around you.”

Paula Stockamp SMGI® Guide, breathwork facilitator, breath coach, PEORIA, AZ

“Of the many programs I've studied, nothing has compared to the thoughtful presentation and the depth and breadth of content in Gina Vance's Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® training. This work leaves every trainee and every client elevated and inspired to learn that, in fact, no matter what they are dealing with, "It's all healable" with this beautiful, gentle work. Gina radiates the kind of quiet confidence that is only earned through years of competence and caring. Her sincerity is transparent; she walks her talk. She is knowingness and love. Beyond developling this system that helps everyone who's called to experience it, Gina is an excellent teacher who is responsive to every student's needs. Unlike any other approach to healing I've studied, developing your business is part of the cirriculum! So while you're studying and practicing, you're also looking at how you want to present yourself in the world as a practitioner. If you're looking for a turnkey new business that's primed for success because of the results your future clients will experience, SMGI® training is it. If you're looking for a way to help people up-level their inner worlds in a way that spills over into their outer lives and spreads new-found joy, SMGI® training is it.”

Dr. Sam Rhame, Mind-Body Mentor, SMGI® Guide, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

“I found the SMGI® training course during a big life transition, and it completely changed the way that I approach inner healing. This modality is simple, profoundly effective and FUN! The course is well thought out, organized and clear. Gina is a great mentor who is there for you every step of the way, and she provided me with effective tools on how to launch, market and run my business with SMGI®. Over these six months, I grew as an individual, but also as a businessperson. Thank you Gina!”

Maya Holland SMGI® Guide, Energy Medicine® practitioner, LARKSPUR, CA

“I felt called to go in a different direction after being in the same field I’ve been in for over 10 years, but I had no idea where to begin or what to do. This course gave me every tool I needed to start and succeed, and I can honestly say that I feel I have everything I need now to continue in the direction that feels more in line with my higher self and calling. From business support, to spiritual practices that are helpful for myself and others, to learning SMGI® and how to guide others, this course really has everything that is needed to set you up for success. Additionally, meeting with Gina and the group every week gave me the opportunity to ask as many clarifying questions as I needed. I felt very supported the entire time.”

Alison Diefenbach, SMGI® Guide, CONCORD, CA

“I am completely impressed by the vastness, and ease of this powerful, yet in depth program. Everything needed to support the students is all there. Gina is the ultimate leader, always supporting us, without judgement or pressure. She is a true example of a genuine, caring human wanting the best for humanity. Much respect and love for this work. Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® changed my life and will continue to in the future.”

Shelby Snyder, SMGI® Guide Trainee, certified in massage, cranio sacral, reflexology, qi gong, acupressure & more, MODESTO, CA

“I decided to join SMGI® training so I could use additional transformational tools in my existing coaching and energy healing business; I also appreciated the business aspects of the SMGI® training, to fine tune my marketing and business development efforts. 

I love to learn and this certification exceeded my expectations. Gina is a masterful guide and teacher and provided the perfect combination of hands-on learning, live sessions, recorded lessons and actual client sessions and classmate consults as examples. And, unlike other trainings, you'll not only learn SMGI® and become certified to serve others, but you'll go through your own personal development and healing journey as a result of all the classmate practice sessions (one of my favorite parts). Thanks Gina!”

Kathy Zering, Inner Guidance Coach & Energy Channel at Energy Rapport™ CHARLOTTE, NC

“Truly life changing! Not only for your clients, but for you personally. I signed up for the course without ever having an SMGI® session myself. That's right! I personally, had never experienced a session! So, how did I end up as an SMGI® practitioner? All I can say is the Universe lead me and I listened to my intuition. It's not a coincidence that you are reading this. You were lead here, just as I was. This 6 month intensive training will change you in amazing ways and teach you how to bring this gentle, easy and profound healing modality to those seeking a better life. Gina Vance has structured a curriculum and guidelines that provide the framework for success for her students. Through numerous hours of class time, practicum training, and one on one learning sessions with Gina, she is able to maintain the integrity and success of SMGI® while passing on her extensive knowledge to the next group of love workers and healers. Remember, you are only one decision away from a totally different life!”

Melissa Brunetti, Certified SMGI® Practitioner, MODESTO, CA

“This training was absolutely life changing. I feel very well prepared, I got amazing resources, I loved the community aspect of it and the content is wonderful. I have been in search of trainings like this one because I feel like most of the trainings you have to do many different things to get the information that you need, but this course is well packed with all the information that I need.”

Valeria Ros, KIRKLAND, WA

“After working through my personal trauma healing with Gina Vance, what a gift I have been given in learning how to serve others who seek a unique and effective path to healing. Thank you Gina for sharing this amazing program with us and for training us to Guide others the way you have Guided us.”

Nica Shaw

Nica Shaw, SMGI® Guide, BUCKEYE, AZ

“Gina Vance is a truly skilled and inspiring teacher. Gina has truly gone above and beyond in terms of the amount of support she offers her students- both with the high quality content she provides in the course, and her personal time, commitment and dedication she’s invested in sending out into the world impassioned, skilled, and and knowledgable new SMGI® practitioners. What a gift this is to all that suffer from trauma and haven't been able to find real healing and relief through traditional means.”

Regina Gold, SMGI® Guide, Clarity Breathwork Practitioner, SAN RAFAEL, CA

“Taking the training course for SMGI® with Gina Vance has been nothing short of truly groundbreaking. I have learned so much about the way we humans think, process thoughts and emotions, and how we truly have the power within to better understand ourselves and our loved ones; how to process trauma in ways that are gentle and provide for new levels of growth, understanding, compassion and self-love. I consider this course pivotal for those who practice any healing arts, and for those who may wish to learn how they may help themselves continue to heal and grow with grace through their human experience and everything it throws their way. In my opinion, this is not about the end game, but about making the most of every step during one's journey through life.”

Keri Briones, SMGI® Guide, SAUSALITO, CA

“This course changed my business and my life. I was able to see things that were working and not working in both areas. I was able to witness growth in my business, my clients lives and my personal life. The course content is thorough, extensive, supportive and organized. Gina is authentic and a sparkling gem in the world of coaching. She has created a unique, effective way to help others reach their fullest potential. I will be coming back next year for a deeper dive.”

Kellie Murphy, SMGI® Guide, CADC I Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor; Certified Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery®; Mindfulness Meditation Facilitator, BEND, OR

Coming soon!

SMGI® Guide, SAN RAFAEL, CA

“This work has released my creativity and imagination. I plunged into the SMGI® work as a true beginner. Over the six months of training, I learned how to release and access my creativity – and playfulness – like never before. I also developed more trust in my own inner voice and sense of intuition.”

Leslie Lawton, Creative Director at Connected Communications Marketing Firm, MARIN COUNTY, USA

Reach further with our SMGI® Guide certificate training.