Bio

Over the past 40 years, Dr. Susan Bello has passionately taught, researched, written about, and created The I.am.I™ Method of Spontaneous Painting.

Susan received her PhD in 1991 in The Psychology of Art and Expressive Therapy from the Union Institute, Cinn., Ohio; her M.A.degree in 1976 in Humanistic Psychology from California State College, Sonoma; and in 1970 her B.A.degree  in Education and History from New York University. She is a certified Biodanza facilitator, group psychoanalyst, licensed art therapist, and spiritual activist.

She initiated her studies and research into the potentials of human consciousness from 1971 - 1974 in India, studying Vipassana meditation, Buddhism, yoga, and Hinduism. During these years of her spiritual journey she lived with Tibetan refugees in Northern India and Nepal learning carpet weaving.

From 1980 until 1985 she lived in Indonesia and Singapore. She studied painting,  founded the International Women's Artist Association of Singapore and participated in various group exhibits with other members of this association.

Dr. Bello founded and directed the Center of Creation, in Pirenópolis, Goias, Brazil, a retreat center in the mountains for developing creative potential and conducted workshops here in Spontaneous Painting from 1986 – 2000.

From 1985 – 2018 she had lived and worked in Brazil and the United States facilitating workshops and ongoing groups in Spontaneous Painting at various universities and holistic centers. She presented papers in The I.am.I™ Method of Spontaneous Painting at various conferences in Brazil and the United States.

Dr. Bello has created and conducted two Facilitator Training Programs: 2002 – 2004 and 2018 – 2019 in the I.am.I™  Method of Spontaneous Painting ® offered through the Organization for the Arts & Whole Brain Learning and UNIPAZ/DF, Brazil

Dr. Bello is the author of two books: Painting Your Soul: A Method to Develop the Creative Personality (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: WAK) which is now out of print and available for free on the website www.pinturaespontanea.org in Portuguese.  The book Spontaneous Painting: creating the symbol journey, in English is available on Amazon.

Dr. Bello founded and is the Executive Director of the non-for-profit The Organization for the Arts and Whole Brain Learning, Inc. The goal of the organization is to offer lectures, courses and training programs in The I.am.I™ Method of Spontaneous Painting in Brazil and the United States for facilitators working in education, business, hospitals, and prisons 
(www.spontaneouspainting.com and www.pinturaespontanea.org)