I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in the darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.
I’m a seeker and a wanderer – I’ve traveled all over the world meeting interesting people, healers, dog treadmill salesmen. I’ve lived abroad twice, and I have mastered the art of celebrating life in foreign countries while having absolutely no idea how to ask where the bathroom is. (Charades works surprisingly well – also pleading eye contact – very effective.)
The ecstatic dance community has been a constant source of healing and joy in my life, and I’ve had a past life teaching Soul Motion back in the early 2000’s. If you’re feeling stuck, heavy, or like you’ve forgotten you have a body below your neck, I cannot recommend ecstatic dance enough. “But I can’t dance!” Perfect. That’s the whole point. You’ll be welcomed with open arms and honestly, watching people flail around joyfully is almost as therapeutic as doing it yourself.
I hold an MA in Counseling Psychology from Meridian University, a program focused on humanistic, client-centered approaches that don’t involve making you lie on a couch while someone takes notes. For me, psychotherapy is about cultivating the deeper stuff – courage, compassion, the ability to actually show upas yourself – so you can live more fully and with less bs getting in the way.
I was a licensed massage therapist for 20 years (RIP, my elbows and low back), which taught me that the body holds what the mind tries to forget. You can talk about your feelings all day, but sometimes you just need to get out of your head and remember you’re a mammal with a nervous system and not a brain on a stick.
In 2020, I began studying Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) through Polaris Insight Institute in San Francisco. I work with a physician who assesses clients and prescribes ketamine when appropriate. If you’re curious about KAP, let talk about how it might work for you.
I’ve co-facilitated workshop on meditation and healing at Esalen Institute and breitenbush in Oregon, because apparently I can’t stay away from hot springs, redwood trees, and people who want to talk about their feelings while naked. (The hot springs, not the feelings. Well, sometimes both.)
Bottom line: I believe in staying curious, asking hard questions, laughing when possible, and finding ways to be more fully human together – preferably without taking ourselves too seriously.
