My path to psychotherapy was..let’s call it “scenic.” I started with a BA in Drama from San Francisco State – loved the collaborative creativity, hated the part where I had to audition for deodorant commercials to pay rent. So I bailed on acting and taught English in Spain and Ecuador, then somehow ended up working in IT for an investment bank in San Francisco.
Turns out corporate culture and I weren’t a good fit (shocking, I know), so I did what any reasonable person would do: moved to Esalen Institute in Big Sur to figure out my life. There I discovered Gestalt therapy, bodywork, ecstatic dance, and the revolutionary concept that maybe I didn’t need to wear business casual ever again.
I spent the next 20 years as a bodyworker – deeply rewarding work that also taught me I have a finite number of elbows and they were all getting tired. I knew I wanted to go deeper with people, so I finally gathered the courage (and scraped together the money) to get my master’s in psychology with a focus on somatic approaches.
Here’s the thing: the body doesn’t lie. You can’t think your way out of trauma that lives in your nervous system – believe me, people try. That’s why I work somatically, and why I was drawn to ketamine-assisted psychotherapy in 2020. Ketamine helps clients access material that’s usually locked behind ten layers of defense mechanisms and a “I’m fine, really” smile. The transformations I’ve witnessed have been profound.
Turns out all those detours were exactly where I needed to go. Who knew?
Training
- Hakomi Training – Esalen Institute, 2018
- Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples – Sue Johnson, 2019
- Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy – Polaris Institute, 2020 (Modules 1-5)
- Psychedelic Sciences Convention – Denver, 2024
(Advanced MDMA therapy, Sexuality and Psychedelics, Intro to Psychedelic Psychotherapy for Addiction, Music for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy) - End of Life Psychedelic Care – ELOPC.org, 2024 (6 units)
About this website:
Look, I know this site is pretty basic – my apologies. Web design peaked for me around 1996, and I’ve made peace with that. If you’re looking for someone who’s stronger on actual human connection than “content creator” vibes, you’re in the right place. I promise I’m way more impressive in person.