About me

My work draws from my education and experiences in the healing arts and sciences in both formal and informal settings. I believe in an integrated approach to wellness, where our spiritual nature is embodied in our terrestrial lives and our lives, in turn, are inspired quite literally by our innate grounding in Divinity.

My academic background includes a Ph.D. in psychology and a certificate in Jungian (archetypal/depth) psychology from Saybrook University in San Francisco, Master degrees in physical therapy and exercise physiology from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia and California State University in Northridge, respectively, as well as a B.S. in exercise science from the University of Oregon. I am currently enrolled in a certificate program with Creation Spirituality Communities, which grew from the deep ecumenical teachings of mystic Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox and focuses on cross-cultural mysticism and the sanctity of all creation.

My approach to my work and education is holistic and is informed by and grounded in my own spiritual practice as well as studies in Vedic, Shakti, Buddhist, indigenous/shamanic, and contemplative wisdom/mystical traditions of all the major world traditions. I have specific training in traditional and contemporary Reiki, Five Element and Ayurvedic Theory/Medicine, and the medicine of Nature and Plant Spirits.

Indigenous societies and worldwide mystical teachings have long recognized the sacred and living nature of the entire Universe, with Mother Earth and all beings as an integral part, whereas Western cultures have learned to deny the spiritual qualities of the Natural World and the more feminine aspects of our existence, such as intuition, holism, and interdependence.

This attitude is apparent in our relationships with ourselves and others, and it is prevalent in our current healthcare system with its exaggerated reliance on the scientific paradigm and its denial of emotional, spiritual, and creative processes as essential to our well-being. Our spiritual nature is not separate from our human nature, our psyche, or our physical experiences. My work with others has grown out of that conviction.

In my own life I seek what the Persian poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi, called “the pilgrimage to the place of the wise, [where one finds] escape from the flame of separateness,” and in doing so I attempt to remain present to those places in my heart that have been broken open and, as worldwide spiritual traditions teach, clear the path to realizing the transformative presence of Divine love and grace within myself, others, and the entire Earth and Cosmos.