About
For over twenty-five years I have researched the mind body connection and, over the last twenty plus years, their interrelation with pure consciousness. Trained in depth psychology, yoga, and craniosacral therapy, I work with clients one-on-one to resolve mental, emotional, and physical blocks which obscure the ever-present alignment of the authentic Self.
At the basis of my psychophysical approach is the development of conscious receptivity of the present moment. Clients transform and heal by means of a multi-layered process which includes: in-depth attuning to their thought patterns and the energy in their nervous systems; meditative and/or contemplative practices; listening to their innate bodymind wisdom and learning to interpret the messages accurately, so authenticity and fulfillment are realized.
My approach is interculturally-informed, with an emphasis on decolonization of the global mindset. As an applied philosopher and cultural critic, my goal is to find solutions on how we might better live our lives.
Working with clients online as well as in person, my practice is international, spanning five continents. My client base is diverse; racially, socio-economically, and in sexual orientation. My practice also draws people from various professional backgrounds including activists, educators, ministers, Hollywood creatives, Broadway actors, musicians, sound engineers, accountants, lawyers, graphic designers, writers, yoga instructors, psychologists and healing artists.
I am the author of Consciousness in Jung and Patañjali (Routledge, 2018) as well as several published papers, including Jung, Yoga and Affective Neuroscience: Towards A Contemporary Science of the Sacred for Cosmos and History: the Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy and Depth Psychology Through the Lens of Classical Yoga: A Reconsideration of Jung’s Ontic Reality for the International Journal of Jungian Studies. My first book chapter, Clear or Distorted: Understanding Our Instruments of Perception and Their Interdependence with Pure Consciousness, was a contribution to Brain, Mind, Cosmos: The Nature of Our Existence and the Universe (Chopra, 2014), a compilation of papers by several scientists and philosophers in the field of consciousness studies including Stuart Hameroff, Menas Kafatos, and Deepak Chopra.
Since 2014, I have taught the yoga philosophy and psychology modules for accredited yoga teacher trainings in Southern California. Beginning in September 2024, I will be offering a two-year training program co-facilitated by my colleague Shilah Sarkissian CPC, E-RYT for Transformation Coaching with An Emphasis in Somatic Integration Therapy.
Interviews about my work can be found on Buddha At the Gas Pump, Shrink Rap Radio, and New Thinking Allowed.
I’m currently serving as a recurring guest host on the New Thinking Allowed Youtube Channel and Podcast, where this season I have interviewed depth psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of Care of the Soul, Thomas Moore; cognitive neuropsychologist and author of No Self No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up To Buddhism and Director of Research of the HeartMath Research Center at the HeartMath Institute, Rollin McCraty, and several others.
I hold two degrees, a Masters degree in Statistics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and a Doctorate in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara California. I live in Southern California with my son and our beloved canines, Korra and Cleo.
In 2023, I founded Center for Transformation and Integration.
At the heart of our mission is the belief that true healing and wellbeing encompass the integration of our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects.
We foster a compassionate and inclusive community where individuals can explore their inner landscapes, develop a deeper understanding of themselves, and embark on a journey of self-realization.
By offering a range of therapeutic modalities, educational resources, and transformative practices, we aim to empower individuals to cultivate authenticity, unlock their full potential, and live a life of purpose and fulfillment.
Our commitment to the inherent interconnectedness of individuals, communities, and the environment drives our work and inspires us to create a safe and empowering space where healing and personal transformation can flourish.
Check out our new website for more information on the Center and our upcoming programs, as well as free meditation and assessment downloads:
“Love is simply the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole.”
~Plato, The Symposium
Exploring consciousness and the mind-body connection
My interest in exploring the mind body connection began in my early twenties when several of my bodily systems began failing me, leading to one autoimmune disease diagnosis after another.
The shock of losing my health and the use of my body at just twenty-three years of age reordered my world and led me onto a path of holistic healing. The profoundly intimate and nuanced relationship between body, mind, and 'soul' slowly started to reveal itself.
My experience during that 6-year period of illness was only the beginning of my journey into a very deep and complex healing process. Although the illness was showing up in my physical body, I was having a spiritual crisis and I did not know it. The issues with my physical health were small steps compared to what was to come. In retrospect, I can say they were preparation.
As I began to heal, I started practicing yoga and have continued to do so ever since. I spent countless hours, days and months wringing myself out on my yoga mat under the guidance of Chuck Miller, Nancy Goldstein, Bryan Kest, Vinnie Marino, John Doyle, Jasmine Lieb and more.
In July of 2000, in one of the yoga rooms, I experienced what is known in the religious studies literature as a pure consciousness event.
In one flash I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the fundamental nature of reality is pure consciousness. That, regardless of how multiple and diverse the world looks to our human eyes, all is one.
This consciousness that I refer to here is self-evident only—and therefore ultimately ineffable. It is not an object that can be named or limited through description, although I presume it to be what many religions refer to as God and Buddhists point to as the bliss-void indivisible.
This psychic experience was reordering and revolutionizing to say the least.
To process this enormous event and find a new definition of the ground my feet were standing on, I began reading and studying everything I could get my hands on that related to psyche and soul. I read a book a week for four years straight.
Filmmaking
I began to find some ground in 2004, whereupon I started work on my second documentary film and first book idea, both currently titled Thirsting for God. Both the film and the book are about the evolution of human consciousness. They both take an in-depth look into the patterns and conditions of the mind and its inherited beliefs, and support the beingness, and pure awareness that lies beyond/behind them.
My first film, The Fire Within, about long-term AIDS survivor Bob Bowers, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2002, has screened on World AIDS Day around the world, ran on The Documentary Channel in 2012 and now streams on Amazon Prime. I chose AIDS as a backdrop due to my own encounter with my immune system, but the story is one about the ‘soul's’ stamina. The film's messages are timeless and universal, and applicable to all of us. At heart, The Fire Within is a documentary about the courage it takes to stay optimistic when the future looks so uncertain.
My hope has always been that the film will not only educate, but also inspire people around the world to look openly at whatever obstacles they face—and to appreciate every day—for life is a gift.
Education
In addition to my creative work, in 2008 I decided to engage my studies in a more rigorous academic setting. I enrolled in Pacifica Graduate Institute where I completed a Doctorate in depth psychology. Depth psychology is a rich subject that loosely merges yoga philosophy, alchemy, and Western science. It is a psychology of the invisible—of what remains unseen to the human eye and unheard by the human ear. It is a psychology that connects us into our deepest selves, through the excavation and development of our multi-sensory perception.
In addition to my academic work at Pacifica, I have also studied CranioSacral Therapy with the Upledger Institute, Interpersonal Neurobiology at the Mindsight Institute in Los Angeles, and received certification to teach yoga from Exhale Sacred Movement in Venice California. The healing modalities I am drawn to, and utilize in my practice, explore our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual connections from profoundly subtle levels.
Drawing from the broad scope of my personal experience, complemented with academic study, my body of work endeavors to bring the voice and capacity of feminine wisdom into prominence so that, alongside discriminatory discernment, a strong foundation of unconditional love, compassion and embodied Knowing is present here on Earth during this next phase of our evolution.
Thank you for visiting.
To learn more about my research in the fields of depth psychology, yoga psychology and affective neuroscience, follow the links below.