“I believe strongly in the balance of learning to embody peace both inwardly and outwardly in order to create a more just and harmonious world.”
Inspired by a strong desire to experience peace...
I have vacillated between having my attention on issues of social justice and on personal healing and growth. I believe in the balance of learning to embody peace both inwardly and outwardly in order to create a more just and harmonious world.
I draw on my training in Somatic psychology as a graduate student along my continuing education that includes certifications in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), Sensory-Motor Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). I incorporate wisdom gained from Anusara yoga, massage, dance, and other body practices; all intent upon invigorating the physical and emotional bodies and building conscious awareness of our psyches with the goal of expanding our self-awareness and building agility towards new ways of being.
My studies of numerous spiritualities and work in social change movements serve to broaden my vision and scope of work. I have
years of experience working in diverse communities of people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, survivors of sex abuse, and families exposed to domestic violence. In this time I have witnessed and learned deep compassion, I’ve gained the strength to face unbearable circumstances and I have been gifted the opportunity to witness thousands of miracles on the path to wellness. And, perhaps most importantly, I am inspired to join you on your journey after years of commitment to my own ongoing healing and transformation.
In the realm of social justice I have helped to train high school and college students to run successful environmental campaigns with groups like Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, and the Sierra Club. I helped to form community coalitions, media campaigns , and street theater around the 1999 World Trade Organization protests and the 2000 World Bank and International Monetary Fund protests. Over the years, I have continued to organize and take part in events large and small calling for social justice and environmental stewardship.
In 2001-2003 I completed two yoga teacher trainings focusing on anatomy and philosophy . It was here that my passion for embodiment was born as I began to experience personally the realms of my physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual self. Later I went on to finish a Thai massage training in Chiang Mai, Thailand and to receive my massage certification from the World School of Massage in San Francisco.
In 2006 I complete a masters degree from Naropa University’s extension school in Oakland, CA. The program was called the Indigenous Mind and was focused on unearthing the truths of our histories all the way back to the time we lived in indigenous tribes. This work is a reclaiming of what was lost and a healing of wounds instigated by colonization. It largely informs how I work as a psychotherapist in understanding what has been passed down through our ancestral lineages.
In 2010 I completed a second masters degree in Somatic Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and am currently a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the states of California and Massachusetts. I have taught as an Adjunct Professor at CIIS. I have also earned certifications in the systems listed above.
Throughout my life I have devoted myself to both social change movements and to healing work. What I have come to understand is that, for me, investing in social change is about creating peace outwardly. Investing in personal change is about creating peace inwardly. I believe in peace.