Our Work Together

“On many long journeys have I gone. And waited, too, for others to return from journeys of their own. Some return; some are broken; some come back so different only their names remain.” -Yoda 

I hold a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and am formally trained as a clinical psychologist.  I currently practice as an anxiety specialist, rather than a psychologist, because my conceptualization of and applied approach to mental health “disorder” is more like that of a shaman, focusing on healing soul injury, rather than treating the surface-level symptoms of “pathology," as prescribed by the Western Medical Model.  More specifically, I see mental health concerns as normal reactions to abuse, neglect or other traumas (i.e., as soul injuries), rather than a constellation of symptoms (e.g., loss of interest, anxiety, sadness) that make up a problem or disorder (e.g., Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder).  And, I heal the root cause (soul injury), rather than the surface-level symptoms, which is different than the Western Medical Model’s (traditional psychology’s) focus primarily on symptom reduction.  

Western treatments are designed to fit into a managed care or insurance-based model of treatment (i.e., profit focused): Treat as many people as possible, in as little time as possible, so we can increase our profit margin as much as possible.  This model is concerned with knocking down symptoms quickly and efficiently, then sending people on their way.  It’s essentially assembly line healthcare.  And, along those lines, it views patients as assembly line workers, widgets in the corporate-state’s machine.  This model is concerned only with efficiently turning people back into functioning (i.e., profitable) members of society.  

Does this treatment approach work?  Well, it depends on what your goal is.  If your goal is to become a profitable widget with fewer unpleasant symptoms, then sure, I suppose it works. If your goal is transformation through soul healing and a richer, more meaningful life, then I’d suggest a different approach.  

If you had met me several years ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about taking a traditional Western approach.  I would have diagnosed you with a mental health disorder(s), picked out a manualized treatment protocol tailored to your disorder(s), and we would have set out to rid you of your irritating symptoms.  It wasn’t until my own life fell apart that I fully realized how inadequate the Western Medical Model is in treating mental health “disorder.”  The usual suspects weren’t working for me, so I got desperate and started trying anything, including methods that were considered taboo and ineffectual in my graduate program because they were too esoteric, mystical, and unscientific.  Well, I’m here to tell you that these taboo, ineffectual, esoteric, mystical, and unscientific methods quite literally saved my life.  Not only that, since I’ve begun using them with my clients, they are improving faster and reporting richer, more meaningful lives, rather than simply an absence of unpleasant symptoms.  

The primary components of the healing work I do are 1) healing soul injuries resultant from abuse, neglect, other traumas; this includes familial trauma, passed down the generations (i.e., the sins of the father); and 2) developing spirituality, the understanding that we aren’t alone in the universe, that there is magic, help, and divine/universal guidance, if we are open to and willing to ask for assistance.  

In order to heal soul injuries, I use Internal Family Systems Therapy, which conceptualizes our individual selves as comprised of many selves, an internal family system, with young children, teenagers, protectors, authoritarian parent figures, etc.  These parts are all trying to be helpful, the problem is that they don’t often know how to work together, or “stand down” when it’s in the best interest of the greater whole.  You probably know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever reacted to a situation and upon reflection have said, “What the hell did I just do?  That wasn’t me.”  If that happened, odds are that one of your parts took the proverbial wheel and ran everyone into the ditch. The goal of this work is to get all of the parts to communicate and work together more effectively, so each knows its role and when it’s time to take charge.  I do use components of traditional, evidence-based methods like Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy, because, although these are Western methods, if applied in a tailored (rather than the usual rigid, manualized) way, can be quite helpful.  I also use Jungian analysis and work with various archetypes, which are symbolic concepts that transcend culture and linear time (e.g., Trickster, Fool, King, Wounded Healer).  We work on identifying and working with shadow, the aspects of us that our ego doesn’t want to acknowledge, and as such, has relegated to the “shadows” of our unconscious/soul, where we lose touch with them (until we project them onto others and the world).  We also work with dreams, which are especially useful because they allow us to circumvent the ego’s control and get right to the unconscious/soul.  Further, I use shamanic tracking, the ability to enter your psychic space to find things that you might not be able to find yourself because ego blocks these things from consciousness.  There are many, many other methods I use, but this should provide you with a nice sampling.  

To develop spirituality, I apply a combination of Jungian analysis, quantum physics, The Law of Attraction, shamanism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Paganism to help clients work with signs, synchronicities, symbols, dreams, and messages from the universe/god(s)/goddess(es)/divine/source, for the purpose of guiding their lives and to promote healing.  When we understand that we are not alone, floating in a meaningless cosmic vacuum of nothingness, being flung about against our will in a purposeless existence, just waiting to die, life becomes a lot brighter and not surprisingly, worth living.  Who knew?  I teach clients to bring purpose, meaning, and magic back into their lives, to find their destiny, and live in alignment with their soul’s values and calling.