About
My life began in Philadelphia PA, as the youngest of 5 children in a German/Irish Catholic household. I experienced probably no more or less violence and fear than other women of my time. I've watched women being beaten, felt the cold angry war of a dysfunctional home, and experienced the sweaty hands of the molester, the violence of the abuser and the rapist. As my life continued into my teenage and young adult life, the feeling of always being out of control, and always at the whim of others continued. I knew there had to be more. I only knew how confused I felt about everything in life, and Life in turn, kept providing me with events that overwhelmed, pained and astounded me. Although smart and fearless, I had no idea what I was feeling, or who I was, or why life was moving like it was.
Throughout these years I searched for the meaning of life through jobs in Allopathic medicine; Hospital Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Cardiovascular Research Technician, only to find more walls to my quest. After an automobile accident in 1977, something happened, and I found myself seeking out "alternative" doctors. I didn't even know what that meant until then, but some deep intuition guided me to another way of seeing Health and Healing.
This began a journey that has never ended. I did extensive studies in nutrition, vitamins, herbs, homeopathy, rebirthing, primal therapy, psychic healing, energy medicine, hands-on healing, fasting, acupressure, acupuncture, various modalities of body work, iridology, kinesiology, polarity healing, crystals, channeling, transpersonal psychology, ethnobotany and self help in many forms. Although my pursuit began as an intellectual quest, my personal life began evolving on every level in response to this study. The quest was changing me at my deepest core: my consciousness.
The more I learned, the more I was forced to recognize the existence of many other levels of life. Slowly my acceptance of the “invisible” world solidified. I was having numerous experiences that I could not deny, no matter how logical and rational I tried to be. I was seeing auras and chakras, feeling and moving energy, hearing and seeing spirits, and allowing myself to be guided by them. I was seeing, intuiting and knowing what was going on inside peoples’ bodies. Reluctantly, I accepted my path as a healer.
In 1986, as the single mother of a 4 year old son, I began a course of study in Female Shamanic Healing which would span the next four years, first as student and then as teacher. This path was a three-fold integration of a feminist paradigm with ancient earth-based spirituality and healing forms. It incorporated the fields of art, astrology, tarot, women’s spirituality and history, mythology of the Divine feminine, politics, feminist psychology, Jungian psychology, esoteric studies, yoga, breath, energy work, shamanic journeys, trance work, menstrual medicine, mandalas and dream work. This study acquainted me with altered states of consciousness as a potential healing path.
In September 1990, I entered New College of California to complete my undergraduate studies in Humanities with a focus in Sociology. In January 1991, my mother had a serious stroke, necessitating that I temporarily relocate myself and my son to Pennsylvania. The opportunity to be present for the five month process of her dying was a turning point in my life. It was also an important deepening of my study of non-ordinary states of consciousness. All of the “guidance” for her care came to me through transpersonal experiences such as dreams, visions and journeys. Since she was aphasic (couldn't speak) and paralyzed on her right side, all of our communication was through telepathy with some hand gestures. Her death process was conscious, peaceful and attended with numerous Spirits of friends and relatives in the room, guiding her over. She was at peace and complete. With this experience she gifted me with one of the most important aspects of my education in non-ordinary states of consciousness. The recognition for me was that all work with non-ordinary states is a preparation for the shift that occurs at the death of our physical body. Death is the ultimate non-ordinary state. I completed my Bachelor’s in 1992.
I began my Masters studies at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in Social and Cultural Anthropology, and then shifted to Women’s Spirituality. In August 1993, I experienced a Spiritual Emergence process. This is a period of spiritual opening when dramatic personal transformation can take place, and is often accompanied by challenging spiritual passages. That Spiritual Emergence process led me to finding one of the most important teachers and teachings of my life.
Througout all my years of study, I kept knowing there was a depth of pain that had been unreachable, I finally found a teacher who was able to take me into the depth of my being, hold me in my personal hell, and walk me out the other side. I was able to do this through my work with Psychedelic Medicine. My study of this profound field began as a client, moved into student, and then as teacher in a 7 year apprenticeship in Indigenous medicine. I began to experience the perennial wisdom of Indigenous Rituals and healing practices.
I learned to experience Unconditional Love for the first time in my life and realized that IT was what healed. I learned that the Unconditional Love was in fact Spirit Herself. During this time I was co-owner of a store for healing - Oneisha Healing Tools, where we trained apprencites and held weekly classes on healing. Every quarter we held community Maitri Breathrowk sessions. My life began to take on a new flavor and direction. My life was growing. Both my son and I graduated in 2001, he from high school and me with my Ph.D. in Healing and Non-ordinary States of Consciousness.
Throughout the years I had worked with people as a Healer, but now my capacity to see and feel the Spiritual Realm amplified. My work deepened because I was able to be guided by the Energy and Spirits of the clients I worked with. Over the years I have found that to be true whether I am working in person or on the phone. My client base was no longer limited by geography.
Once again my life is changing. Here you are on my Website, something I never thought I would have. It's scarey and exciting. I'm looking forward to connecting with women and men from all over the country, those who have lived their lives, doing what they thought they should or could, but are still feeling that deep knowing that there is something more. I know that Journey, I know how to take you on that Journey. It is possible to have a Life full of Love, Compassion and Meaning, and most of the traveling will happen within your own body.
Join me in this amazing dance of life, we'll have a good time. I know healing happens with as much laughter as it does introspection. It won't always be easy, but the transformation will always be worth it.
Love and Blessings