Psychedelics & Extreme States of Consciousness

Something opened. Now you're trying to make sense of what emerged.

Altered states of consciousness can bring profound insight - and they can also be disorienting, destabilizing, or difficult to integrate alone.

When altered states are sought, we lay the groundwork for a safe, informed, and supportive environment to help you on your journey towards personal growth and healing. For all extreme states of consciousness, intended or unexpected, integration therapy offers a relational container to:

  • Process and make meaning of what arose

  • Ground insights in your daily life and relationships

  • Work with material that surfaced - grief, trauma, clarity, identity

  • Navigate spiritual openings or difficult experiences

I bring both professional training and personal understanding to this work. You don't need to explain or justify the experience - just bring it.

I am proud to support Alchemy Community Therapy Center in bringing ketamine-assisted therapy to marginalized communities.

Relevant Training, Research & Experience

  • Adherence Rater, clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, Lykos Therapeutics(formerly MAPS Public Benefit Corporation) (2023 - as needed). Review therapy session videos and conduct adherence ratings according to A Manual for Adherence Ratings of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, identify any potential major therapy adherence deviations and report on areas of concern and strength of the therapists.

    MAPS Adherence Rating for MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training (Spring/Summer 2022)

    MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training Program, Parts A – D (Sep 2019 – May 2022)

    Organizing Committee, Psychedelics, Madness, and Awakening: Harm Reduction and Future Visions (2020)

    Doctoral Dissertation, California Institute of Integral Studies (2008 -2012). The Healing Power of Dance: A Phenomenological Study of “Being Moved” Facilitated by the Use of Entheogens.

    A Jungian Perspective on Working with PTSD Survivors in MDMA-Assisted Therapy, Jung Institute of San Francisco (2018)

    Cultural and Political Perspectives on Psychedelic Science, California Institute of Integral Studies (2018)

    Lecturer, California Institute of Integral Studies PsyD Colloquium, "Advances in Qualitative Research of Lived Experience: Ayahuasca Shamanism, Embodied Transformation, and Inner Guidance" (2013)

    Guest Lecturer, California Institute of Integral Studies, “Systematic Methods of Exploring Psychedelic Experiences” for Integrative Health Research course taught by Leslie Gray, PhD. (2012)

    “Cartographie Psychedelica”, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (2011)

    “Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century”, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (2010)

    “Existential psychology, death and dying, and psychedelic-enhanced psychotherapy”, Independent Study, California Institute of Integral Studies (2009)

    “Nepalese Shamanism, Trance, Psychoactive Plants and Mushrooms”, Psychoactivity 2 Conference, Dhulikhel, Nepal (Oct 2001)

    “Entheogenic Ethnobotany”, Entheobotany Seminars, Palenque Field Course, Palenque, Mexico (Feb 2000)

    Research Assistant, UCLA Department of Psychology (1999 - 2000) Animal Models of Psychosis: Comparing Regular Amphetamines with Hallucinatory Amphetamines in terms of Behavior and Degeneration in Brain. (Sponsoring Professor:  Gaylord Ellison, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience)

    Albert Hofmann Friday Night Dinners a.k.a. “The Venice Salon” hosted by Kathleen Wirt where the intelligentsia of the psychedelic community gathered to discuss everything related to the study of human consciousness (1997 - 2000).

  • Guest Teacher, Alchemy Community Therapy Center, Oakland, “Psychosis or Spiritual Emergence?” (2024)

    Guest Teacher, Sage Institute for Psychedelic Therapy, Oakland, “Psychosis or Spiritual Emergence?” (2022)

    Co-Founder & Licensed Psychologist, Big Picture Wellness (2017 - 2020). Psychotherapy and Consultation as part of coordinated team holding expertise in extreme states, psychiatric crises, spiritual emergencies, peer support, wellness and recovery support services.

    Organizing Committee, Psychedelics, Madness, and Awakening: Harm Reduction and Future Visions (2020)

    Madness or Spiritual Awakening? Dina Tyler & Will Hall (Aug 2018)

    Working with Trauma, Dissociation, and Psychosis, Ron Unger (May 2016)

    Psychologist (Independent Contractor), Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis (PREP), San Francisco (2016 - 2017). Conducted diagnostic assessments and advised on assessment of psychosis and differentials.

    Guest Lecturer, Dominican University of California, "Psychosis and the Treatment of Psychosis" for Abnormal Psychology course taught by Jason Butler, PhD. (2013)

    Staff Clinician PREP, East Bay Community Recovery Project, Oakland (2013 - 2014). Individual, group, family psychotherapy, and diagnostic assessments for community based treatment program serving transitional aged youth (16 – 24 years old) demonstrating early psychosis. Advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp). Trained in Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) I and QSANS/QSAPS Training, emphasis on differential diagnosis of psychotic disorders.

    Research Assistant, UCLA Department of Psychology (1999 - 2000) Animal Models of Psychosis: Comparing Regular Amphetamines with Hallucinatory Amphetamines in terms of Behavior and Degeneration in Brain. (Sponsoring Professor:  Gaylord Ellison, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience)