The healing journey that brought me to this work started in a more traditional way. I got my start in counseling and community development in 1988, completed a Master’s at Harvard University in 1995 and a certificate of post-graduate study in advanced psychotherapy from Boston University in 1998.

Immersed in the world of psychotherapy, I found that while this work fed me intellectually, it did not feed my soul. I was not convinced that I was helping people to make real changes. Where I felt I had the most impact was in forming deep, personal connections with clients.

I was immersed in the world of the practical and cerebral, though I found truth in the statement that love is the best medicine … to love and be loved is what provides the crucial foundation for healing and transformation.

When it became clear to me that I wanted (needed) to offer that kind of connection in my practice, I trained to become a breathwork facilitator. I learned that the power of the breath, something we are born with and have open access to, brings people into connection with their deep, authentic selves, and that this is, in itself, transformational.

Then, life threw me a curve ball (as life tends to do!), and I suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage (a traumatic brain bleed). I had 2 emergency brain surgeries (along with other invasive medical treatments), was in the hospital for 3 months, and have been in recovery for the past 19+ years. This journey of recovery, which included becoming a mother, has led me to Life itself. It was a miracle that I did not die, that I have had such an amazing recovery, and I vowed to really LIVE this life; and to help others find their own life vitality.

I kept coming back to that truth I had discovered many years previously, that love is the best medicine, and I searched for a way to be of service, to help bring people into alignment with their truest, fullest selves. When I look around, I see how we, as a people, are more and more isolated, our noses buried in our smart phones, and I read about how we humans are becoming more lonely. And I found the answer (well, one of them)! Life’s meaning is found in relationships … with others and with ourselves.

I formed SHEN healing arts to help bring this answer to the world, using the tools of breath, touch and presence. I have continued to offer facilitated breathwork; additionally, I offer guided intimacy journeys, where you are guided to bring more flow ... flow into your breath, your body, your ability to be present ... flow into all your relationships to allow more fullness and connectedness.