I came to the healing arts from a long career in the performing arts. I have been a dancer, choreographer, producer, university professor, and arts administrator. These experiences fostered the creativity that I bring to my healing work.
My curious nature brought me to energy work and shamanism. I wanted to know how energy affects the body, what the worlds of "non-ordinary reality" held and something about the spirits that live there. My compassionate nature brought me to working with people who are gravely ill or dying. In 2000, after many months of working with a person with a life threatening illness, I sat vigil at the end of her life. Being witness to her final journey felt like a great honor and something I was able to do with grace. Since then I have helped many people navigate through life threatening illness and death.
In addition to my private practice, I worked as a Doula on the Hertzberg Palliative Care Unit at Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City from 20013 to 2021. From 2001 to 20013 I worked at the Jacob Perlow Hospice at Beth Israel Hospital, New York City. After September 11, 2001 I worked in the Integrated Stress Clinic at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City, and later with CRREW, a network of healers that served search and rescue teams as well as the community at large.
I received End of Life Doula professional training through The Peaceful Presence Project and have my Neda (National End of Life Doula Alliance) Proficiency certification. I am currently working with the Doula team of the Peaceful Presence Project in Bend, OR.
I am a graduate of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies Program in Advanced Shamanic Healing, taught by Michael Harner and Sandra Ingerman. I was trained in Soul Retrieval and Medicine for the Earth (the healing of personal and environmental toxins) by Sandra Ingerman; in Shamanic Depossession by Betsy Bergstrom; in Esoteric Healing by Dr. Barbara Briner and the International Network of Esoteric Healing; in Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy by Franklyn Sills; in Aromatherapy by Jade Schutes.
As a graduate of Sandra Ingerman's Teacher Training Program, I am authorized by her to teach Shamanic Journeying, Shamanic Healing Methods, and Medicine for the Earth.
I have a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Art from Columbia, College in Chicago, IL; a Masters Degree in International Administration from the SIT Graduate Institue in Brattleboro, VT; a Bachelor Degree in Political Science from Drew University, in Madison, NJ and an Associate Degree in History from the Queen Mary University of London, England.
