My relationship with cannabis and psychedelics goes back to my early college years, when they played an instrumental role in helping me accept my sexuality, deconstruct religious fundamentalism, reframe my worldview, and cope with devastating loss. Twenty years later, they are still my allies on the path of healing and personal growth. I am so grateful.

I spent my twenties as a movement organizer, working on issues such as nuclear nonproliferation, death penalty abolition, racial and economic justice, and LGBTQIA2S+ equality. While the work was meaningful and purpose-driven, I often felt overwhelmed by emotion, weighed down by shame, and disconnected from myself and others. Around 2010, I experienced a severe burnout that invited me to pause, turn inward, and begin tending to the trauma and grief I had long carried.

Maybe you’ve heard the stories of people whose lives were transformed by a single trip. That wasn’t my experience. For me, cannabis and psychedelics were part of a larger ecosystem of healing that included therapy, mindfulness meditation, embodiment practices, and other sources of support. Over time, I began to develop a more grounded and compassionate relationship with myself. This path eventually led me to pursue training as a therapist, which felt less like a career decision and more like stepping into my life’s true calling: to help others heal and transform trauma.

I earned my MA in Integral Counseling Psychology in 2013, and I’ve been a licensed therapist in private practice since 2016. In 2023, after completing my Ph.D. in Psychology (with a Specialization in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health), I sought additional training as a Mindfulness-Based Psychedelic Guide through the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness Psychedelic Therapy Training Program. With this professional credential, I launched Mindful Journeys in 2024 to provide safe, ethical, and trauma-sensitive psychedelic guiding and integration services outside of a therapy context.

Today, I live in Portland with my husband. I enjoy spending time in nature, connecting with my community, practicing yoga and meditation, vegetarian cooking, sourdough baking, playing piano, and reading sci-fi and fantasy novels.