I’ve had two main passions in life: creating beautiful and productive gardens and trying to understand why we are the way that we are. And if I do say so myself, I’m good at both. Over the last twenty years I’ve built 3 small productive homesteads, designed and installed numerous gardens and become a health nerd all while working towards my MA in counseling psychology, and pursuing other forms of training. In the last quarter of my 3 year MA, a series of intense life events and health challenges led me to step away from psychology as a formal career while I focused on healing. I’d already begun seeing the limits of traditional therapy and had was losing enthusiasm for work that seemed like bandaging a gunshot wound in most cases. It was just skimming the surface, never healing real wounds. Just before my internship I started to explore the health and bio hacking world in hopes that I could heal myself of some mysterious symptoms that I now know were largely caused by PTSD. I grew and ate organic foods, juiced, water fasted, lifted heavy, learned about herbs, and did all the things. I even went to a handful of therapists like psych students are encouraged to do. But nothing meaningful actually changed. I was a little better at pretending to be fine, a little better at coping with not being fine. Like most psych programs, shadow work was glossed over in my training, and I get why now: not a lot of therapists have the stomach for the level of intimacy and honesty it requires from both parties. Fortunately for you, I don’t scare easily and have always felt a compelling need to be honest with people. Shadow work is about dealing with what’s truly there inside of you and working with it. We can learn to do it on our own but most of us need someone to help us find our way, deliver clear observations and feedback, and ask pointed questions. I’m in. Modern therapy is designed to tell you what’s “wrong” with you and get you to stop being so bad and wrong and gross. That’s all bullshit and it just doesn’t work. Shame has never healed anything or anyone and especially for men, therapy is often an exercise in self repression through shame. I can help you become a more empowered, grounded and satisfied person using this powerful tool. And if you just want a better garden I can help with that too. Whatever floats your boat. The truth is that there’s nothing about your life that isn’t ruled by your subconscious aka the shadow. Can’t stop scrolling/eating/working/smoking etc? Shadow work. Have embarrassing or scary urges that you don’t even understand but can’t escape? Shadow work. Depressed? You guessed it. While I can’t promise that you’ll *like* what you see lurking in the shadows, I can promise that you’ll be able to use it to make your life better. You’ll stop shooting yourself in the foot and wondering how that happened…again. You’ll find it easier to say yes to the good things, no to the bad, and simply be more comfortable being you.