I believe in liberation and interdependence. As part of this ethic, I want all of my offerings to be in some way connected to personal and cultural liberation, as well as community building. This is actually what compelled me to expand my work to include more than psychotherapy (which, when practiced in particular ways, can either support or diminish liberation and connection) in what I offer to the world.

The story of how Illuminated Encounters came to be illustrates the social justice part of the work.

The Story

Illuminated Encounters was created in 2024 but was incubated in the dream space since the start of the Covid pandemic, as folks had, and still have, limited options for in-person community for safety purposes. In times of distance or lack of outer communities, we can turn to our inner community for support and connection.

It was also created out of heartbreak for the world's suffering in other ways (climate change, gun violence, genocide, the list goes on...), and a deep desire to dream new worlds into being. Illuminated Encounters aims to address both individual and collective pain by bringing the insight, genius and medicine available in dreams and imaginal states to the world in an embodied, tangible way.

It is the culmination of a multi-year certification process in Dream Tending & Deep Imagination by the world-renowned depth psychologist, Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, ongoing education & self-exploration of my own inner landscapes, and my decade-plus of working as a psychotherapist. It is a project of the heart, soul, spirit and of Deep Imagination.

A note on lineage

In addition to Stephen Aizesntat and Dream Tending, Illuminated Encounters has been informed by the following voices (in no particular order): Daniel Foor & Ancestral Medicine; Eugene Gendlin & Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy; Marion Woodman; James Hillman; Marian Dunlea & BodyDreaming; Laura Rappaport & Focusing Oriented Art Therapy; Carl Jung; Francis Weller & Grief Tending; Malidoma Some; Michael Meade & Mosaic Voices; Bayo Akomalofe; Lauren Schneider & Tarotpy; Mary Watkins; the fields of Ecopsychology, Imaginal Psychology, Archetypal Psychology.

I believe in possibility and the emergence of new ways of being. This means that inside of each person lies the capacity for growth, change and wholeness. I believe that the body, dreams and imagination provide us with valuable information. And I believe that our inner work must be demonstrated with tangible action in the world.

I believe in an animated world. Some refer to it as animism; meaning that the world itself, along with the humans and nonhumans in it, is alive and breathing, and is dreaming through us.

I believe in you, and your right to the sovereignty of your own beliefs. This means that I won't push my agenda or my own beliefs on yours. I will respect your perspective and work with you to live into your own beliefs and values in an aligned way.‍

I believe in us. I believe that we are designed for and optimized in community, whether that be inner or outer community. I also believe in accountability, reciprocity and reparations. We belong to each other, and we are accountable to each other.

MY EDUCATION & HISTORY

I am a licensed mental health counselor and have been practicing clinically in Washington state (traditional and unceded lands of the Coastal Salish peoples, in particular the Nisqually tribe) since 2014. I have attended so many trainings over the years—too many to list them all (you can reach out to me for my CV), but I will highlight what I believe are the most relevant to share with you:

• In 2024 I completed the Dream Tending & Deep Imagination certificate series, an intensive three-year program taught by Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, the founding president of Pacifica Graduate Institute and author of Dream Tending and The Imagination Matrix. I have spent countless hours continuing my education in Dream Tending. In 2027 I will be receiving mentorship (group format) from Dr. Aizenstat as I deepen into this work.
• I have completed Grief Ritual Leadership Training ("Grief Tending") via a live program co-led by Francis Weller, author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow, titled "Entering the Healing Ground.”
• I have completed continuing education courses on the use of tarot cards in therapy, as well as outside of therapy.

In a previous iteration of my life, I was the body and skincare manager for a sweet little “New Age” store, Radiance Herbs & Massage, alongside some of the most kind, knowledgeable humans I have had the privilege to know. Part of that learning and initiation was by working alongside and under the eldership of seasoned intuitive healers, natural skincare experts, and the late herbalist Carol Trasatto.

I am a seeker, reader, and scholar by nature. I have more books than bookshelves, and I am grateful that my learning never stops.

While the work of Illuminated Encounters is not therapy (nor is it an adequate substitute for therapy), my experience and ongoing continuing education deepens the work, and increases my ability to build a container for clients to touch into the imaginal field.

For more information on my therapy training and education, you can visit my therapy website here: https://embodied-act.com

Work with Me

EXPERIENCE ILLUMINATED ENCOUNTERS