I guide people to clarity, connection, meaning, and understanding.
I am a psychologist, psychoanalyst, and authorized Zen teacher in Oakland, California. I offer psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and psycho-spiritual direction for people who want to gain self-knowledge, relief from suffering, help with change or loss, and integration of spirituality with personal growth. I am a Personal and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California, and teach and supervise candidates there. I also have training and expertise in working with psychedelic medicine including ketamine for healing and growth. Additionally I teach, write, and aim for balance.
My psychotherapy practice opened in 2001, and since then I've been doing psychotherapy and psychoanalysis at my Oakland office. I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and am a highly trained and experienced therapist and psychoanalyst. I have taught widely in the Bay Area on topics including sexuality, the unconscious, dreams, death, psychedelics, and spirituality.
I have been practicing Zen Buddhism for thirty years. My primary teacher is Joan Sutherland, Roshi, and I have also studied with John Tarrant, Rachel Mansfield-Howlett, David Weinstein, and Bodhin Kjolhede. The Zen tradition I am part of plays with koans in meditation and in life. In 2014, Joan authorized me as a Sensei (teacher), and I founded the Crimson Gate Meditation Community, a Zen practice group for mental health professionals. There I offer retreats, classes, and a weekly sitting group.
I have an interest in working with people who are working with plant medicines and entheogens. I have graduated from the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research at CIIS. I have training in MDMA-assisted therapy and psyilocybin-assisted therapy through CPTR and MAPS. I have also completed training in ketamine-assisted therapy, which I offer for a select few long-term clients.
I am passionate about my work, and I am very skilled in helping people alleviate suffering, heal from trauma, find passion, understand themselves, and feel more alive and engaged. I am one of the most highly trained and experienced psychologists around. People describe me as nonjudgmental, smart and insightful, very present, patient, sometimes challenging, sometimes funny.
In my work, I am committed to creating an atmosphere in which every client feels open to say anything that is on his or her mind without fear of judgment. I try to make clear to every client that s/he is able to disagree with me, or point out mistakes I have made, without fear of retaliation.
My psychotherapy practice opened in 2001, and since then I've been doing psychotherapy and psychoanalysis at my Oakland office. I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and am a highly trained and experienced therapist and psychoanalyst. I have taught widely in the Bay Area on topics including sexuality, the unconscious, dreams, death, psychedelics, and spirituality.
I have been practicing Zen Buddhism for thirty years. My primary teacher is Joan Sutherland, Roshi, and I have also studied with John Tarrant, Rachel Mansfield-Howlett, David Weinstein, and Bodhin Kjolhede. The Zen tradition I am part of plays with koans in meditation and in life. In 2014, Joan authorized me as a Sensei (teacher), and I founded the Crimson Gate Meditation Community, a Zen practice group for mental health professionals. There I offer retreats, classes, and a weekly sitting group.
I have an interest in working with people who are working with plant medicines and entheogens. I have graduated from the Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research at CIIS. I have training in MDMA-assisted therapy and psyilocybin-assisted therapy through CPTR and MAPS. I have also completed training in ketamine-assisted therapy, which I offer for a select few long-term clients.
I am passionate about my work, and I am very skilled in helping people alleviate suffering, heal from trauma, find passion, understand themselves, and feel more alive and engaged. I am one of the most highly trained and experienced psychologists around. People describe me as nonjudgmental, smart and insightful, very present, patient, sometimes challenging, sometimes funny.
In my work, I am committed to creating an atmosphere in which every client feels open to say anything that is on his or her mind without fear of judgment. I try to make clear to every client that s/he is able to disagree with me, or point out mistakes I have made, without fear of retaliation.
Who I work with...
Most of my clients are smart, creative, successful, somewhat unconventional people who are struggling with their demons. Sometimes you know the demons; they are depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. Sometimes you don't know the demons; they quietly become a part of your life as a series of difficult relationships, recurring struggles with work, addictions or compulsive behaviors, or a sense of inner emptiness. Demons grow large and multiply in the shadows of the unexamined life. And when we open them up to the light, the demons can scatter or transform. My work is focused on helping people with their demons.
The people I work best with are curious about themselves and their inner lives. They are willing to take an honest look at their past, to see it's impact on their current struggles. My clients are willing to be actively engaged in the therapeutic process, and to work collaboratively with me to get to the root of their suffering.
Some people I work with have a spiritual practice, or are interested in developing one. Perhaps you have an established spiritual practice, but have been using it to avoid emotional and relational difficulties. Or maybe you are interested in deepening the interplay between your psyche and spirit. I work with all kinds of practitioners, and non-practitioners who value psychotherapy that is informed by Buddhist practice.
Perhaps you've been in therapy before, and sense that there is more to be done. I often work with people who have had a taste of therapy, and who are ready to continue on the path.
Perhaps you've never been in therapy before, and are nervous or uncertain about it. I will take the lead in our first meetings to make sure you feel you are in good, strong hands.
I welcome people of all sexualities, gender identities, ethnicities, and neurodiversities.
The people I work best with are curious about themselves and their inner lives. They are willing to take an honest look at their past, to see it's impact on their current struggles. My clients are willing to be actively engaged in the therapeutic process, and to work collaboratively with me to get to the root of their suffering.
Some people I work with have a spiritual practice, or are interested in developing one. Perhaps you have an established spiritual practice, but have been using it to avoid emotional and relational difficulties. Or maybe you are interested in deepening the interplay between your psyche and spirit. I work with all kinds of practitioners, and non-practitioners who value psychotherapy that is informed by Buddhist practice.
Perhaps you've been in therapy before, and sense that there is more to be done. I often work with people who have had a taste of therapy, and who are ready to continue on the path.
Perhaps you've never been in therapy before, and are nervous or uncertain about it. I will take the lead in our first meetings to make sure you feel you are in good, strong hands.
I welcome people of all sexualities, gender identities, ethnicities, and neurodiversities.