From an early age I was driven towards questions of how and why we act as we do.
My Journey //
As an undergrad at Ithaca College, I studied Applied Psychology, Politics and Philosophy. Although I was intrigued by questions of gender, identity, and the range of human functioning, I ultimately left feeling dissatisfied with the questions being asked and the solutions arising from those questions.
So, after completing my degree, I moved to California and became certified in Massage Therapy. I learned hands-on solutions and essential skills for working with people and connecting on a physical level.
The physically demanding work and stressful events from my early years caught up with me. I had previously dealt with chronic asthma and intestinal distress, but towards the end of my massage training I began experiencing spasms in my neck and shoulders along with tight, painful, back, arms and wrists. The symptoms worsened until I was spending most of the money I made treating my pains. I was 25 years old, feeling like I was 85, and could not fathom how I was going to continue working.
Fortunately, a colleague turned me on to Hanna Somatics and, after a few sessions and self-study with the Somatics book, I was out of pain and back to enjoying my life. As a student of this work, I find Somatics to be continually and increasingly beneficial for myself; allowing me to be more physically engaged and healthier with each year. In 2009 I completed training as a Hanna Somatic Educator and continually develop my skills through additional training and self practice.
Ultimately it is through the study and exploration in Somatic Education that I found a lens for viewing human function, understanding how we develop dis-ease and, more importantly, how to cultivate and develop our intrinsic capacities for healing.
In 2015, I went back to school and earned a Doctorate in Mind-Body Medicine at Saybrook University. My dissertation was a multiple case study documenting how Hanna Somatic Education is practiced. It is openly available here. My focus is continuing developing skills as a practitioner-scholar; documenting and developing the field of Somatic Education through practice and research.
When not practicing at my private office in Denver or studying, I am spending time with my wife and two kids and being as physically active as possible. I like to run, cycle, climb trees, body surf, ski, and play the saxophone. Overall, I am immensely grateful for the somatic educators who came before me, who passed on the knowledge so that I could enjoy all the various aspects of my life.
