More Deeply Real

Being real is the simplest and the most challenging way to live.

Being real means being human, imperfect, and vulnerable every day of our lives.

We become real through psychological and spiritual growth. This growth leads us back to our ordinary and precious natural self. Our growth does not lead to a fantastic transformation or state of perfection. Our growth leads us back home, to our humble, unique, tender spirit in our soft, breathing, aging bodies.

When we become wounded as children, as happens to us all in some way or another, we begin to fantasize of becoming something other, something more, that can exempt us from struggle. These fantasies are encouraged by our fantasy-driven society, which markets illusions of invulnerability, power, intoxicated happiness, and perfection. Yet pursuing those fantasies – trying to make them “real” – makes our lives inauthentic. We wound ourselves further trying achieve those fantasy lives.

In contrast, our soul is aligned with being real, with experiencing what is, and with acknowledging the struggles and hurts that affect us while engaging authentic emotional depths. To heal, we have to be real.

Society teaches us to silence our soul-longing, to forfeit our natural creativity, and mistrust our dreams and experiences of primary imagination. Yet, these innate energies are aligned with being real. Healing our impaired capacity for imagination, creativity, and soulful desire is essential to growing able to really live, authentically and soulfully.

As an art therapist, dreamwork practitioner, and spiritual guidance facilitator, I have dedicated almost 40 years now learning to help others grow more real. I have lived as an apprentice to creativity and imagination. I have witnessed the healing process of people who are overcoming childhood traumas, relationship injuries, and intergenerational injustices. I have devoted tens of thousands of hours to being really present, with patience, curiosity, and compassion, to people reclaiming their authentic selves.

I truly hope you find help and healing in your own process of healing by growing real. To help, I offer you the reflections and resources of this website and blog. I also provide virtual individual sessions, mentorship, and group workshops in dreamwork, spiritual guidance, and art therapy. Please reach out if I can help you in any way to live and love more playfully, gently, and wisely on this Earth.