I write about mental health, psychosis, altered states, trauma, yoga therapy, nervous system regulation, philosophy, spirituality and the many ways people find their way back to themselves. My work lives at the meeting point of psychiatry, psychology, yoga, ancient wisdom traditions and what I call Original Medicines: the practices, relationships, rhythms and ways of knowing that reconnect us with body, community, nature and meaning. After more than 25 years working in mental health as a psychiatric nurse, therapist and yoga therapist, I’m especially interested in what becomes possible when we widen the conversation beyond diagnosis and symptom reduction — without losing discernment, safety or good clinical care. Through Terrapy, I work with individuals and groups and teach healthcare professionals, therapists and others who care. I also share reflections from my books, research, conversations, trainings and the questions I’m currently exploring.If you’re curious about a broader, more humane and integrative approach to mental health and healing, you’re very welcome!
[Part 2] Love, Grief, and the Parts That Carry Our Stories 💔
Hi there, Yesterday, I wrote to you about the emotional whirlwind I’ve been in — saying goodbye to a friend who’s moving away, seeing my daughter head off on her first school trip, and navigating an intense day of crisis interventions in Amsterdam. And of course, there was that unexpected layer added by speed dating, where I was face-to-face with some of my inner parts in ways I didn’t expect. Today, Reader — I want to talk about something that has been sitting with me through all of this: grief. The realization that grief reflects deep love. Grief is the other side of love. We feel loss so deeply because we’ve cared so much. When my friend left for another country, I wasn’t just saying goodbye to them — I was saying goodbye to the familiarity, the connection, and the comfort of having them near. As I walked through the streets of Amsterdam, surrounded by the beautiful autumn leaves, I felt this wave of grief wash over me. And I realized that this feeling — this sadness, this love — is something I’ve carried for a long time. Grief shows up in all kinds of ways, and often, it’s not just about what we’ve lost, but what we’re afraid of losing. In Story Medicine (a free online self paced program that starts tomorrow), we’ll explore how grief lives within our inner family, our internal parts and how our protective parts try to shield us from the pain of loss, and how our core Self — that what remains steady — can hold space for healing. This is so good. Reflection for Today: As we move through these transitions — whether it’s the changing seasons, goodbyes to loved ones, or deeper shifts within ourselves (perhaps through the pain we see in others) — there’s beauty in allowing space for both grief and love to consciously coexist.... remembering that your grief exists because of your love (although it might looks like anger. This growing awareness is part of the healing process, and it’s what we’ll explore together in Story Medicine. I’d love for you to join me on this journey. We start tomorrow, and this is your invitation to take the first step toward understanding and healing your inner world. It's fully online, but I will be there and available throughout the journey... With love, P.S. Tomorrow we begin Story Medicine. Sign up now if you haven’t yet. |
Terrapy | The Original Medicines
I write about mental health, psychosis, altered states, trauma, yoga therapy, nervous system regulation, philosophy, spirituality and the many ways people find their way back to themselves. My work lives at the meeting point of psychiatry, psychology, yoga, ancient wisdom traditions and what I call Original Medicines: the practices, relationships, rhythms and ways of knowing that reconnect us with body, community, nature and meaning. After more than 25 years working in mental health as a psychiatric nurse, therapist and yoga therapist, I’m especially interested in what becomes possible when we widen the conversation beyond diagnosis and symptom reduction — without losing discernment, safety or good clinical care. Through Terrapy, I work with individuals and groups and teach healthcare professionals, therapists and others who care. I also share reflections from my books, research, conversations, trainings and the questions I’m currently exploring.If you’re curious about a broader, more humane and integrative approach to mental health and healing, you’re very welcome!
5 min read · Full (hunter's) moon | October 26, 2026 Every transformation has a moment when the old way of being stops working. The ground crumbles. What held you (the roles, the certainties, the masks, the story of who you are) loosens its grip. And there is nothing yet to replace it. Like a free fall into a never-ending depth. The Greeks called it katabasis: the necessary going down into the underworld, the un-doing before again becoming. I know this place. I have gone through it, and I...
Dear Reader In 1967, psychologist Julian Silverman published a paper with a curious title: Shamans and Acute Schizophrenia. It's a question close to the heart of the online summit coming up: what happens when people move through reality-altering experiences that the world around them understands completely differently? Silverman argued the real difference wasn't only what happened inside the person, but what happened around them. Was there a cultural map? Was there a (safe) place for the...
Dear Reader, When I first started imagining this summit, I didn't begin with keynote speakers. I began with circles. I wanted to turn the usual conference model a little upside down — not four days of sitting behind a screen listening to expert after expert, but a living gathering where you can enter the conversation yourself. So throughout the summit there will be live circles — smaller, facilitated spaces built around shared experience. Some are pure experience, like Gaby's drum circle,...