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Dr. Beers is available for individual and group psychotherapy, psychoeducational lectures, panel discussions, integration groups, consulting and mentorship services pertaining to the blending of psychology, the psychospiritual and psychedelic integration. Mind-Body-Spirit integration. Areas of specialty: life transitions, women’s issues,
Dr. Beers is available for individual and group psychotherapy, psychoeducational lectures, panel discussions, integration groups, consulting and mentorship services pertaining to the blending of psychology, the psychospiritual and psychedelic integration. Mind-Body-Spirit integration. Areas of specialty: life transitions, women’s issues, trauma, racial trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, spiritual emergence, and psychedelic integration.
Dr. Beers accepts these insurances only:
Cash, Credit Card and Venmo payments for psychological services are also accepted. Contact for pricing and details,
*Psychological services, including assessment, diagnosis (adults), and psychological approaches to treatment. Whereas psychotherapy services may or may not provide psychological approaches to treatment.
Inquire for further details with Dr. Beers. Click the Awaken Now | Email button at the top of the webpage.
Psychological assessment involves evaluating an individual's mental health and behavioral functioning using various methods, including standardized tests and clinical observations. This process is typically performed by mental health professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatric nurse practitioners. Dr. Beers specializes in psycholo
Psychological assessment involves evaluating an individual's mental health and behavioral functioning using various methods, including standardized tests and clinical observations. This process is typically performed by mental health professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatric nurse practitioners. Dr. Beers specializes in psychological assessments to diagnose a range of conditions, including mood disorders, personality disorders, trauma, neurodevelopmental disorders like Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and intellectual disabilities, as well as neuropsychological conditions such as dementia, cognitive decline, and traumatic brain injury.
Including assessment of both baseline and progress of therapeutic interventions, such as psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Dr. Beers has a waitist. Please contact Dr. Beers via her email regarding information on her waitlist.
Psychedelic Integration is the chosen Western name for psychotherapy designed to assist people seeking support in connection with their plant and fungi relatives and their experiences with them, traditionally known to be spiritual and sacred relations in Indigenous cultures. This relationship is something beyond just mental health, it inv
Psychedelic Integration is the chosen Western name for psychotherapy designed to assist people seeking support in connection with their plant and fungi relatives and their experiences with them, traditionally known to be spiritual and sacred relations in Indigenous cultures. This relationship is something beyond just mental health, it involves all domains of oneself, and it includes one's relationship with the natural world. Individuals who have had challenging experiences can benefit from transpersonal (beyond the limits of personal identity) therapeutic processing to understand the often-challenging feelings and psychological material evoked by engaging these teachers. These sacred plant and fungi relatives can be transformational by helping one gain insight to bolster and integrate knowledge from the encounter into their daily lives. These sacred ways have long existed in Indigenous cultures with community systems that already exist to support beyond the ceremony. However, non-Indigenous and reconnecting Indigenous people from the West are in a state of reclaiming this relationship that again intersects with Mother, Nature, the Self, Humanity and Spirituality. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge these teachers as community members of the ecosystem we exist in, and their value should not be relegated to just mental health, for consumption and extraction. Together, Indigenous people and these non-human relatives have co-created belief systems that sustain a balance in the vitality of life. Dr. Beers values working with professionals and clinicians interested in learning how to cultivate and deepen their psychospiritual and clinical skills related to psychedelic integration that center Native and Indigenous people and ways, in both a supervisory, research and mentor capacity. For Colorado residents and practices as a result of SB23-290 integration services as well as facilitating services, they still need clarification on rule-making from the Natural Medicines Advisory Board (NAMB). In the meantime, integration services between clients and Dr. Beers in Colorado will be held off until defined regulations are established and clear. Dr. Beers encourages others to be active in advocating for equitable measures in relation to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies NMA board.
A psychospiritual ceremonial engagement of non-ordinary states of consciousness through sacred space with evocative music, breathing techniques, ritual, creative and group processing.
Through this psychospiritual technique, we invite the potential of transformation, healing, and awakening in a sacred community setting. Community in this s
A psychospiritual ceremonial engagement of non-ordinary states of consciousness through sacred space with evocative music, breathing techniques, ritual, creative and group processing.
Through this psychospiritual technique, we invite the potential of transformation, healing, and awakening in a sacred community setting. Community in this sense is not just about showing up for the experience but actively holding space in one another’s journey.
Participants engage their inner world, imagination and evoke the numinous. Because of the profound experience Sacred Breathwork™ can have and the sincere need for intimacy, the maximum amount of participants at a given time is 12. This is a 6 – 8-hour commitment. Individual and couple sessions are available also, they are 90 minutes in length. Contact for further details.
I co-facilitate with the client opportunities for healing that assist with moving forward in the direction they desire. To bring unconscious elements of the psyche into a more balanced relationship and conscious awareness. My clinical work incorporates client-centered methodologies from western conventional medicine and, when appropriate, holistic traditional earth and spiritual-based techniques to bring about a more balanced expression of the Self. I support clients in their development with liberating tools to promote relaxation, contemplative exploration, integration, self-awareness, self-rediscovery, and feelings of validation and acceptance.
Dr. Beers works primarily remotely via telehealth. A sliding scale is offered to those experiencing financial hardship. Dr. Beers currently has a waitlist.
Consultation and supervision for clinicians honoring BIPOC needs, psychedelic integration interest/framework are services offered as well. Please contact Dr. Beers personally for pricing on these services.
Cash, Credit Card and PayPal payments are also accepted. Sliding scale available for those in need, please identify this as a need and we can discuss from there.
To email Dr. Angela Beers, please click the Awaken Now | Email button at the top of the webpage.
Dr. Beers Co-Owns Crescent Roots Psychology: https://www.crescentrootspsychology.com/more-about-cr
Psychedelic Integration is the chosen professional name for psychotherapy designed to assist people seeking support in connection with their plant/fungi teachers, also described as psychedelic or sacred medicine experiences. Individuals who have had challenging experiences can benefit from transpersonal therapeutic processing and understanding of the often-challenging feelings evoked and triggered by plant/fungi teachers. Psychedelics or sacred medicines can be transformational by helping one gain insight, to bolster and integrate knowledge from the encounter into their daily lives. Dr. Beers provides a Transpersonal Psychospiritual approach, inclusive of Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness (NOSC) techniques tailored to the client that are not culturally misappropriated, with the intention of inviting the client into a deeper relationship and practice. These medicines/teachers have always been based on reciprocal relationships, in all directions and require a sacred container to responsibly integrate.
Psychedelic Integration Supervision/Mentorship
Dr. Beers values working with professionals and clinicians interested in learning how to cultivate and deepen psychospiritual and clinical skills related to psychedelic integration, in both a supervisory and mentor capacity.
**If this speaks to you, then reach out. Dr. Beers is not prescribing one way to expand one's relationship, she is upfront with her framework and commitment to the Sacred, and protection of Native and Indigenous ways of life by advocating for equity, visibility, and reverent engagement, and integration at the intersections of where Indigeneity stands in the current world. Humans are collectively at the precipice of adopting a neocolonial paradigm of spiritual colonization that can contribute to the erasure of Indigenous people/societies and, in order for true revolutionary change, the exploration of what genuine community, right relationship and reciprocity is, is critical to address along the way, individually and collectively. As the therapeutic process naturally unfolds, this typically comes up on its own on behalf of the client. Clients often report gratitude for the expansion of this particular area of self and community. Access for all is like saying all psychedelic lives are equal, and they are not. The ongoing threat to Native and Indigenous people is a result of not developing reciprocal relationships, respect and incorporating them into decision making for ethical development, financial and cultural impacts, conservation and rematriation. It is undeniably exclusionary and oppressive.
While the use of psychedelics and sacred medicines remain as controlled substances in most states in the United States, many individuals continue to engage them in a variety of settings and contexts, with some of them less than safe. Dr. Beers' Psychedelic Integration Therapy is in alignment with the Principles of Harm Reduction. Aside from the potential benefits, there are real risks associated with the exploration and use of them. For some, the effects can be overwhelming, confusing and/or anxiety provoking, even well after the encounter. Some people may have difficulty processing and integrating the engagement of complex thoughts, feelings and experiences. Psychedelic Integration can assist with elucidating insights, somatic processing, and reconciling and deepening understanding. Psychedelic Integration Therapy is in alignment with people that have an open curiosity, are responsible for their well-being with respect to their exploration and who are genuinely seeking support in navigating their relationship with these medicines.
The benefits of psychedelics and sacred medicine engagement are culturally, spiritually, socially and physically relevant. Since the dawn of early man, the plant-human relationship for its psychoactive and sacred effects has existed. Indigenous cultures around the world to this day still practice and maintain sacred rituals, ceremonies, and traditions with a variety of these medicines, and people within those communities have created necessary and protected liminal spaces. Dr. Beers' aims to be an agent that contributes to bridging the gap and loss in western society of this venerable space through ethical and culturally considerate Psychedelic Integration Therapy.
It is important to note that for Psychedelic Integration Therapy, under no circumstances are therapists outside of government approved facilities (Oregon), Ketamine and controlled studies currently administering, prescribing or otherwise providing psychedelic or other controlled substances to clients during the course of therapy. In the case of Colorado, following the passage of Prop 122 and later HB23-290, DORA is still configuring the licensing and regulatory market. Healing Facilities will not be operational until January 2025. Clients are discouraged from attending therapy sessions (regulated market) while under the influence of any psychedelic or any other controlled substance, until DORA has established an operational working regulated market with consumer protection as priority. Dr. Beers also recognizes that psychedelics" will continue to be used by humans outside of an unregulated market. Therefore, this is a gentle reminder that integration therapy is always an option and not a requirement to pursue. Clients participating in Psychedelic Integration Therapy must take responsibility for their commitment to these ethical guidelines as our society moves forward with decriminalizing and legalizing efforts.
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Trainee for Expanded Access.
Dr. Angela Beers completed training requirements part A & B and is awaiting enrollment for the remaining parts (C,D, and E). MAPS & Naropa University MDMA-assisted psychotherapy course. The training curriculum was developed by MAPS PBC (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Public Benefit Corporation), together with training in contemplative psychotherapy from Naropa faculty in the Graduate School of Counseling Psychology (Sept - Nov 2020).
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies: MAPS Public Benefit Corporation - MAPS Adherence Rater trained. MPBC Adherence Raters are mental health professionals who review recordings of therapy sessions conducted as part of the MDMA-assisted clinical trials for fidelity to the MDMA-assisted therapy treatment manual and protocol. The Adherence Rater training is an approximately 65-hour time commitment over the course of five months, including online meetings and completion of self-directed reading assignments and rating exercises. (October 2021 to February 2022).
Dr. Angela Vasquez-Beers has a mixed heritage of colonized and colonizer, Indigenous Mexican (Zacatecas and Coahuila), and European ancestry. Dr. Beers grew up in foster care and group homes as a result of the complex intergenerational and historical trauma rampant in her birth family. She was not privileged to grow up with many of the core traditions of her ancestors, but in some ways, this gave her blessings. She learned to be open, that change was inevitable, that seeking help is a strength, whom to trust for guidance (something that is ever-evolving for humans), and that comfort is not a promise but free will is. She also learned that there are many ways to heal and expand. She learned to appreciate authenticity, humility, the importance of traditions and lineage, and the importance of their preservation. Above all, she chooses to answer calls that are in service of co-facilitating healing authentically yet psychologically informed. To not only move between the worlds of consciousness but to be a guide to others, opting to heal deep ancestral wounds and reclaim their sovereignty. In the end, what she discovered was that healing and growing are practices requiring discipline, vulnerability, gratitude, integrity, radical honesty, and admiration for the physical, mystical, and cultural. That healing and remembering who you are are amplified when experienced in connection with the sacred and communion with the Divine (that encompasses both light and dark), something that most professionals struggle to include as part of "treatment." Dr. Beers approaches healing from a transpersonal-psychospiritual space that is not just client-centered but liminally conscious and community-focused. She spiritually identifies as a cosmic mystic grounded in the esoteric traditions and spiritualities of the Earth (some folks call it Indigenous beliefs, others call it pagan; there are many names), all of which have instilled within her an appreciation for diversity in spiritual perspectives while honoring and respecting the sacredness of tradition and culture. Dr. Beers believes in equity for Mother Nature (Earth and all her children). She believes in the power of intersectional feminism, which values and calls for women of color and Native and Indigenous representation and leadership. She stands for the protection and rights of children, the differently abled, LQBTQ+IA, and the protection and conservation of the sacred and nature. She speaks out against inequality and injustice and has often answered calls to action with movements that stand up against corruption and systemic racism. Most importantly, she is the mother of two beautiful daughters and works hard to live a life that leaves them with a good legacy and footing in this world. As other mothers know, it's an on-going process and a position of honor. Our children are the present and our future.
Angela Beers, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist – MI | COPsypact Licensed Mobility (39 states)
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EDUCATION
Michigan School of Professional Psychology Farmington Hills, MI
PsyD Clinical Psychology PsyD 4.10.2015
Emphasis: Humanistic Clinical Development
Dissertation: The Experience of Sacred Breathwork™: Healing Through Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness
Internship - American Indian Health and Family Services 09.2012 – 08.2014
Practica Psychology - Oakwood Family Clinic 09.2011 – 06.2012
Michigan School of Professional Psychology Farmington Hills, MI
M.A., Clinical Psychology L.L.P, FAODP M.A. 8.01.2008 Emphasis: Humanistic Clinical Development
Thesis: The Experience of Surviving SubstanceAbuse: A Family Cycle
Practica Psychology - Vista Maria – Residential Mental Health Substance Abuse Unit 09.2007 – 06.2008
Madonna University Livonia, MI
B.S., Family and Consumer Science/English Minor
Emphasis: Secondary Education 7.2008
Practica Education - Lathers Middle School 05.2006 – 6.2006
Practica Education - Moraine Elementary10.2005 – 10.2005
Practica Education - All Saints Middle School03.2005 – 03.2005
Crestwood High School, MI Dearborn Heights, MI
Diploma – General Ed Requirements 6.1999
TEACHING EXPERIENCE (Employment Included)
Visiting Instructor 8/2021 - 9/2023 Adjunct Faculty 01/2021 - 8/2021 Naropa University Boulder, CO
Teaches (hybrid format) Transpersonal Psychology, Advance Topics Transpersonal Psychology and Human Growth and Development, Practicum Class (Supervision), Intro to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies, and interviews prospective students. Interim Institutional Review Board (IRB) panel member.
Transpersonal Psychology. An introduction and examination of central concepts, theories, practices, and applications of transpersonal psychology. Designed for students in the transpersonal counseling programs. The online section of this course explores foundations of transpersonal psychology and its applications to meditation, ritual, ecopsychology, psychological research, multicultural diversity, and other areas.
Human Growth and Development. An overview of the major theories of psychological development across the lifespan. Information from a broad range of perspectives covered, including biological, psychoanalytic/dynamic, cognitive, social learning, and cross-cultural. Somatic Counseling students.
Social and Multicultural Foundations. In this class, students study theories of community; work with the skills and qualities necessary to understand and foster a cohesive, compassionate, and creative learning community; and establish the ground for studying oneself in a relationship. Particular attention is paid to systems of privilege and oppression and multicultural competence. Advocacy and public policy in terms of their effect on access and equity are explored. The course also provides the theoretical and experiential ground for working skillfully with diverse identities such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, education, class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and ability, including mental illness. Buddhist principles of non-duality and the coexistence of relative and absolute truth provide the conceptual basis from which students learn to bring a sense of maitri and nonaggression to their work.
Advance Topics in Transpersonal Psychology. Building foundations for a clinical transpersonal practice that employs Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness (NOSC). Highlighting Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy providing an understanding of a multicultural history of these sacred medicines used in a community and individual healing modality. This course centers on harm reduction, consideration of risks, safety, social equity, and ethical implications and benefits of intentionally engaging in Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness through breathwork, meditation, and psychedelics. This course is interdisciplinary in preparation, experiential and integration. It brings together transpersonal counseling, psychology, religious studies, ecopsychology, and Indigenous community perspectives.
Counseling Practicum The counseling practicum provides for the continued development of counseling skills through fieldwork at a community agency with on-site consultation and supervision. The practicum is designed to provide a supportive and instructional forum for students’ initial experiences working with clients in community settings. Students also study ethical guidelines relating to the counseling profession. The course includes secondary group supervision to support the practicum fieldwork experience. In secondary group supervision, students discuss professional and personal issues as they relate to their development as beginning counselors. Discussion topics include client populations served, client transference and therapist countertransference, case presentations, agency structure and organization, and community resources.
Introduction to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Provides beginning coursework in understanding the history and foundations of psychedelic medicines used as healing modalities. This course centers on a harm reduction approach, considering the risks, safety concerns, ethical implications and benefits of psychedelic use in a variety of settings including recreational, clinical, and ceremonial/spiritual uses. It also offers a survey of current psychedelic therapies in such areas as palliative care and end of life, clinical trials, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. This course is interdisciplinary in nature, bringing together perspectives in counseling psychology, religious studies, chaplaincy, and ecopsychology.Visiting Instructor, Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling Graduate Program (Aug 2021 - Present)Adjunct Faculty, Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling Graduate Program (Jan 2021 - Aug 2021)
Adjunct Faculty 08/2012 – 1/2014
Macomb Community College Contractual – Warren, MI
Adjunct faculty, teaching community college students. Taught Introduction to Psychology and Child Growth and Development courses.
Guest Teacher/Lecturer - 10.18.2011 Oakland Community College, Royal Oak, Introduction to PsychologyTaught and Lectured undergraduate students on Hypnosis, Meditation and Altered States of Consciousness.
Guest Teacher/Lecturer - 01.09.2012 ITT Technical Institutes, Troy, MI
Introduction to Psychology Taught and Lectured undergraduate students. Hypnosis, Meditation and Altered States of Consciousness.
Assistant Grader/Tutor 06/2008 – 08/2008
Kumon Math and Reading Center, Southfield, MIAssist in tutoring children in reading and math. Taught a classroom of 4 – 6 pre-school/kindergarten children at scheduled times in reading and math. PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEES/ORGANIZATION BOARDS
Board member of Vista Maria’s Program Evaluation and Planning Committee from the fall of 2008 to February 2013. Committee was responsible for (administrative):
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
PROFESSIONAL LECTURES/PANELS - AUTHOR/CO-AUTHOR PAPER PRESENTATIONS
EMPLOYMENT
Brain and Body Integration 1/2024 - Present
Denver, CO
Adult Neuropsychological/Psychological Evaluation - Psychologist
Licensed Psychologist & Co-Director (LP) – MI | CO 11/2016 – Present
Private Practice – Crescent Roots Psychological Services, PLLC (12/2018) Colorado Springs, CO – Metro-Detroit, MI (telehealth & participating Psypact states)Private practice in Mental Health, Psychospiritual, and Life Coaching, office location and online appointments (Currently offering telehealth as result of covid-19).
Conditions treated: Anxiety Disorders, Life Transitions, Familial Discord & Attachment Irregularities, PTSD and Trauma, Depression, Grief and Loss, Mood Disturbances/Disorders, Issues of Marginalization, Racism and Oppression, Spiritual Emergence, and Somatic Distress.Dr. Angela Beers works with those who are motivated to make change in their life and desire to transform their consciousness. She uses a transpersonal and integrated approach to treatment by taking into account the emotional, physical, intellectual, creative and spiritual aspects of being human.She specializes in working with adults who are going through a process of change & growth, and those navigating difficult life transitions and traumas. Her ever growing work is through using psychotherapy and the psychospiritual to empower and support healing for people marginalized. She co-facilitates with clients healing opportunities that assist with moving forward in the direction they desire. Dr. Beers also provides consciousness expanding workshops, sacred breathwork, etc.Group Practice:
Personal Professional Website: www.shadowmedicine.com
https://www.crescentrootspsychology.com/
Doctoral Ed – Limited License Psychologist – Post Doctoral Fellow 10/2015 – 10/2016
Private Practice C. Michael Smith, PhD Psychological Associates – Niles, MI
Conditions treated: Anxiety Disorders, Life Transitions, Familial Discord, PTSD and Trauma, Depression, Grief and Loss, Mood Disturbances/Disorders, Women’s Issues, Spirituality, Unemployment-disability and Somatic issues.
Master’s Level Psychologist 12/2011 – 08/2012
Catholic Social Services Oakland County Contractual – Royal Oak, MI
Master’s Level Psychologist (State Employee – Classified – P11) 06/2010 – 01/2012
State of Michigan – Department of Corrections, Ypsilanti, MI
Volunteer Coordinator and Manager – Movement Festival 2/2010 – 6/2014
Paxahau Event Production – Detroit, MI
Master’s Level Therapist 01/2009 – 03/2010
Vista Maria – Beata Hall Mental Health/Substance Abuse Unit – Rose Hall – Stabilization Unit, Dearborn Heights, MI
Project Manager – Research Development Management 08/2008 – 12/2008
Vista Maria – Rose Hall – Stabilization Unit, Dearborn Heights, MI
Project Assistant – Marketing Research 02/2007 – 08/2007
Imyst, Inc., Farmington, MI
Customer Service Representative 09/2005 – 6/2006
Advance Services Knowledge, Inc., Canton, MI
Administrative Assistant/Sales Research 07/2004 – 08/2005
Aerotek, Livonia, MI Temporary assignment for client Franklin Fastener (Redford, MI).
Team Assistant/Administrative Assistant 02/2003 – 01/2004
QuickenLoans, Livonia, MI
Post closing New York CEM File Reviewer 08/2001 – 02/2003
ABN Amro/Interfirst Mortgage, Ann Arbor/Troy, MI
Store Manager 02/2001 – 08/2001
Claire’s Boutique, Dearborn, MI
Assistant Store Manager 08/2000 – 01/2001
Contempo Casuals, Dearborn, MI
MUSIC FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER WORK
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
ACTIVITIES
PROFESSIONAL STATE LICENSURE
Licensed Psychologist
PSY.0005403 | State of Colorado - DORA (Expires 8.2023)
Licensed Psychologist
6301018764 | State of Michigan - LARA(Expires 10.2024)
Fundamental of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems (FAODP) No Cert Number | State of Michigan
Sacred Breathwork™ is a powerful healing and consciousness expanding sacred ceremony developed in a group and community context at Crow’s Nest Center for Shamanic Studies, in the USA and Europe. It is the product of a 30 year practice and evolving synthesis by C. Michael Smith, Ph.D. (Mikkal) with major influences from the shamanic heart-path, the analytical psychology of C.G. Jung, the holotropic theory and breathwork technique developed by Stanislav Grof, M.D., from which it has been significantly influenced and departs, and from the practice of focusing on a felt-sense, developed by Eugene T. Gendlin, Ph.D. (C.M. Smith, personal communication, August 4th, 2012)
In essence, Sacred Breathwork™ is a psychospiritual technique of the same category as other approaches permitting a form of sacred psychoanalysis, such as the Transpersonal, Depth, and Jungian sectors of psychology. Each of these allows for spiritual-centered modes of being and, depending on the clinician, may welcome the integration of indigenous traditions. To summarize, Sacred Breathwork™ is defined as a sacred, shamanic-influenced, psychospiritual medium that promotes self-exploration through breathing and sonic induction into non-ordinary states of consciousness, to be used in a group setting. Conventional psychologists often pathologize spiritual phenomenon, instead of appreciating the multiplicity of human beings — such as the dimensions of spiritual-self — or simply do not know how to identify and assist a client with a spiritual discrepancy. Sacred Breathwork™ promotes departing from pathologizing the client by welcoming the sacred intersection of inter-subjectivity in the forms of experienced interiority and co-creativity. This act requires emphasis on the sacred, ability to hold space, facilitator and client knowledge, and appreciation of ideas shared.
“Like the role of a licensed psychotherapist or psychologist, it cannot be fulfilled without a lived practice and experience. There is an intimate knowledge that cannot be obtained within a conventional academic setting. A clinician must understand how to adequately shift between paradigms when merging the two. Learning both the language and application of the academic and the healer moves one into a new category of profession or calling. It is vital not to misidentify which symptoms to treat–spiritual, psychological, or physical–and to choose the method most appropriate to the identified symptom and the individual client. Also, the work of indigenous healers or shamans has a unique relationship with the community from which it is derived.
This is where intuition, intention, and cultural context come into play, as well as the clinician’s own work of personal development. The practitioner, whether clinician or shaman, must establish a trusted system that goes beyond simply providing treatment. In Sacred Breathwork, the community reveals itself as part of the system.” Dr. Beers 2015
Dr. Angela May Beers, PsyD underwent intensive training to become a certified Sacred Breathwork™ facilitator from September 2011 to February 2014. Her training was through Crows Nest Center for Shamanic Studies ran by Dr. C Michael Smith, PhD. Collectively Dr. Beers has now participated in, facilitated and co-facilitated over 50 Sacred Breathwork™ sessions with groups of six or more individuals at a time. Additionally, Dr. Beers conducted research and wrote her dissertation on Sacred Breathwork™, Consciousness, indigenous spirituality and evocative music. Her research on Sacred Breathwork™ has uncovered significance relating to community, ceremony and the sacred, as well as the importance of ritual and creative expression in humans. Her research work also focused on the significance of Culture and Misappropriation: Addressing Ethnicity Ethics. “It is important to address the ethical dilemma of delivering this spiritual modality in academia because the basis of this technique pre-existed in an indigenous society, one that continues to endure misappropriation, racism, colonization, and oppression . . .” Dr. Beers 2015.
Dr. Beers has also presented some of her research findings on Sacred Breathwork™ at the American Psychological Association Division 32: Society for Humanistic Psychology in Santa Barbara, CA in March of 2013.
A psychospiritual technique of ceremonial engagement of non-ordinary states of consciousness through sacred space with evocative music, breathing techniques, ritual, creative and group processing.
Through this psychospiritual technique, we invite the potential of transformation, healing, and awakening. Participants engage their inner world, imagination and evoke the numinous.
Sacred Breathwork™ is used in conjunction with sacred analysis and embodied knowing, such as the felt sense, which helps the client further understand and integrate the experience. This is where Jungian psychoanalysis in respect to the sacred builds upon and plays a complementary therapeutic role, providing a reflection of the client’s inner, outer, and spiritual worlds and invites the multidimensional self to explore archetypes of commonly known mythologies and fairy tales. Furthermore, incorporating the shamanic into Sacred Breathwork™ is necessary as the technique utilizes ritual — inclusive of evocative music and abdominal breathing — to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness. The process also uses tools that in some form have been exercised in a communal space within these [Indigenous and Wisdom tradition] cultures and which have been identified in the western world as being shamanic. Sacred Breathwork’s combination of evocative music and hastened abdominal breathing invites self-discovery and the resolution of psychological and emotional conflict because it engages and brings awareness to the unconscious. This, in turn, allows the breather an opportunity to explore and, if needed, reenact discord in a safe setting.
Grof outlined holotropic sessions as group work, but Sacred Breathwork goes beyond the group and works toward establishing a full sense of community. In this type of work individuals pair-up to commune in breathwork, alternating as a breather and then an ally, with attentive, trained facilitators ready to step in to support or assist. There are a series of ritual elements, including psychoeducational groups, creative expression, and group processing, in conjunction with the breathwork session, which strengthens the bond between partners and can act as a healing agent itself. It is necessary to pay homage to Stanislav and Christina Grof for introducing Holotropic Breathwork into the therapeutic field.
The Grofs wrote extensively on important features of consciousness and developed a transpersonal cartography called the Basic Perinatal Matrix theory, a holotropic framework for consciousness that includes the Systems of Condensed Experience (COEX) that is of utmost importance to understand when utilizing this psychospiritual modality, as it explains the transpersonal phenomenon often encountered that conventional psychology falls short on. The holotropic mind is identified as fields of consciousness transcending space, matter, and linear causality (S. Grof, 1990). The holotropic mind is a collective cosmic intelligence expressed and reflected as consciousness.
If you wish to know more, please contact Dr. Beers, and book a consultation, for a Sacred Breathwork™ session!
More information on Stanislav Grof.
Group maximum 12 adults breathing at a time, 22 participants including the allies – 6-8 hour intensive Sacred Breathwork™ workshop.
Because of the profound experience Sacred Breathwork™ can have and the sincere need for intimacy, the maximum amount of participants breathing at a given time is 12. This is a 6 – 8-hour commitment. The community component is an important piece of the healing process, therefore it best to have at least 4 participants, paired and alternating in experience. Community in this sense is not just about showing up for the experience but actively engaging in one another’s journey. This is part of the importance as to why all breathers must have an ally, which emboldens the sacredness of the set and setting. This aspect of the process alone takes years for a facilitator to develop, along with their own self-mastery work. Like healers in many traditions, this type of calling requires innate abilities, a fruitful initiation, a successful apprenticeship, and the aptitude to integrate and apply teachings experienced.
Please contact Dr. Beers for details, discounts, payment and arranging for a Sacred Breathwork™ session.
*It is important to note these services are holistic psychospiritual modern methodologies integrating spiritual techniques, that when performed and engaged are not acts of psychological services.
To find out more about the psychospiritual framework click here.
*Einstein, A. (1956). The world as I see it. New York, NY: Kensington.
As a clinician, I provide a safe, transformative, and mutually compassionate sacred space. One that empowers and fosters intuition, introspection, courage, and vulnerability. I am an intuitive catalyst and I work within the realms of consciousness. In my practice, I am passionate about supporting both women and men on their healing journey. I bring an honest and nurturing approach to the work I do with my clients. Aided by deeply intentional interactions, I aim to assist clients to develop a new personal philosophy and a renewed outlook on issues and matters that concern them. Making room for self-acceptance, more joy and deeper connections with others. My work blends conventional therapy methods with humanistic, depth psychology, transpersonal and existential approaches. I incorporate mindfulness, imagination, creativity, humor, play, and ritual when necessary to reinforce the unfolding process. I specialize in working with adults who are going through the process of change and growth, as well as those navigating difficult life transitions. Other areas of specialty, women’s complexities, non-dogmatic spirituality, non-ordinary states of consciousness, racialized and marginalized people, decolonization, and spiritual emergence and emergencies. I use an integrated approach to treatment by taking into account one’s consciousness, and the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of human beings.
The saying, we are more than our trauma applies here and that isn't being used here to bypass the legitimacy of trauma and/or systemic racial inequities.
Dr. Beers has great concerns regarding the “Traumadelic Evangelism” of the medical model that is coopting long practiced Native and Indigenous religious and spiritual ways of life, and ultimately imposing short-sighted capitalistic ideologies on Native and Indigenous people that step up to speak out and/or participate in the integration of these sacred ways. The psychedelic movement itself is rooted in intergenerational traumas and colonial harms that require deep ancestral recovery and rehabilitation.
Plant and fungi relatives can and do open one up for powerful reflection and connection. However, a great amount of the work lies not just in what one does during a "psychedelic engagement," but much of the work lies in the time following such an encounter, and the outcome does depend on the influence of the relationship and intentions in all directions (human to human, human to plant, human to nature, human to the cosmos, etc), especially that of the origins of how these plant and fungi relatives were related to as medicines.
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