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Dear friends and family,
Most of you know of (and have been incredible supports through) my struggles over the last five years with chronic illness (namely Lyme disease + ulcerative colitis), eating disorder, and depression. These challenges have been powerful impetuses towards deep self-reflection and a continuing study of the mind-body system in attempt to find balance and well-being, culminating in spending the last year living+practicing at two different Zen monasteries. The intensity of the Zen schedule (3:50am wake up, five to eight hours of meditation a day, work, lectures, etc, until 10:00pm) served as a potent mirror to investigate my physio-emotional systems and come to new levels of clarity about myself.
I feel blessed that I am seeing the other side of the seemingly infinite darkness of disordered eating and depression, as well as establishing healthy ways of coping with chronic illness. During my time at the meditation centers the importance of following a vocation that is more directly in line with my desire to be of service to folks who are suffering really crystallized for me. To that end, I’ll be pursuing a Masters in Counseling Psychology starting this fall, along with a two-year training in Hakomi Somatic Psychotherapy.
Hakomi is a powerful, body-based therapy that integrates Eastern practices of non-violence with an experiential, body-centric methodology. Body-based therapies are often considered the best modalities for accessing and healing trauma. The clinic in Portland is one of the best in the country, and I’m lucky to have been admitted into their 2019 cohort. As a future therapist, I plan to offer a combination of traditional talk therapy with mindfulness-based body therapy in large part to under-served communities who don’t typically have access to such integrative/holistic approaches. I’m also excited about the possibility of utilizing body-awareness practices in conflict-mediation and social justice settings, such as facilitating white-awareness education groups or right use of power trainings, work which I feel is integral to the continued evolution of a just humanity.
I feel vulnerable asking for help, but I believe so deeply in this work that I feel compelled to take the leap of faith in making this request. The two-year Hakomi comprehensive costs $8,000, and all of my resources are still going to paying off past medical debt. I am reaching out for support, inviting those who are financially able to contribute what they can to my education towards becoming a therapist that can create change and healing for the many suffering beings of this world. I, and I expect many others, would be forever grateful for your contribution.
For more information about Portland’s Hakomi training center, you can peruse here. And if you’d like to be in further conversation about any of this, please feel free to reach out.
With deep gratitude,
Danielle
Most of you know of (and have been incredible supports through) my struggles over the last five years with chronic illness (namely Lyme disease + ulcerative colitis), eating disorder, and depression. These challenges have been powerful impetuses towards deep self-reflection and a continuing study of the mind-body system in attempt to find balance and well-being, culminating in spending the last year living+practicing at two different Zen monasteries. The intensity of the Zen schedule (3:50am wake up, five to eight hours of meditation a day, work, lectures, etc, until 10:00pm) served as a potent mirror to investigate my physio-emotional systems and come to new levels of clarity about myself.
I feel blessed that I am seeing the other side of the seemingly infinite darkness of disordered eating and depression, as well as establishing healthy ways of coping with chronic illness. During my time at the meditation centers the importance of following a vocation that is more directly in line with my desire to be of service to folks who are suffering really crystallized for me. To that end, I’ll be pursuing a Masters in Counseling Psychology starting this fall, along with a two-year training in Hakomi Somatic Psychotherapy.
Hakomi is a powerful, body-based therapy that integrates Eastern practices of non-violence with an experiential, body-centric methodology. Body-based therapies are often considered the best modalities for accessing and healing trauma. The clinic in Portland is one of the best in the country, and I’m lucky to have been admitted into their 2019 cohort. As a future therapist, I plan to offer a combination of traditional talk therapy with mindfulness-based body therapy in large part to under-served communities who don’t typically have access to such integrative/holistic approaches. I’m also excited about the possibility of utilizing body-awareness practices in conflict-mediation and social justice settings, such as facilitating white-awareness education groups or right use of power trainings, work which I feel is integral to the continued evolution of a just humanity.
I feel vulnerable asking for help, but I believe so deeply in this work that I feel compelled to take the leap of faith in making this request. The two-year Hakomi comprehensive costs $8,000, and all of my resources are still going to paying off past medical debt. I am reaching out for support, inviting those who are financially able to contribute what they can to my education towards becoming a therapist that can create change and healing for the many suffering beings of this world. I, and I expect many others, would be forever grateful for your contribution.
For more information about Portland’s Hakomi training center, you can peruse here. And if you’d like to be in further conversation about any of this, please feel free to reach out.
With deep gratitude,
Danielle
Organizer
Danielle Davis
Organizer
Portland, OR