Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.
– Miles Davis

Professional
I hold an MS in Chinese Medicine (2007) and a PhD in clinical/community psychology (1997), and am a licensed acupuncturist and licensed psychologist in the State of Alaska. I also hold hold national diplomate status in East Asian Medicine (DiplOM), and a Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) credential.

I received my clinical psychology training at the Native American Health Center, the National Asian American Psychology Training Center, and the Kaiser Department of Addiction Medicine (San Francisco), and have served on the faculty of UCSF School of Medicine, California School of Professional Psychology, and The Psychotherapy Institute.

I received my bachelors degree (1988) in liberal arts, with concentration in film and music, from Sarah Lawrence College.

I received my academic and formal clinical training in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and tui na manual therapy at American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM).

I have had the great good fortune to train under Dr. Eduardo Duran and to apprentice with Dr. Joseph Ng, both of whom I consider important mentors; I remain deeply indebted to them, and to my Daoist teacher Dr. Benjamin Tong, as I continue to be influenced by their work and their guidance.

My book, The Trusting Heart: Addiction, Recovery, and Intergenerational Trauma was published by Chiron in 2012.

Personal
Beginning with my recovery from heroin addiction in 1988, my path of spiritual, psychological, and bodily transformation has taken me through an array of spiritual practices, healing processes, and embodied and energetic disciplines.

My capacities for intuitive insight and energy medicine are in part innate, in part bestowed through the grace of beneficent beings, and in part cultivated through lifetimes of contemplative and energetic practice.

By descent, tribe, and ancestry, I am an Ashkenazi Jew; my exploration of my own heritage, culture, spiritual tradition, and family lineage continues to inform my life and my work.

I was born in New York City, but grew up primarily in rural Hawaii, in the town of Waimea on Moku o Keawe (the Big Island). I lived in New York and New England for a number of years, and in the Bay Area for over twenty years. Now a devoted Alaskan, I am moved on a daily basis by the magical surroundings of my home.

I am deeply committed to the work of the heart, and to the sacred task of embodying the soul’s path. I am grateful to my teachers, to my ancestors, to my family–especially my wife and son–and to all those who have helped me on my own journey of healing and recovery.

My family and I live in Anchorage, Alaska, on unceded Dena’ina land.