Life is challenging.

Humanist therapists focus on the positive side of human nature. Practitioners are warm, empathetic, understanding, and non-judgmental. They believe each person possesses wisdom and strength to identify, move towards, and achieve their personal goals.

Humanistic therapy emerged in the late 1950s, out of a perceived need to address what some psychologists saw as the limitations and negative emphases of behavioral and psychoanalytic schools of therapy (which focused on what was “wrong” with a person). They developed humanism as a new, more holistic approach less focused on pathology, past experiences, and environmental influences on behavior, and more on the positive side of human nature. The idea was to focus on what is “right” with a person.

Around this time, Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of human needs and motivations, and Carl Rogers developed his person-centered approach to therapy. Both of these thinkers and their theories influenced the development of humanistic therapy. A core tenet of humanistic therapy is that people are inherently motivated to fulfill their internal needs—and that each of us has the power to find the best solutions for ourselves and the ability to make appropriate changes in our lives, a concept known as self-actualization. For more information please read this article in Psychology Today here.

Harm Reduction Psychospiritual is an innovative approach to addiction that has proven, for decades, significantly more effective than traditional 12-step models of addiction recovery. It does not require participants to be completely abstinent, and offers practical tools for healing.

The disease model of addiction (that treats abstinence as the only solution) doesn’t work for most people. Experts on harm reduction say it’s time to change our thinking about addiction. Harm reduction approaches examine the complex psychological, social, and biological drivers behind the addiction. Often, substance use begins as a coping mechanism that winds up being ineffective and destructive. When a person understands the reasons behind their substance use, they can begin to get it under control. For more information please read this article in Psychology Today by Ms. Braren’s collaborator, Dr Andrew Tatarsky, here.

In the modern clinical world psychedelic assisted-psychotherapy (PAP) is a form of psychotherapy that involves the use of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for the purpose of facilitating therapeutic breakthroughs and insight.

In the shamanic world, earth medicines have been used for thousands of years - by native populations everywhere - to help people heal from emotional, physical and spiritual discomfort.

Braren blends the clinical and shamanic approaches with precision and care. She ONLY offers such treatments where they are legal - so travel is often required.

There are many additional resources and readings available on this topic. Please contact us for recommendations.

Shamanic ceremonial healing refers to the healing beliefs and practices of tribal cultures all over the world. Western paradigms and perspectives (specifically the universal application of academic psychological ideas) is an oversimplification of consciousness and the human experience - that misses the ineffable elements of our individual and collective experience. Shamanic ceremonial healing used drumming, devotional chant, sacrificial offerings, and other ancient practices to call in the unseen forces and honor the unknowable in our midst. It is a critical part of how we connect with the fullness of our being.