Ondine Norman, LMFT
Marriage and Family Therapist, Professional Certified Coach
Berkeley CA
I work mostly in person because of the psychedelic work I am doing. I also have a few clients that I still see on Zoom. I have recently been working with elders who have been diagnosed with cancer and are facing existential anxiety around facing death. This, I believe, could become one of my specialities. I really like working with elders who have had lots of opportunity to grow and change but still have unresolved grief and issues around forgiveness that psychedelics can help heal. I also love working with couples as a path to self-awareness and healing. I use body centered practices, lots of integration conversations and time in nature.
The most important things to know about my life is that I started taking psychedelics at age 15, mostly LSD. It changed my perspective on life radically. At this young age I experienced that everything is energy vibrating at different frequencies and that the only reason the human race has not destroyed itself by now is because of the power of love. lived in an ashram and had a guru for 7 years. I joined a dance troupe with other "devotees" and we traveled the world and danced our devotional dances. We also lived as an ashram meaning celibacy and no personal material possessions. This was another life changing time of my life where I got to experience what is called in Hindi Bhakti, the path of devotion. After that I helped close the ashrams and went back to school and studied first philosophy and English Literature and then a masters in counseling psychology. During that time I was also exposed to a course in mastering the art of professional coaching and I became a certified coach. I worked in my private practice part time while also working as a life and executive coach. I did this for most of my career, getting to travel all over the world meeting amazing humans and particpating in many beautiful rituals and community events. I married along the way but since I married late in life, I never had children. One of the most impactful programs that I created for a big pharmaceutical company during Covid was on DEI. I had 6 faculty working with me and we created the most amazing on line year long journey on the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. This event also changed my life and inspired me to go back to school again and get my certification as a psychedelic assisted therapist because I wanted to be part of the healing of trauma in our society.
I don't really offer what we would call "programs" at this time in my practice. I am mostly focusing on working one on one with patients/clients and I have been thinking about starting an in person group for women.