Welcome to the Heart and Soul of Mind-Body-Spirit Psychology!

In this website you will find information on my holistic and integrative approach to Mind-Body-Spirit Psychology and Psychotherapy. You will also learn about my professional background: a three-fold path that includes clinical practice, research, and academia.

Please, check the different sections and contact me if you have any further questions.

Mind-Body-Spirit Psychology

Mind-Body-Spirit psychology acknowledges that the human being is a coherent whole that cannot be understood as a mere sum of its parts. Instead, all parts have to be seen as influencing and interacting with each other. Our psyche, with our thoughts and emotions, greatly affects the functioning and vitality of our body.  Similarly, our physical condition compromises our ability to think clearly and regulate our emotions.

For many centuries, ancient philosophies and medicines from the East have taught that emotions are currents of energy carrying distinct qualities such as the fight—reflex (vigor and aggression), or flight—reflex (freeze and withdraw). Also included in these currents of energy are fear, sadness, shame, as well as happiness, joy, harmony, and peace. Each type of vibration that an emotion carries resonates with one or several bodily systems and organs and has the potential to either disrupt the homeostasis of the human body or to restore it. Currently, mainstream medicine confirms that experiencing stress for prolonged periods of time is one of the main risk factors for developing a chronic medical condition and that addressing stress with psychological approaches is essential to recover long-lasting homeostasis and even reverse some medical conditions.

Long-lasting homeostasis should not be understood as maintaining some fixed measures of one’s metabolism, such as heart-rate or blood pressure. That state would imply we are living a totally flat and predictable life. And our life is not flat. From the time we are born, human beings engage a journey towards self-discovery, both as individuals as well as members of the groups with which we identify. This journey has its ups and downs and sometimes it can be disorienting and painful. Yet, far from being meaningless, the journey of LIFE is magical and fascinating.

Long-lasting homeostasis is the ability to leave one’s comfort zone while still being connected with one’s center. I call this center the heart-soul axis of our psyche because it is what integrates all the human parts and provides a sense of coherent whole to our consciousness. The more coherence one has the more one is equipped to engage the journey of life in a state of balance and harmony. 

The Human Journey

For many people, the human journey includes a deeper exploration of what transcends us, such as God, Spirit, Ultimate Truth, or emptiness. The Transcendent, a source of fascination for many, has also been described as infinite consciousness and love which has an incommensurable potential for healing and transformation. Inevitably, when one initiates a spiritual quest one also engages a path of deep psychological transformation and evolution. In this endless path, the outcome is gaining a deeper and richer connection with oneself and an efficient integration of all parts.