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About

Let me provide a safe place to explore your life.

You’re probably anxious about coming in but hopeful that you’ll be able to find the change you seek. I’m here to tell you that it is possible, and I can help you live the life you want to live and stabilize a life deeply centered in Reality instead of outdated ego patterns.

Together, we’ll identify, without any judgment, what has and hasn’t worked for you up to now, and what keeps you from realizing the Core of who you are. It’s my goal to earn your trust and help you feel as comfortable as possible talking about uncomfortable things. We will be asking ‘what happened to you and how did you learn to cope?’ rather than ‘what’s wrong with you?’

It’s not uncommon for clients to walk in, start talking, and begin to cry. It’s okay because you’re in a safe place, and this is all part of the process. I am both a professional counselor and a Liberation guide, and because I hold a license as a professional counselor, I know all the appropriate boundaries to hold with you to keep you safe.

You have a lot to get off your chest.

Early sessions will frequently involve ‘venting’ your distress. However, venting alone doesn’t provide more than temporary relief.

At first, you won’t be comfortable telling me everything. However, as we explore your life, you’ll gradually remember things you’d forgotten to say, didn’t say, or were holding back. And soon, you’ll begin to feel like you can say, think, and work on anything, because you can! After 24 years as an addictions counselor, mental health counselor, trauma treatment specialist, and Liberation guide, I’ve seen and heard nearly everything imaginable. I can help.

The world is tumultuous, and you can’t count on traditional institutions for support. Instead, you’ll have to find your own Center, not in anyone or anything else. 

Learn to distinguish helpful patterns from harmful ones.

Psychotherapy and the spiritual liberation path are both educational processes, and it’s helpful to learn a few vital things first. One is that your feelings are not the enemy. Two is that 90-99% of your thoughts are untrue (It’s not your fault, it’s just how the mind works.) Three is that you already ARE what you are looking for; the Divine is within you and outside of you.

It’s impossible to function if you believe every thought that pops into your head, so you need to identify when your feelings come from false thoughts and are useless, and when they come from actual experience and are useful. You already have experiences of meditation and mindfulness (or I can teach you how to practice), so let’s identify and strengthen those and uncover how to use those to take you to your truest, most peaceful Core.

So much of thriving in life is about finding your way around yourself and getting to know who you are and who you’re not. It’s also about understanding that your ego (the little chattering voice in your head that calls itself “I”) is not actually what you are.

Let’s work together to get your life on track, your psychology functional, and if you want…your spiritual journey moving toward Liberation.

Meeting weekly is the best option for most students and produces optimal results. However some students prefer to come biweekly or monthly. Just how much change you make will be up to you and how often you show up. Please note that I do not do occasional work with individual clients and students; the work must be steady and regular. It is a myth that you can heal instantly; healing isn’t like instant mashed potatoes…it actually does take time and effort and the right recipe.

But the work we do in sessions is only part of it, and there will be exercises to practice on your own, so you can put the insights from our meetings into practice. Don’t worry though, I don’t grade you!

Over time, your life will begin to feel like it’s no longer run by a self-destructive autopilot program. You’ll start to understand how your history impacts your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and learn to see through them to radically change your current life. As you clear out the confusion caused by unskillful use of thoughts and feelings, you’ll have more bandwidth to explore your Core. Life can actually be a fun adventure after all.

About Jonathan

My life’s work is about helping people overcome trauma, anxiety, self-doubt and low self-esteem, while waking up to their deepest nature as the Absolute, like I did myself. I was traumatized at home, bullied at school, and lived in uncomprehending misery for years, including being in and out of extreme religious cults and doing many years of psychotherapy work as a client. I understand how difficult the process of change can be, because I lived and still live it. I also know how awesome the rewards of moving towards Liberation are.

I was bound and determined to feel better, and that kept me alive and persisting through numerous ‘false starts.’ I started working with my first psychologist at the age of 15 but didn’t really take to the work until I was nearly 30. I started on an active spiritual path at the same time which has taken me into Judaism, evangelical and then new age Christianity, and finally into the mystical awakening traditions of the East (Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism, etc.)

I started my professional journey as an administrative and technical writing professional but then moved into working with people, first as a Licensed Massage Therapist, where I realized that the most rewarding part of the work was listening to clients’ life stories. So I returned to school and earned my Master’s in Counseling Psychology. Since then, I’ve been the Director of the Trauma Treatment Program at a large agency, received numerous accreditations, written four books, and earned two trauma treatment certifications from the world-famous specialists Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Dr. Bruce Perry – all while seeing clients full-time. I also studied Energy Healing for 3 years, got a 500-hour certification as a Yoga Teacher, and began teaching meditation and spiritual awakening in 2001, 23 years ago.

For the last 23 years, I’ve been helping people move from a tortured existence to a life of peace and contentment, living from the shining center or Core of who they are. It worked for me, and it can work for you too!

Education

I hold the following degrees and certificates, which are available in my office for your review:

  • Master of Arts Degree with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology from Vermont College.
  • Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania, License #005696.
  • 90-hour Certificate in Traumatic Studies (from Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s Trauma Treatment Center in Brookline, MA.)
  • Registered Suicide Prevention Trainer Certificate with LivingWorks (authors of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training or ASIST.)
  • Level I Certificate in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, studies with Dr. Bruce Perry (a one-year certification program in Trauma Treatment.)
  • Certified Yoga Teacher (ERYT-500 hours) and former member of the Yoga Alliance.
  • Formerly: Mentor and Therapist in the Waking Down spiritual community.
  • Certified Psychic and Energetic Healer.
  • Licensed Massage Therapist in New York State (retired.)
  • B.A. in English and Bible.
  • International Baccalaureate from high school at the United World College of the Atlantic, St. Donat’s Castle, South Wales, UK.
  • Recently, spiritual training has included retreats with Adyashanti; I’m currently working with Metatronic-life.com, a school of spiritual healing and awakening, and with Dr. Angelo DiLullo of SimplyAlwaysAwake.com and some of his co-facilitators.

Writing and Podcasts

My first book is a memoir called An Ordinary Being. I completed my second book called Simply Awake and followed that with a booklet entitled Taming the Three-Ring Circus of Your Mind. All except Simply Awake are available on Amazon, Kindle, and as PDFs (by minimum donation) on my “Shop” page.  I replaced Simply Awake with a much more comprehensive book called Being Human and Waking Up: a therapist’s guide for clients and seekers.  You’ll find it on Amazon.com where it was published on September 1, 2023.

In addition, I write blog posts on this website, write a column called “Simply Awake” for six months which you’ll find at https://jonthanlabman.substack.com, and you can find chapters I’ve contributed to other books. One is called The Second Birth. The second is called Dancing in the Fire. Both are about early experiences of spiritual awakening.

I’ve recently done a lot of Podcasts, and the list is growing.  You can find the current list here on Spotify.  

Free time

When not working, I enjoy being a homebody with my spouse, writing, walking, reading, bird watching, gardening, and singing (Don’t worry, though, I won’t serenade you.) I also stay deeply involved in spiritual practice and continue moving towards deeper Liberation.