About Heal
Use nature’s gifts of plant medicine, voice, and breath to help you tap deeper into your subconscious, promoting meaningful, lasting inner work.
“That felt like ten years of therapy,” is an often-heard sentiment after one’s first intentional journey with somatic work. We live in the era of a mental health revolution and psychedelic renaissance, where the scientific community, psychiatric and pharmaceutical industries, and the world at large are learning about the therapeutic potential of somatic modalities.
We can help guide you to achieve the most effective, safe, and meaningful experience possible. Just like in traditional psychotherapy, the goal is that you need a guide’s help less and less over time.
Hi, I’m Christie.
I have a multidisciplinary background in psychology, vocal pedagogy, and somatic integration. After completing an BM degree in Choral Music Education, I sang professionally and taught in San Francisco, Paris, and Zürich, Switzerland. After 12 years of private teaching experience, I gained a unique appreciation and insight into the effects that music, singing, and touch can have in somatic therapy processes.
After over ten years in the field of vocal pedagogy, I embarked on a long-anticipated career change: psychology and somatic therapy.
I first became a psychedelics facilitator while researching with the psychedelics research lab at the University of Zurich in 2021. I also researched the effects of psilocybin in depressed patients at the Psychiatric University Hospital in Zurich. As part of my master’s degree in psychology, I researched the effects of ayahuasca on social connectedness. In 2023, I began working at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ) for its LSD in palliative care study.
My passion lies in trauma processing, recovery, and integration. Somatic therapies like holotropic breathwork, somatic singing, and psychedelic compounds are all powerful tools to process trauma and integration the whole self.
FAQs
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Plant medicine is any substance derived from natural sources to improve well-being. In the context of mental health, specific plants contain psychedelic compounds which can alter perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior. Medicinal plants have been used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times.
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Every plant containing psychedelic compounds has a different pharmacodynamic effect. Psilocybe cubensis (or “magic mushroom”) is a serotonin 5-HT2A agonist, meaning it activates the brain’s serotonin receptors. This enables the brain to process serotonin more efficiently, which can be extremely effective in improving mood.
Psilocybin also decreases activity in the brain’s default mode network, which enables the psyche to see situations differently, and change behavior more quickly and effectively. A carefully crafted experience with plant medicine enables an individual to gain insights into the subconscious mind. This provides the opportunity for deeper perspective shifts and long-term benefits.
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Physiologically, psilocybin is extremely safe and virtually impossible to overdose.
Psychologically, the only individuals discouraged from taking moderate and higher doses of psychedelic compounds are individuals with a history of psychosis.
Because psilocybin affects serotonin—not dopamine (which drugs like cocaine and heroine affect)—it is not addictive. On the contrary, research since the mid 20th century points to the anti-addictive properties of psilocybin—for example, in studies concerning smoking cessation and overconsumption of alcohol.
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Because psilocybin effectively improves mood and temporarily decreases activity in the brain’s default mode network, it can help individuals perceive life and situations in a new way. The brain is enabled to create new neural pathways to further improve mood and behavior long-term.
Research has pointed to its ability to significantly improve symptoms in individuals with major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorder. New research suggests these disorders may be associated with unresolved past traumatic experiences.
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Since the turn of the century, there has been a large influx of scientific research surrounding psychedelics and their therapeutic potential.
Academic research:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research
The Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research – Imperial College London
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
Media:
Psychedelic-assisted therapy – BBC News
Check out the different somatic sessions available.