When Insight Still Isn’t Changing Anything

For people who have already done the work but still notice the same patterns showing up in their lives.

A woman in a red top and long skirt playing a gong on a dirt path in a desert landscape with shrubs, cacti, and rocky mountains in the background.

Many people who find me understand their history, but still:

• shut down during conflict
• choose the same kind of partner
• feel anxious or numb without knowing why
• lose access to desire or connection
• react in ways they later regret

Often no one has helped them look closely at how these patterns developed and show up: in breath, tension, posture, and emotional response.

In our work, we focus less on explaining and more on noticing what’s happening in real time.

That might look like:

• slowing down a reaction as it’s happening
• noticing what your body does in certain conversations
• tracking and feeling emotional shifts instead of explaining them
• practicing new responses in session

This is structured, practical work focuses on helping you function more effectively in your relationships of your daily life.

My Training and Experience

Two women engaged in a tarot card reading outdoors, with desert plants like agave and cacti in the background. One woman has short grey hair and is speaking, while the other has long brown hair. The table between them has tarot cards, a pink salt lamp, and various small objects.

I’m a naturopathic doctor, educator, and shamanic practitioner with more than four decades of experience across psychology, medicine, counseling, midwifery, sexual intimacy and relationship coaching, psychedelic healing, and community leadership.

I hold a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University, a master’s degree in psychology from Antioch University, a certificate in Psychedelic Research and Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies, and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Washington State University.

I’ve also trained in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy through Fluence, intimacy and relationship coaching through Somatica, and an hypnosis certificate from Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.

Over the years, I’ve worked in clinical practice, higher education, and community leadership supporting people through trauma, grief, major life transitions, care for the Earth, and the spiritual experiences that are harder to name.

My work is grounded in both clinical training and earned wisdom.

View Afia's CV
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My Services

  • Two women having a conversation, one with short pink hair and a colorful skirt, smiling, and the other with long blonde hair, wearing a rust-colored sweater, seen from behind.

    Mentorship

    A one-with-one relationship journey that bridges psychology, somatics, eroticism, and spirituality to help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom, release old patterns, and embody new ways of being. Each session weaves science and spirit to guide you toward clarity, wholeness, and sovereignty.

  • An older woman lying on the floor with platinum blonde hair with hints of blue, eyes closed, in a yoga pose, wearing a black and blue patterned top. Next to her, a woman with short pink hair, wearing a green top and patterned skirt, sitting on the floor playing a large drum with a mallet, in a room decorated with artwork, crystals, and spiritual objects.

    Ceremony

    A sacred, experiential place to honor life’s beginnings, transitions, and completions. Blending prayer, ritual, and indigenous teachings, Ceremony invites you to move energy, reclaim belonging, and align your healing with the cycles of the Earth and your own becoming.

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How I Work:

A Whole-Systems Approach to Healing

Two women smiling and talking outdoors at a table with a singing bowl, a stone, and a cloth, with desert plants and mountains in the background.

I approach this work directly and relationally.

In our sessions, we focus on what’s happening now, not just what happened before. We slow things down, notice patterns as they unfold, and practice responding differently.

We also pay attention to how people experience closeness, distance, desire, and control, especially where those patterns show up automatically.

Over time, people often notice:

• clearer awareness of what they feel and need
• more steadiness in relationships
• stronger trust in themselves
• more comfort with desire and boundaries
• less tolerance for patterns that no longer serve them

This is practical and relational work. We focus on what actually helps you function more effectively in your relationships and daily life.

The foundation of my work is shaped by the four elements that have guided my own life:

  • Mind: Rooted in psychology, relationships, and human behavior

  • Body: Informed by 17 years in naturopathic medicine, midwifery, dance, and sexuality

  • Spirit: Grounded in indigenous teachings and divine feminine and feminist psychology background

  • Environment: Guided by permaculture and systems design principles

Healing is relational. It happens when you and I remember the threads that connect us to our own body, mind, spirit, to one another, and to the living world.

I help you walk those bridges, from wanting to sovereignty, and to trust that the unexplored has potential to be sacred ground.

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What Clients Are Saying

  • A pink and orange rose flower floating against a pale blue sky or background.

    Afia listened beyond my words - she heard my heart and my energy. It was masterful, really. Her reflections were precise, healing, and often infused with just the right touch of playfulness. Even months later, the session continues to guide me. It has been a lantern through my big emotions. It reconnected me to the deeper Self within that knows “All is well.”

    -Ziona, Ceremony Client

  • Close-up of a sunflower in a field, with bright yellow petals and green leaves, backlit by sunlight.

    I am glad I found Afia in this last chapter of my life. Afia has helped me come home to myself. I am at peace.

    -Gail, Mentorship Client

  • Close-up of a light pink gerbera daisy flower with a green center and a green stem against a light blue background.

    After the tragic death of a dear friend, I came to Afia to do a ceremonial session. Afia created a space that allowed me to move beneath my heartbreak and access the deeper wisdom of my body. That in and of itself was so healing, as grief is an emotion that often puts my body into alarm. It can be flooding, and I shut down. But with her presence and guidance, I was able to soften and move into my grief with a lot of grace and sovereignty. I felt powerful.

    -Kinsey, Ceremony Client

  • A close-up of a pink tulip flower with green stem against a light pink background.

    Through our work, I’ve expanded my capacity to slow down and be present, to ground myself, to show up with care for both myself and others. I’ve learned to identify limits, communicate boundaries as I find them, and share the wisdom I’ve gleaned with those navigating obstacles she once helped me through.

    -Trinity, Mentorship Client

A woman leading a group meditation or yoga session with several participants seated on cushions in a bright room decorated with abstract and tribal artwork.

Let’s work together

If you feel called to work together, let’s begin with a free discovery call. This is a space to connect, ask questions, and see if my offerings align with your journey.