Don became most interested in bodycentred work in his thirties working
for a 'Day Hospital' in the Okanagan. Don used Qi Gong, yoga, movement
to music, and other expressive therapies with clients who had been
hospitalized for major depression. The results were often miraculous,
but sadly minimized by the medical system of that time. However, this
has led to a lifetime of dedication to practising and teaching body
centered work, including Polarity Therapy, Qi Gong, Hakomi, Yoga
Therapy, Psoma Yoga, Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga, and an assortment of other
embodiment practices. Don became interested in these alternatives
through discomfort with his own body early in his life. By the age of
25, his body didn't feel like a safe place to be, and he was
hospitalized for depression a couple of times before embarking on his
own self healing journey. The body of his professional work has been
within the Mental Health and Substance Use field, and for the past
twenty years almost exclusively in Substance Use Recovery. Don taught
mindfulness-based relapse prevention, yoga, and an array of other
courses when he worked in the Daytox Program in Surrey, BC. He has led
classes, workshops, and retreats with the foundational practice being
Loving Presence, as it was taught by Ron Kurtz, the founder of Hakomi.
Don has been studying Hakomi for 8 years, has been a student and teacher of Kum Nye for six years, and is currently certified as a Kum Nye
instructor.