Biography.
Peter is a teacher, somatic therapist, mentor and wilderness guide who works to restore humanity’s sense of belonging to the Earth by integrating the wisdom of diverse spiritual teachings with the practices of embodied, relational trauma healing.
He offers mentorship to passionate creators and visionary leaders who work to build a more relational culture. He leads courses on somatic healing, leadership and belonging to the wild world, and guides wilderness vigils. His work is informed by two decades of contemplative practice and many years of deep study of somatic healing practices. He is a committed student of Thomas Hübl’s Academy of Inner Science, a trauma-informed spiritual teaching integrating mystical wisdom with the science of embodied healing.
My Story
​Growing up in the United States in the 80s and 90s, I found little depth, meaning, and connection in the world I encountered. My love for life and my care for others never faded, but it did go deep inside. Without finding outer resonance for my inner depths, I felt I couldn't fully land in the world
In my mid-twenties, in a time of personal crisis, I rode my bicycle across the United States. In the east, I had to reach out to strangers for shelter from a tornado outbreak that remains the largest in U.S. history.
In the south, a record-breaking flood nearly diverted my route. In the west, I rode through heavy smoke from what remains the largest wildfire in Arizona’s history. Overnight, climate change went from an idea to a felt experience. It suddenly felt viscerally real. This has driven my life’s work ever since
I worked for several years as a therapeutic wilderness guide, pouring my heart into my work. I lived outdoors for two weeks each month for five years. I fell in love with the wild and felt the cycles of the Earth in my bones. I became a leader, successfully guiding groups through life-threatening circumstances. And I found a mentor who changed my life. I could feel that he believed completely in my potential. Through him, I found the Diamond Approach, a psychologically-informed path of self-realization which has been my spiritual path since 2015. I began to guide soulcentric wilderness expeditions, rites of passage for young people.
In my mid-20s, I traveled to distant and unfamiliar lands in search of spiritual knowledge and healthy communities. I spent an extended period of time meditating Vipassana in Thailand. I studied community building, sacred activism, and relational healing work in Tamera, an ecovillage in Portugal. I learned how to belong by being part of a caring group with a shared purpose.
By simply following my heart’s calling, I began to spend more and more time in Europe. In late 2020, I moved to Germany, to plant my roots in the soil of my father’s ancestors. Soon after, I began studying with Thomas Hübl, who works with integrating contemplative practice and embodied, relational healing work. I learned to finely train my capacity to sense myself, others, and the world. Through my own process, I felt the power of this tool for healing and for guiding purposeful, creative expression in the world. I integrated that with my former work as a therapeutic and soulcentric wilderness guide and my mentoring and facilitation work began to center around cultivating our capacity to sense ourselves as a portal to healing and living purposeful lives of service to all of life.
My purpose is to guide you to heal so you can participate fully in the unfolding adventure of life on Earth. Along my path I have been blessed with many guides and teachers who have each shown me something essential. My commitment is to carry on that lineage and offer healing and guidance for those who feel called to work with me.
Trainings
Academy of Inner Science – student – 2022 - present
Over 500 hours of training in the fundamentals of embodied trauma healing, relational attunement, group process work, purpose development, and the evolution of consciousness.
Nativ International Facilitator Training – 2023
Yearlong training in embodied group facilitation, based on the principles of Hakomi.
Animas Quest Apprenticeship – 2022 – Animas Valley Institute
Embodied Intimacy Training – assistant level – 2021
Yearlong training in embodied, relational healing practices and trauma-informed leadership based on the principles of sensorimotor psychotherapy.
Soul-centered coaching apprenticeship – Coaching Cascadia – 2019-2020
Tamera Research and Education Center – 2018-2019
​Two-year training in community leadership, sacred activism, and facilitation of Forum, a communal healing practice
School of Lost Borders – 2017
Monthlong residential training in nature-based vision fast guiding, storytelling, Council, and mirroring.
Education
PhD student – Somatic Psychology
California Institute of Integral Studies – 2022-present
Master’s degree in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness – California Institute of Integral Studies – 2022
​Bachelor’s degree in Psychology – Tufts University – 2007
Researching embodied spiritual practices to empower creative participation in Earth's transformation
Researched how embodied, relational trauma healing work contributes to the evolution of consciousness
…only longing for what belongs to us
And serving Earth
Lest we remain unused.
– Rilke