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I grew up in a middle-class family on Long Island and attended a top 20 high school where I graduated in the top ten in my class. My undergraduate degree is from the College of William and Mary, my graduate degree from Texas A&M, and my predoctoral internship and post-doc were completed at Vanderbilt. My most significant learning, though, has been through the various mentors, guides and therapists I have been fortunate enough to work with and of course, through the school of life. I believe that life is about learning lessons (no mistakes, only lessons) and when we pay attention, we can be constantly growing through our interactions with our families, friends, nature, and the world at large. Download Rules for Life
I believe that the services I have to offer are only as good as the work I’ve done on myself. For many years I have been pursuing my own growth and healing through psychotherapy, body work and energy work, the study of yoga and ayurveda, and participation in workshops oriented toward deep soul work.
I find that these days, I believe I can face anything life hands me with grace and the freedom to experience my emotions, but not be consumed by them. Nashville has been my home since 2000 where I live in a beautiful old Victorian home with my two big, beautiful dogs.
In addition to my private practice (which is part time, so it stays enjoyable and I avoid burnout), I’m involved in several other pursuits. I’ve helped create BeFriendMe.com, a social networking website that’s like Facebook except that you are actively matched with people instead of searching for them (like eHarmony matches people, compared to Match.com where you have to search). On BeFriendMe.com you can match with people based on interests, careers, hobbies, difficulties (mental or physical illnesses, disabilities, etc), ethnicity, religion, and lots more! I am a skydiver, a lover of art and music festivals, camping, hiking and biking, a real estate investor and home remodeler, and a traveler. I love animals and nature and our beautiful earth. My new business pursuit is selling memberships to a vacation club…another way I get to help people find their joy! I hope to always live life large, and my motto since college has been “work hard and play hard.” I hope to help you do the same!
Any thourough-going therapy needs to help the client accept and confront the mystery which enfolds us all…
James Bugental,
The Art of the Psychotherapist
