Kathleen's Story
Bios are strange things that describe a person, but don’t really give you a sense of who they are. I will share with you what is important to me, so that you can know me better, as well as some of my story, as I see it at this stage of my life.
The path I walk
I was born Kathleen Elizabeth Hanagan on June 1, 1952, smack dab in the middle of a post World War II “father knows best” reality that was soon to be upended by a fiercely loving and fiercely rebellious new generation. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s rocked. I count myself blessed to have ridden that first wave of deep change, and have been riding the waves every since.
My path is one of commitment to Love, and doing my own work of clearing whatever obstacles to love arise.
I practiced as a licensed clinical social worker in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, for over 30 years, in addition to being an Imago Relationship therapist, modern mystic, poetess, and ordained shamanic priestess. I have a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, and a master’s degree from Columbia School of Social Work. My work is about integrating the essential wisdom of the great spiritual traditions with scientific knowledge, as I’ve worked intimately with individuals, couples, and groups. My own quest for liberation has been a guiding force my entire life.
In 2018, I wrote Loveseed: The Template for Birthing A New World, in which I synthesize what I know about deep healing, as well as share my own healing journey. I teach people how to create miracles through shifts in perception, that help us trance-end the fear that creates personal and collective pain. At the back of the book, I wrote a note to my colleagues that is at the heart of my philosophy about the role of psychotherapists. Here is an excerpt:
“Drop your judgments and do not put too much weight on a DSM diagnosis, forgetting to see the magnificent struggle between the divine and human natures in the people you serve. Remain hopeful, even in the darkest of times. We must become masters of the reframe, offered at the right moment, always holding the tension of the opposites, even when our clients cannot see the light. Remember that in all things there is contained its opposite; that breath and awareness can transform sadness to love, anger to power, and anxiety to excitement and enthusiasm. The last and most important thing I want to say is to go for the love. Every symptom and every suffering is a doorway back to the original love inside the person—to their loveseed. If you want to call that love forth in the person, find it within yourself. Find all the ways that the people you work with are like you and attune to that. Get some limbic resonance going. Feel the love.” (to read the full version, go to this link which will be on the website blog, as I will create a blog out of it.)
For me, my work as a psychotherapist has been a calling, rather than merely a profession. I believe that the true authority to be a psychotherapist arises from the depth and breadth of healing done on the Self. I have always worked at the cutting edge, using Holotropic breathwork, psychodrama, somatic therapy, biofield tuning, and now psychedelics—to both connect deeply to the body and to expand a person’s consciousness into dimensions where true healing happens.
In 2005, I closed my thriving practice and lived in the Peruvian Andes for a year, where I was introduced to indigenous plant medicines and healing practices. The depth of personal renewal I experienced inspired me to return to my work as psychotherapist with a new set of eyes and a wiser heart.
These days, my passion for the field of psychotherapy is stronger than ever, as the therapeutic use of psychedelics is creating a revolution that transcends the healing of mental illness. I view these new medicines as gifts for these times, tools to be used for the healing of body, mind and Spirit, and for the evolution of humanity.
In addition to 30 years filled with countless trainings, I have extensive training in the use of ketamine from the Ketamine Training Institute, Polaris Ketamine and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Training (Certificate) and the Psychedelic Somatic Institute. If you want my full resume, click here.
What has my attention these days…
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wonder at the magnificence of the dance of creation in both my personal life and in the world. I also have thoughts like these, which are based on my feelings about the world:
- How isolated people are and how there is this illusion of being connected via technology that is creating a sense of disembodiment. We need to come home to our own bodies and one another.
- How important it is that we all receive enough nurturance, from the very beginning of life, and when that hasn’t happened, that we receive it from those who have it to give.
- How essential it is that the older generation of “boomers” remain awake and fully engaged at this time.
- How key it is that the younger generation now stepping into the forefront be open to receive guidance, and at the same time be brave enough to show a new way.
- How important it is to become even more devoted in our relationships.
My philosophy…
- It’s up to me to stay steady and manage my own energy.
- Remaining radically connected to my body and to the earth is essential.
- Compassion is at the heart of all healing.
- We are co-creators and have a big say in how our lives are going.
- We are all in this together.
- Our challenges are what our souls need to reclaim ourselves as the divine beings we are.
- Love trumps fear every time.
Simple things that help me…
- Meditation and walks in nature with my dog Kali.
- Preparing whole foods for myself, and even better, for people I care about. I love to cook for people!
- Working out to remain strong.
- Being with family and friends.
- My work. I am blessed with work that asks me to remain awake!
- Ecstatic dance gatherings where the movement of Five Rhythms is played.
- Sacred ceremonies such as sweat lodges, and connecting with the healing power of plants.
- Getting away on a new adventure on a regular basis
- Speaking out my gratitude and praying every morning.
- Sharing a rip-roaring laugh!
Where else can you find me?
If you are ready to liberate yourself from the shackles of fear and lean in the direction of love, get in touch, and we can set a time to speak.
Some more of my story…
In 1989, I graduated from Columbia School of Social Work, which was one of the high points of my life. I had three children, ages 11, 9, and 8, at that time, and my marriage was unraveling.
I focused on transforming myself in my individual work, and sought the guidance of several couple’s therapists, yet still chose to separate.
After healing from the breakup, I traveled and reveled in my freedom, which was such a strong value. I considered myself a fortunate and happy woman, helping many people, still a hippie at heart, able to enjoy life fully.
Then something happened. I faced a loss that shook me at the core. I realized that I was grieving all my “unlived life”—parts of me that I had shelved, put to the side, for the benefit of family, children, husband, career, profession. I was being called to something more than the life I had created.
Within 9 months, I had sold my home, closed my practice, and was living in Peru, in the high Andes.
I had taken a quantum leap, into the unknown. Soon I was traveling to the jungle and experiencing powerful healing plant medicine journeys, befriending shamans and holy beings who are here to serve.
I participated in ceremonies at 18,000 feet, chewed coca leaves, and after 11 months in Peru, ended up on a silent Oneness retreat in India. I returned to the States after one year, an entirely new woman.
The re-entry was not easy. I built a magnificent temple in the heart of Falls Church, 8 miles from DC. I had my hands in the dirt as often as I could, to remain grounded, and I received powerful transmissions from the earth, as I had in Peru. At the time, I did not know where it was all headed, so I kept putting one foot in front of the other, listening, following the voice inside,
I entered into my Priestess phase, holding ceremonies and the space for growth and healing. My soul was leading the way, having me reclaim these familiar parts of self that had not been nurtured in my Boston Irish Catholic beginnings. In 2010, I left my home and practice behind to take a long and healing journey, which included a time of great darkness when I faced disowned parts of myself.
“Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.”
What I learned along the way, and much more, I share in my book, Loveseed: The Template For Birthing A New World .
I live on a wild and gorgeous 21 acres in Capon Bridge, W. Virginia, 2 hours from Washington, DC, where I moved in 2023 to create a sanctuary for deep healing. I guide individuals, couples and groups to do the sacred work of releasing trauma and calling their souls back home. The work is done in retreat, as well as virtually.
I have 3 grown children who have been and continue to be my greatest teachers, and a grandson, Jack, with whom I love to fish. I am a devoted partner to a beautiful woman who teaches me every day what it means to be in sacred partnership.
I am living proof, at 72, that you are never too old for your purpose, and that, as Joseph Campbell, author of The Power Of Myth, said, “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”