Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Mackenzie, Lpcc
Hi Ann, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Like many, my personal and professional stories are deeply interwoven. I began working in the field of mental health 15 years ago and before starting my private practice, I provided services in a variety of settings including hospitals, residential facilities, addiction treatment centers, schools, and community mental health clinics. These were all valuable experiences where I worked with people with a wide range of challenges, backgrounds, cultures, and identities. These experiences also increased my awareness of the limitations of our mainstream healthcare system. I believed there was much more to mental health than what was being taught to myself and my colleagues and being offered to patients.
While I am a proponent of “evidenced-based” care and the value it can offer, I’ve come to learn that true healing requires us to move beyond the mind and the suppression of symptoms. Improving our long-term mental health involves addresses the root causes of our symptoms, working through our past traumas, and honoring our holistic well-being, which our current system is simply not equipped to do. I encountered so many people on my path who had tried traditional approaches like talk therapy and medications and felt hopeless when they failed to experience the relief they were looking for. I understood their pain, because the same was true for me in my own personal journey. It was only when I began to understand the power of the mind-body connection, the subconscious, and the inter-relatedness of every aspect of my life, that I became empowered to move beyond my own challenges. I now have the privilege of educating and guiding people through this same process, which gives deeper meaning to the suffering that I experienced and imbues my life with passion and purpose.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Yes, there’s been plenty of obstacles and struggles along the way! While I think I have always known who I am and what I am here to do, the greatest invitation for growth has been learning to lean into that fully and allow life to meet me there. The more I allow myself to be in my full authenticity the happier I am, which positively influences every aspect of my life. I believe that our challenges provide our greatest opportunities for evolution and wisdom. Often, our joy is waiting for us on the other side of our grief. Our greatest love, on the other side of our fear. And our greatest freedom, on the other side of our self-imposed limitations. In hindsight, I can see how each struggle contained an important lesson that supported me in arriving where I am today. That is the magic and mystery of life, and I am grateful for it all.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Psycholuminesence Psychotherapy ?
I am an integrative psychotherapist and breathwork facilitator, and I specialize in psychedelic-assisted therapy. I offer therapy and Holotropic breathwork sessions virtually and in person in Solana Beach, CA. My practice supports adults struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma/PTSD, codependency, self-esteem, relationship or family stress, and spirituality. In addition to my private practice, I am partnered with ketamine clinics and collaborate with medical staff there to support patients receiving IV and IM ketamine treatment. For those preparing to complete psychedelic-medicine work, I offer psychoeducation, preparation, and integration sessions.
I describe my approach as integrative because I combine evidenced-based therapies with other complementary and alternative approaches to healing. Each person is different, and it’s important to be able to draw from a diverse array of modalities and approaches to support my clients with achieving their unique personal goals. I value being trauma-informed, culturally attuned, and strengths-based in my work. I view my role as supporting people with connecting to their inherent capacity for growth and well-being. Within the right conditions, internally and externally, healing takes place naturally because our bodies, minds, and hearts are designed to be well. Our job in therapy is to work together to identify and remove any barriers, which may be physical, mental, emotional, environmental or the result of unconscious beliefs or unresolved experiences.
In addition to my private practice, I host free and donation-based community events where I offer group breathwork, sound healing, and support groups for psychedelic integration. I also provide trainings on psychedelic-assisted therapy for staff at mental health clinics in Southern California.
What I am most proud of is being a heart and soul led practice. I do it because I love it and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I am so inspired by the strength, resiliency, and courage of the people I get to work with. Witnessing people move through darkness and find themselves and their light on the other side is a gift that I am grateful for every day.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I loved learning, being active, music and spending time in nature. None of this has changed! I was a very sensitive child and always gravitated towards the natural world. I loved plants, animals, and spent a lot of time at the beach, in the woods, and camping on my family’s land in Nova Scotia, Canada.
I was also an athlete and played lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey competitively for 15 years. I am very grateful for the lessons and self-discipline that sports instilled in me. I believe those experiences assisted me with developing mental and physical strength and taught me to value teamwork and taking care of my body from a young age.
I was gifted a book about Psychology when I was 14 years old and knew right away when I read it that I wanted to be a therapist. That desire remained and grew stronger over time. In high school, I became fascinated with learning about world religions, and various forms of philosophy and spirituality that were different from the context that I grew up in. I began practicing yoga and meditation at age 17 and those practices ended up becoming two of my greatest allies through all of life’s changes and challenges. When I look at my life and the work I do now, I can see how my interests and experiences in childhood were foreshadowing of the person and therapist that I would become.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.psycholuminesence.com
Image Credits
Chris Wojdak Photography
