Joseph M. Bernard Ph.D.

Short Bio - I have spent the better part of the last 35 years helping people make sense out of their lives. My work as a therapist, teacher, presenter, workshop leader, management consultant, and trainer has brought me into the inner workings of all kinds of people including: addicts and alcoholics, competitive athletes, business owners, the criminal justice system, and many in search of meaning and purpose.

In the past my work has helped people heal, leave the past behind, move forward in their lives with purpose and help shift old stuck places into new and dynamic aliveness. Now I want to share more of what I have learned over these years of listening careful to the issues that often trouble people and how most of us even at our best get in our own way.

Personal stuff about me that may impress you or leave you wondering:

I love to take a power nap in the afternoon

One of my inner practices is exploring out-of-body-experiences

I have been running at least three times per week since 1975

I once won a race in the Presidio in San Francisco at a 5:35 pace per mile

I love exploring fitness and health

I enjoy playing golf and have three holes in one

Mindfulness is a daily practice for me

I graduated from Oregon State in Education, from Lewis and Clark Masters in Counseling,

I got my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, which taught me much about the wisdom of the East

I once did a form of Tai chi everyday for two years

I use to go into banks after robberies and help the staff deal with the stress and trauma

I live across the street from the Pacific Ocean close to a small town on the Oregon Coast

I am an avid explorer of higher consciousness

I was the yoga teacher at the largest member own sports club in the US

I have written two novels that very few have read and a musical not yet available

I am an abstract painter whose art has been displayed in a major corporation

I have a wonderful wife named Bobbi and the best dog in the world named Pax

I am a social activist passionate about world peace

I use to be awakened in the middle of the night to talk people out of suicide.

A gymnast I helped with his mental preparation won the National Still Rings Championship

I have a passion for reading that includes about one book a week for the last 30 years

I love to cook really tasty food. My wife tells me, I remember the past by where I ate.

I have lived in Portland, San Francisco, Vancouver British Columbia, Santa Barbara, Denver and Boulder and now on the Oregon coast

I am the oldest of six and have survived 12 years of Catholic schools

I developed an month long program for those with addictions that was totally based on creative expression

I love to play table tennis

I ran a drop in program for those with chronic mental health issues; I had 24 staff all with a mental health diagnosis

I have a blog with over 1600 posts over the last almost 5 years

I love to laugh, have meaningful conversations, keep fit, inspire others, explore altered states of being, and spreading love and light out into the world.