About Me
I am an artist, medicine woman, traditionally trained psychedelic facilitator and a student psychotherapist.
I am driven by the love of human experience and curiosity about what is behind our emotions, behaviours and thoughts.
While being a very intellectual and cognitive person myself, I recognize the shortcomings of "thinking our way out of a problem" and focus on healing complex trauma, childhood emotional neglect and restoring physical health through a body-mind-spirit approach.
With 15+ years of traditional psychedelic apprenticeship in Peruvian Vegetalismo, I blend ancient wisdom with modern therapeutic approaches. Specializing in Expressive Arts Therapy (EXAt), integral neuroprogramming and psychedelic integration, I guide individuals towards their True Self, stepping fully into the joy of living.
My practice combines creative expression, somatic awareness, and insights from plant medicine traditions to support clients in navigating depth of their feelings and experiences while accessing the embodied cognition ( Body's wisdom).
Passionate about the intersection of art, psychology, and sacred plant traditions, I offer a unique perspective in the evolving field of psychedelic-assisted therapy and holistic wellness.
“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”
Wade Davis
My Story
I was born in Soviet Russia into a family of young students and I speak 5 languages - Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Portuguese and English.
My mother was born in Siberia and my father was born in Ukraine. When I was 7, my family moved from St-Petersburg, Russia to Kharkiv, Ukraine, where I grew up, finished school and entered University. And in the year 2000 immigrated to Canada.
I studied Media Arts at Sheridan Institute of Technology and spent some time working as a camera assistant and being a member of a professional union. I also received several grants for creation of my own independent short films.
My contact with the spirit world began during a visit to the sacred lake Baikal in Siberia, while on an island Olkhon - the energetic centre of Siberian Shamanism.
The journey then led me to India, where I participated in several ayahuasca ceremonies for the first time. Following the encounter with the medicine, my life took an unexpected turn and first I moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I continued working in ceremony with Huni Kuin people; and then came to the Amazon rainforest outside of the city of Pucallpa, Peru.
In the year 2008 I moved to Peru full time where I continued my apprenticeship with mestizo curanderos Enrique Paredes and Reyna Edery, by undergoing strict plant dietas sometimes lasting a full month in isolation of a small hut in the rainforest.
In 2013 I co-founded Canto Luz Centre for Research and Cultural Preservation - a project dedicated to environmentalism, preservation of ancient healing traditions and sustainable living.
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I went through a process of crowdfunding Canto Luz and building an off-grid treehouse retreat in the virgin Amazon rainforest. While a Director of Canto Luz I facilitated the flow and integration of both retreats and community outreach projects that Canto Luz facilitated.
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I was also working as an ayahuasquera (healer) in all of our ceremonies alongside Reyna Edery.
Simultaneously, I connected to the work of Buryat shamans of the Baikal region where I studied the techniques of throat singing, which I use in ceremony.
In 2017 I moved back to Canada and stepped out of my active role in Canto Luz in order to concentrate on my family and to bring my son into this world.
I switched my focus to Sound Healing and have been facilitating group events downtown Toronto since 2017 as part of the soundhealing duo Project Mariri, as well as recording an album of medicine music "Unity Songs" by Northern Family, with all of the royalties going towards supporting indigenous people of the Amazon.
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I continue leading private and exclusive healing retreats both in the Amazon and the Andes of Peru.
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In 2020 I entered Institute of Innovative Psychothechnologies (Russia) and received a diploma in Applied Psychology, in modality of integral neuroprogramming - a type of practical psychology developed by S.V. Kovalev (Russia) that identifies and reprograms subconscious patterns
I am currently enrolled in postgraduate expressive arts therapy program at CREATE institute and working towards becoming a registered psychotherapist.
I now mostly focus on one-on-one and small group work and enjoy tending my garden, raising my son, building a family and being a part of a community.
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