_______________________________________Summary
of Training
and Experience
_______________________________________
Motivated by experiences arising out of a near fatal accident, Paul Chirumbolo has been exploring eastern and western psychospiritual traditions since 1979. He has maintained a practice of Hatha Yoga and Meditation since 1979 and, in 1989 he experienced transmission of spiritual energy when he received shaktipat initiation in the Siddha Yoga tradition.
Chirumbolo was an early participant in the Los Angeles based Gay Soul Making workshops, pioneered by longtime gay liberation activist and psychologist Donald Kilhefner. Largely based on the tenets of analytic psychology and the archetypal work of
C.G. Jung, this work provided a foundation for an intensive six years’ hands-on learning of the transformative power of dreams, ritual, symbol and myth, as well as entrée into the imaginal realms of
Holotropic Self-Expression, as developed by psychologist Stanislov Grof.
On a trip to the mountains of northern New Mexico he came upon a meeting with native healers of one of the Tiwa speaking tribes, thus initiating an abiding convergence of his practices in eastern-based yogic mysticism with visionary Shamanism.
Under the tutelage of medicine people of the Pueblo Dwellers of New Mexico and the Yurok nation of northern California, he learned to access and direct non-ordinary states of awareness to accelerate healing processes. With the Tiwa, he was initiated into their peyote rites as well.
He possesses additional training and experience in native healing practices from both North and South America, including work in the Inka Medicine Traditions.
Chirumbolo has presented workshops at self-discovery centers and wellness settings since 1988. He has also lectured on such topics as "Racism, Sexism and Homophobia", the "Principles of Making Change" in one's life, "Theory and Use of Dreams in Psychotherapy", and "Exploring Cultural and Sexual Identity", among others, in college psychology classes and other community forums.
Chirumbolo holds an M.A. in Clinical Psychology and practices psychotherapy as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, working out of his own private practice office, located in the Loz Feliz district of Los Angeles.
His work falls into that area where conventional western psychology overlaps with traditional non-western approaches. Clinical work utilizes a synergistic mix of Jungian and Self psychology, along with Object Relations and Systems theory.
He is an expert in working with dreams.
Areas of special interest include treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, cultural and sexual identity matters, trauma, and the related issues of loss and abuse.
