Valerie Louis, PhD, SEP
If you ask me what my favorite thing is, I will probably give you five answers and tell you why each one matters.
Somewhere in my head there is a voice saying, “Valerie, they only asked for one.”
My response to that voice is usually the same. They are getting five. This is who I am.
Welcome to my world :).
I found this pattern showing up everywhere in my life. In school, in my work, and in the questions that fascinated me. Again and again I was asked to choose one lane, one discipline, one way of understanding the world.
For me, that was always an impossible ask.
It is uncomfortable to live outside the binary focus of our culture. I never want to give the impression that this was easy. For many years I tried to narrow myself down, to choose the “right” lane, and to explain myself in ways that made more sense to others.
With much life perspective, including my father’s illness and death, and a later in life autism diagnosis, I began to understand something important: the very thing that made me feel out of place was also the way I naturally perceive the world. I see connections across disciplines, systems, and experiences. My mind moves between detail and larger patterns, between intellectual rigor and spiritual perception, and between cultural context and the individual human being sitting in front of me.
After a great deal of time, effort, and the encouragement of a few cherished people willing to reflect back what they saw in me, I came to recognize this way of being for what it is. It is not something I needed to fix or narrow.
It is the greatest offering I have to the world and to the people I work with.
The work itself, however, is not about me. It is about helping people become more attuned to the many layers within their own lives and the world around them. Most of us have been taught to narrow our attention, to look for one explanation or one framework for understanding ourselves and our world. When people begin to move beyond binaries, when they lessen the separation between spiritual life and daily life, and when they begin to regard the complexity within their own lives and the world around them, they often discover they have access to far more than they realized.
As people begin to notice more layers within their experience, they often develop a greater capacity for life, both its challenges and its gifts. They come to know their own system and what helps it remain steady and present. Overwhelm softens, insights arise that feel personally aligned, and many experience a deeper connection to something greater than themselves woven into their daily lives. From that steadiness, they are often able to show up for themselves and others with an anchored sense of compassion that does not diminish their boundaries or their sense of self.
My path has taken me through several different worlds. Academic study that led to a PhD, decades of spiritual practice and energy healing, therapeutic frameworks such as IFS and Somatic Experiencing, and creative disciplines like music and art. What may appear to be separate domains have always felt connected to me. Together they shape the way I listen, the questions I ask, and the space I hold for the people who come to work with me.
Somewhere in my head there is a voice saying, “Valerie, they only asked for one.”
My response to that voice is usually the same. They are getting five. This is who I am.
Welcome to my world :).
I found this pattern showing up everywhere in my life. In school, in my work, and in the questions that fascinated me. Again and again I was asked to choose one lane, one discipline, one way of understanding the world.
For me, that was always an impossible ask.
It is uncomfortable to live outside the binary focus of our culture. I never want to give the impression that this was easy. For many years I tried to narrow myself down, to choose the “right” lane, and to explain myself in ways that made more sense to others.
With much life perspective, including my father’s illness and death, and a later in life autism diagnosis, I began to understand something important: the very thing that made me feel out of place was also the way I naturally perceive the world. I see connections across disciplines, systems, and experiences. My mind moves between detail and larger patterns, between intellectual rigor and spiritual perception, and between cultural context and the individual human being sitting in front of me.
After a great deal of time, effort, and the encouragement of a few cherished people willing to reflect back what they saw in me, I came to recognize this way of being for what it is. It is not something I needed to fix or narrow.
It is the greatest offering I have to the world and to the people I work with.
The work itself, however, is not about me. It is about helping people become more attuned to the many layers within their own lives and the world around them. Most of us have been taught to narrow our attention, to look for one explanation or one framework for understanding ourselves and our world. When people begin to move beyond binaries, when they lessen the separation between spiritual life and daily life, and when they begin to regard the complexity within their own lives and the world around them, they often discover they have access to far more than they realized.
As people begin to notice more layers within their experience, they often develop a greater capacity for life, both its challenges and its gifts. They come to know their own system and what helps it remain steady and present. Overwhelm softens, insights arise that feel personally aligned, and many experience a deeper connection to something greater than themselves woven into their daily lives. From that steadiness, they are often able to show up for themselves and others with an anchored sense of compassion that does not diminish their boundaries or their sense of self.
My path has taken me through several different worlds. Academic study that led to a PhD, decades of spiritual practice and energy healing, therapeutic frameworks such as IFS and Somatic Experiencing, and creative disciplines like music and art. What may appear to be separate domains have always felt connected to me. Together they shape the way I listen, the questions I ask, and the space I hold for the people who come to work with me.
If my credentials and lineage are important to you (they are important to me and those I choose to work with) - you can check out that list and the official bio with my accomplishments below. ⬇️
|
|
|
When your WHOLE BEING (Body, Mind, Spirit, & Emotional well-being) is supported, the space and resources to fully flourish & be a force for good in the world are possible.
Valerie's Training & Lineage
Academic Training |
-Ph.D. in Educational Studies focusing in Action Research, Intersectional Feminist Studies, Organizational Theory, and Democratic Pedagogy. University of Cincinnati. Lineage: Mary Brydon-Miller (advisor).
-M.A. in Women & Gender Studies. Focus: Feminist Theory, Intersectionality, and Feminist Spirituality. University of Cincinnati. Lineage: Patricia Hill-Collins (advisor). -Graduate coursework & clinic work in Community Counseling. University of Cincinnati. -Bachelor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies. Miami University. Focus: Feminist Spirituality, Women & Gender Studies, Music Performance (viola). Lineage: Enid LaGesse, Nancy Nicholson, and Julia Sterkovsky |
Spiritual & Energetic Training |
-Ordained Non-Denominational Healing Minister, Healing Light Center, Rev. Rosalyn Bruyere, Director. Over 1,200 contact hours in lecture and hands-on training in energy theory and practice, pastoral care, and other spiritual arts.
-Master of Natural Theology in Sacred Healing, Healing Light Center. -Trained Medium & Trance Channel. Private instruction with Rose Vanden Eynden & group instruction through Healing Light Center. -Ritual & Ceremony training with Jenny Trier, Susan Hough, Julia Sterkovsky, Mary Branch Grove & Sobonfu Somé. |
Somatic & Emotional
|
-Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP). Trained by Berns Galloway, Abi Blakeslee, Ariel Giarretto, Raja Selvam, Dea Parsanishi, and Shari Azar.
-Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 3 Certified Practitioner. Trained by Kay Gardner, Frank Anderson, & Pamela Krause. -200-hr yoga teacher certification. Sangha Yoga, Kalamazoo, MI. -iRest Yoga Nidra - Level 1 trained. iRest Institute. -Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach. KMCC Training. - SoulCollage® Facilitator |
|
|
Long Bio
Valerie (she/they) holds an M.A. in Women’s Studies and a Ph.D. in Educational Studies both from the University of Cincinnati. Her master’s work focused on feminist intersectional spirituality; her doctoral dissertation explored organizational development using spiritual and energetic practices to create change and help people connect to the Spiritual guidance and energy system of their organization using a participatory action research paradigm. From 1999-2014, Valerie was adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati teaching in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Teacher Education. In addition to her work at the university, Valerie also has experience working in non-profit administration and continues to develop and provide energetic consulting for organizations and entrepreneurs.
Valerie has studied with a variety of spiritual teachers and practiced energy healing since 1994. Her training includes mediumship, trance channeling, sacred ritual, mystical sacred arts, and cosmologies of the world. Valerie completed her 200-hr yoga teacher certification in the Tantra and Himalayan tradition, Level 1 iRest Yoga Nidra, is a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, a Level 3 Certified Practitioner in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP).
In 2010, Valerie Louis received her Master of Natural Theology in Sacred Healing through the Healing Light Center, and was ordained by internationally known healer Rosalyn Bruyere as a non-denominational Minister of Healing. Valerie has received over 1,200 contact hours in lecture and hands-on training in energy theory and practice and other spiritual arts since she began her studies in 2001 with Rev. Bruyere. In her private practice, Valerie's greatest passion is to be a guide to other healers and helping professionals - including the beauty makers and change agents of the world - in their journey to self-witnessing through compassionate curiosity, context awareness, exquisite attunement, reclaiming discernment, and orienting to the emergent.
Valerie has studied with a variety of spiritual teachers and practiced energy healing since 1994. Her training includes mediumship, trance channeling, sacred ritual, mystical sacred arts, and cosmologies of the world. Valerie completed her 200-hr yoga teacher certification in the Tantra and Himalayan tradition, Level 1 iRest Yoga Nidra, is a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, a Level 3 Certified Practitioner in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP).
In 2010, Valerie Louis received her Master of Natural Theology in Sacred Healing through the Healing Light Center, and was ordained by internationally known healer Rosalyn Bruyere as a non-denominational Minister of Healing. Valerie has received over 1,200 contact hours in lecture and hands-on training in energy theory and practice and other spiritual arts since she began her studies in 2001 with Rev. Bruyere. In her private practice, Valerie's greatest passion is to be a guide to other healers and helping professionals - including the beauty makers and change agents of the world - in their journey to self-witnessing through compassionate curiosity, context awareness, exquisite attunement, reclaiming discernment, and orienting to the emergent.
Work with Valerie
|
|
|