Adrián Villaseñor Galarza, PhD
I’m passionate about human transformation in service of the living Earth, in order to uncover the regenerative expression of our deep potentials.
I was born and raised in México. This means, amongst other things, that my mixed heritage has called for a deepening and integration within myself of both old and new, up and down, North and South. My own blood ancestors come primarily from the Iberian Peninsula in Europe and the Nahua, Purépecha, and Nahua-Otomí peoples of pre-colonial México.
I have been fortunate enough to travel and live in different places and countries for roughly half my life. This has shaped an encompassing and integrative approach to cultural, spiritual, and ecological issues.
My work is considered a Latin American referent when it comes to Deep Ecology, Ecopsychology, and Earth-based spirituality.
Inspired by my experiences with native traditions of the Americas, my contemplative practice and animistic sensibilities, I work with groups and individuals on Earth Reconnection, Soul Tending, Contemplative Living, and Ancestral Healing.
Studies
My academic studies have supported my passion throughout the seasons (see resume here). In my PhD research I advanced an Integral Ecopsychology, fruit of the confluence of Eastern liberation teachings and the study of the human-nature connection, resulting in an elemental framework for self-discovery, healing, and sustainable action.
Overall, my work is informed by three interconnected areas:
1.
Earth Reconnection & (Eco)systemic Psychologies
Informed by Ecopsychology, Deep Ecology and the Work That Reconnects, Depth Psychology and Myth, and Transpersonal Psychology.
2.
Contemplative & Spiritual Traditions
In particular Eastern liberation teachings (Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism), Contemplative Psychoterapy, and Western Wisdom Traditons that center on the import of direct experience.
3.
Ancestral Healing & Shamanisms
Particularly the animistic traditions of the Americas, the use of ritual for transformation and healing, Family Constellations, and the therapeutic value of non-ordinary states of consciousness.
Bioalchemy and the WTR
I’m the founder and director of the Bioalchemy Institute, mostly active in México and Latin America, a pioneering project dedicated to healing the relation between humans and the rest of nature based on an integral understanding of life and the cosmos.
In addition, I’m the seed originator of the Work That Reconnects Latin America, initiative that assists Spanish speaking people from the Americas and beyond in reclaiming their true, wild place in the Earthly web of life.
Books
I’m the author of a handful of books that explore a reverential, enchanted, and evolutionary perspective of humans and Earth, and I’m the translator into Spanish of Joanna Macy’s seminal book, Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide of the Work That Reconnects.
Teaching & Sessions
I’ve offered workshops and talks internationally on Earth-based spirituality, Ecopsychology & Systemic Therapy, Ritual, Integral Education, and Systems View of Life over the past 15 years, both to the general public and academic audiences.
I’ve offered one-on-one sessions for the past 6 years through a contemplative, eco-systemic, animistic, and transpersonal lens.
Roots & Inspiration
The lineages of beauty, wisdom, and compassion that I’ve honored since my teens serve as the guiding force behind my yearning for personal transformation and socio-ecological viability.
These lineages and schools include: Mexican animism, Tibetan Buddhism & Yoga, Native American teachings, Taoism, and Central and South American plant shamanism and ritual. I’m a Reiki master and a practitioner of contemplative disciplines, with studies in the US, India, and China.