For about five years, I dreamed of doing a Masters degree in Somatic Psychology. Somatic Psychology is (to borrow a definition from wikipedia) "also referred to as body psychotherapy, is an interdisciplinary field involving the study of therapeutic and holistic approaches to the body, somatic experience, and the embodied self." From the first time I read a program description for a masters degree in this subject, I knew it was the only thing that I wanted to study at grad school.

For five years, I dismissed this dream as foolish, because the schools that offer this program are all in the US, and all private institutions. Needless to say, a three-year degree does not come cheap. However, as I neared the end of my 20s, it became more obvious that I should follow this dream, and not be scared away purely by the cost. Can you really put a price on the life that you really feel called to live?

So I applied, got accepted, and made the big move to California to attend John F Kennedy University. I initially set up this dream right before I started the program. I'm updating it now, a year and a half later, halfway through my Masters degree.

It was the best decision of my life, probably. I am enthralled by everything that I'm learning, and amazed and in awe of the way that the material is changing me and how I experience myself. Moreover, I feel increasingly confident that this is in fact the right career path for me. I know that I am meant to work with people in this way, and I am so grateful to have found "my work". This study of the inseparability of mind and body, of the ways we carry the stories of our lives, and how to work with it, fills me with a sense of excited possibility.

My goal, upon starting, was to be able to complete this degree without crippling debt. As a Canadian studying in the US, I am not eligible for financial aid, and my school has almost nothing in the way of scholarship funds. I was able to secure a job at the school I attend (which is the only work that international students are allowed to do, according to the US government). I don't make a lot of money, but it helps. I try to live frugally, as much as I can in the expensive Bay Area. The rest I am borrowing.

If I am able to manifest the amount I'm allowed to list here (which is $20,000), I will still graduate with a fair amount of debt. But, being $20K in debt is better than being $40K in debt, and I am more than willing to view this as an investment in my future.

Posting this dream here was my way of putting this intention into the world. Any support that you feel moved to offer will help me out tremendously, and ultimately allow me to help many, many other people to live better lives.

If you're curious to learn more about what I'm studying, feel free to send me a message! I'd love to tell you more. Thanks for reading. :)

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