It is time for us to reclaim what has been lost, uncover what has been hidden and remember what has been forgotten. It is time to awaken our golden shadow.
Melanie Ryan
Melanie Ryan is an ancient wisdom teacher and psychotherapist who teaches healing and transformation of the body, mind, heart and soul.
For most of my life I suffered from fear, unworthiness, and chronic illness. My childhood was unstable and often times traumatic. I learned to be the good little girl, who everyone else wanted me to be but beneath the fake smile and jovial personality, I was secretly in pain. Neglecting the hidden shadow parts of myself, resulted in a shadow effect – the manifestation of chronic illness, panic attacks and my first marriage falling apart. Little did I know, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
Walking the Path of the Buddha…
Living in Princeton, NJ in the late 1990s I turned to yoga and holistic healing to cope with my emotional and physical pain. In 2002, I left my first husband and returned to New York where I enrolled in a year long teacher training in yoga. I was introduced to Buddhist philosophy and meditation. This taught me how to transmute my wounds into wisdom, compassion and confidence. I began to share the teachings with my psychotherapy clients and colleagues and realized it felt natural for me to teach this powerful ancient path of healing. In 2017, I was formally authorized to teach in the lineage of Shambhala founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche a Tibetan master from the Kagyü and Nyingma lineages.
Walking the Path of the Shaman…
In 1999, I accidentally experienced a shamanic journey for the first time during a trance dance workshop. While dancing, a black jaguar came to me in a vision. This experience brought in a massive shift in my life that sent me into a journey through the darkest corners of my soul. The shaman in me was born and my true self was emerging at lightning speed. It was a terrifying breakdown of the personas I was pretending to be. I surrounded myself with shamanic teachers. After 12 years of many dark nights of the soul, I was formally initiated as a shamanic teacher. Today, I continue my studies of transformation with Mayan elders in Guatemala. The path of the Shaman is a deeply spiritual one that connects us to the wisdom of the ancestors, the power to heal ourselves, and restore our connection with nature. It is a profound psycho-spiritual journey into the Shadow.
Walking the Path of the Soul Doctor…
As I continued on my path of awakening, my life became full of magical awakenings and surprises. My passion to learn cross-cultural healing led me to the sacred mountains of Greece. In 2019, I led a group of women to the sacred lands of Asklepios and Chiron, and went back a second time that same year to be trained in Asklepian dream incubation. Asklepios, the Greek God of Medicine and Healing founded hundreds of holistic health centers throughout Europe. He was known to practice deep listening, or in modern terms, psychotherapy. The origin of the word psychotherapy is found in the Greek language: Psycho in Greek is “psyche” which means soul or spirit; and therapy is “therapeia” which means to care for. In Greek, psychotherapy means to care for the soul. Carl Gustav Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist was called a doctor of the soul. My trip to Greece opened the door to using Jungian psychology, his shadow concept and psycho-spiritual approach to healing and awakening consciousness.
A Mentor & Guide…
For 20 years, I have walked the ancient paths of awakening. Studies of holistic health from yoga, to herbalism, homeopathy and reiki also helped me along the way. My journey of healing has prepared to me to guide people of all walks of life into the shadow. The Golden Shadow Method I created has 3 pillars weaving together the wisdom I have received. These three pillars are: Buddha & the Shadow, Shaman & The Shadow, and Jung & The Shadow. I teach The Golden Shadow Method internationally, online and in person. I offer individual therapy, healing, mentorship, and apprenticeship to people worldwide. I am also an entrepreneur, an international guide, and take groups to sacred sites around the world through my educational organization Ancient Wisdom Today, Inc.
Giving Back to our Sacred Warriors…
As the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, granddaughter of a WWII veteran, and wife of a US Marine veteran, I understand the suffering and isolation of our warriors. I invite military veterans to join my monthly healing circles at no charge. I offer this as a gift of love, gratitude and remembrance for those we have lost and those who continue to serve in protecting our freedom.
Contact Me
If you would like to contact me for questions regarding events, mentorship, a private session, or speaking engagement, please contact me by emailing Melanie@MelanieRyanLCSW.com
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