Michael Stone

Short Bio

Michael Stone is a spiritual author, teacher, mentor, shamanic practitioner, radio host, producer, and trauma integration facilitator. He co-creates safe individual and group environments that support people in transcending the myth of separation and experiencing profound interconnection with others and all of life. He has taught and led live events, classes, teleseminars, and workshops on Organizational Development, Embodied Shamanism, Moving Meditation, Mysticism, Personal Growth, and Spiritual Fulfillment for over 50 years. He is the author of "Living a Shamanic Way of Life" and the newly released "Traumatized: A Love Story, Healing the Wounds that Separate, Alienate, & Marginalize Us." www.WellofLight.com

Background Bio (relevant because of the course material)

Michael Stone began his trauma-healing journey in utero. Born between the dropping of the two atomic bombs, he came into a world of stress, tension, scarcity, and fear, with both parents in the Army Air Corps during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He found his mother when she committed suicide when he was only two and a half. Michael survived a chaotic and tumultuous childhood marked by constant movement and change, sexual abuse, the accidental hanging of his beloved dog, a largely absent father, military school, the army, and several abusive stepmothers.
Michael’s awakening began in 1972 when he enrolled in the est Training with Werner Erhard, which later became Landmark Education. There, he learned he could either be a victim of his past or a survivor committed to making a difference in the world. He became a group leader in that organization, presiding over many of their transformational programs for decades. During that time, he also began meditating and studying mystical traditions with various teachers, including Pema Chödrön and Eknath Easwaran, and became a Gestalt Awareness practitioner.
Recognizing that he was disembodied and unable to feel his emotions, Michael began studying with Gabrielle Roth, the creator of the 5Rhythms conscious movement program. He was certified as a 5Rhythms Teacher in Trance Dance and Soul Motion, and he taught 5Rhythms classes for over four decades in Europe and North America. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Organizational Development, as well as a Master of Science in Organizational Development (MSOD), from Pepperdine University. He later obtained a postgraduate degree in International Systems in Organizational Development (ISOD) from the Gestalt Organizational Development department (IGOR) in Munich and the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. For over 30 years, he worked in the organizational sector, consulting, leadership development, and teaching his course, Presence, Power, and Performance.
In 1981, Michael’s wife was murdered in Carmel, California, and he became a single father. It took 42 years to convict the killer, who is currently serving life without parole for rape and murder. During the lengthy investigation, many people believed Michael might be the killer, subjecting him to slander and gossip—a heavy burden he carried for many years. Despite this, he continued to be involved in community building and supporting others who faced various challenges. For seventeen years, he hosted a weekly radio show called Conversations, during which he interviewed renowned thought leaders, teachers, and authors from around the world. The show aimed to “heal the wounds that separate, alienate, and marginalize us.”
Michael also studied shamanism for 20 years and is a faculty member of the Shift Network. For eight years, he hosted the Shamanic Wisdom Summit, which brought together mystical teachers from around the world. During this time, he started doing “soul retrievals” and became deeply interested in the concept of soul loss and its relationship to trauma.
In 2010, Michael was introduced to Thomas Hübl, an Austrian teacher and author who is a collective trauma expert, a trauma-informed leadership advisor, and a spiritual teacher focusing on trauma integration. When Thomas said, “We are all traumatized…” Michael knew this was where he needed to focus his attention. After a decade of studying with Thomas and Gabor Maté, Peter Levine, Arielle Schwartz, Terry Real, Richard Schwartz, and many other luminaries in the trauma field, Michael began offering workshops and healing circles at Inner Path Yoga Studio in Nevada City. He is the founder of A Healing Collective in Nevada County.
www.WellofLight.com
www.AHealingCollective.net