My Story
Hello, I’m Terri.
I am trained as a neuroscientist and scientific educator, and I am enamoured with understanding consciousness and allowing it to inspire meaningful change.
My foray into science began with Astrophysics, and rerouted to more earth-based sciences.
I pursued a Bachelor’s in Physics, first specializing in Astrophysics, out of appreciation for the interconnectedness of the universe, and also as a form of revenge success. As an 8 year old someone once said to me “girls don’t do astronomy,” and I felt the responsibility to prove them wrong. Once the fire of revenge burned out, I was working on a degree in Physics with a concentration in Environmental Science, unsure of where I would go with that. While I initially shot for the stars, to my surprise, I was looking for something more down-to-earth.
My interest in neuroscience emerged, sparked by my fascination with G protein
coupled receptors (GPCRs).
I took a Cell Physiology class that changed my life, and I was also introduced to the most amazing machines I’d ever met (eventually focusing my PhD around this topic: A Kinetic Analysis of Two Novel States of the Human Formyl Peptide Receptor). My newfound interest in the tiny happenings and mechanics of communication at the molecular level inspired a host of new questions. I could see and appreciate the ways our systems are in communication with the rest of the world on a deeper level than ever before.
My path from there was guided by an unignorable visceral reaction in me, that feeling when I was immersed in complex subjects, like quantum mechanics and consciousness.
This compelling tug showed me where to go, giving me a direction to seek answers to what I felt to be some of the most important complex questions. When I was working my PhD, few scientists were focusing on consciousness. The subject of consciousness was taboo, more of a philosophical discussion than something we could “ever understand,” so I chose instead to understand the workings of the brain.
This pull inspired me to explore whether traditional pathways (Industry or Academia) could fulfill this desire, though I ultimately learned these paths would have easily pigeonholed my focus.
A short-lived staff scientist position for a start up company focusing on wound healing resulted in a move to Seattle, where I completed a post-doc on the μ-opioid receptors before I realized I was getting so in the weeds that I needed to chart a new path if I wanted to talk about the whole picture. At this point, I left research and went into Science Communication.
The idea of understanding how brain structure and function results in your unique expression of you intrigued me, and my next few roles led me closer and closer to understanding this.
I landed a dream job with the Allen Institute for Brain Science in a Science Communication role, which meant translating the vast neuroscientific data collected by the scientists there. We created a next level web based interface that allowed scientists of many different disciplines to interrogate the gene expression and connectivity data to better understand how the brain works. This fast-tracked the mycelial network of knowledge sharing, generating new hypotheses and finding fast answers. I worked as Communications Director at Cohen Veterans Biosciences, where my role delved into creating a meaningful brain database platform with the intent of answering questions about the complexity of the brain. At Exaptive, my role fused data science and interactive data visualization, allowing me to collaborate with a world-class dev team to develop innovative solutions for discovering hidden connections in complex data.
This timing marked when psychedelics entered my life, mostly to satisfy my own personal curiosity to explore non-ordinary states of consciousness.
I attended the Science of Consciousness meeting (something I’d wanted to do for decades) based on my experience with psychedelics and found I was in the exact right place with likeminded peers. This was my first instance of allowing synchronicities to unfold. At this meeting, I met and collaborated with someone who needed the type of technology I had access to to deepen research into extraordinary states (drug induced mystical states, spiritually transformative experiences and Near Death Experiences), effectively mapping the spirit realm.
My relationship with psychedelics sparked a spiritual quest for me, and the desire to integrate the worlds of Spirit and Science.
A mushroom journey got me curious about shamanism, and inspired me to embark on 2 years of shamanic training with Michelle McKinney of Northwest Healing and Intuitive Arts. I was interested in holding space for others to have these experiences, and sought out the VITAL program in Integrative Psychedelic Studies (created by Psychedelics Today) to gain relevant skills to hold this space with ethics and integrity from a harm reduction perspective.
Another pathway to self transformation that made a profound impact on me was my involvement with Landmark Worldwide.
From my first exposure in 1994, I could appreciate the way these programs served as practical neuroscience—an invitation to examine limiting beliefs, become more self aware, and create brave change in one’s life. I became a Program Leader for Landmark, where I held space to support the integration of new wisdom and insights from people’s peak experiences. For 10 years, I was trained to hold space for up to 100 people at a time over a period of 10 weeks. This training was critical in cultivating my ability to hold space for people undergoing psychedelic experiences.
I believe there is so much we have the capacity to learn and unlearn in this lifetime. There is so much potential for evolution that is already embedded within us.
Having explored consciousness at the scientific and spiritual levels, I am continually amazed at how much wisdom can come forth through responsible use of psychedelics. From this perspective, it would be an honor to work with you if you have the desire to explore non-ordinary states of consciousness to see what breakthroughs and wisdom can emerge.
