Dr Richard Ashrowan

I have worked at the intersections of arts, health and wellbeing for over 35 years. I was co-founder of Open Road, an innovative addiction recovery charity, then therapy coordinator at The Stress Project in Holloway in London during the 1990s. I trained for four years with a Cantonese doctor in Traditional Chinese Medicine - Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine, and worked in private practice for several years. I further trained in Meditation and Spiritual Healing, Systemic Family Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. I gained a PhD from Edinburgh University in 2016 for a thesis examining the language of transformation within Alchemy. More recently, I have worked as a mental health recovery practitioner for Devon MIND, in one-to-one crisis work, facilitating DBT skills, and co-facilitating a long term historical childhood trauma therapy group. Three years ago, I experienced a great opening toward life through a plant medicine experience, which has led me toward exploring presence and relational connection through the practices of Circling, Authentic Relating and Transformational Connection. I am currently working towards accreditation as a Transformational Connection facilitator. I am also a film artist with a deep interest in spirituality and the Alchemy of relationships.