Today’s episode features Ralph De La Rosa. Ralph was the author of three books, including Outshining Trauma: A New Vision of Radical Compassion (foreword by Richard Schwartz). He was a psychotherapist in private practice and a longtime meditation teacher known for his radically honest and humorous approach. His work was featured in GQ, CNN, NY Post, Tricycle, Mindful Magazine, and beyond.
Perhaps most crucial is that Ralph walked the path of outshining trauma alongside the people he worked with. He was a survivor of PTSD, heroin addiction, Borderline Personality Disorder, ADHD, and liver failure. Walking through these matters with the help of profound therapists and mentors became an empowerment no school could have offered. It was simply part of his path to offer back what he had been shown.
Ralph mentored personally with Richard Schwartz, founder of the Internal Family Systems model of psychotherapy, known for its efficacy in healing trauma. He also completed an invite-only advanced teacher training with Jack Kornfield.
He began practicing meditation in 1996 and trained in a spectrum of yogic and healing traditions, including devotional Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. Ralph began teaching Buddhist-inspired meditation in 2008. He identified as a practitioner and teacher of human spirituality, offering a highly specialized hybrid of IFS and Buddhism to guide students on a direct path of conscious evolution and self-discovery.
As a therapist, Ralph was a summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University. He spent his earliest days working in NYC’s clinical foster care system where he trained in multiple modalities of trauma-focused therapy. He maintained a small roster of therapy clients for the love of witnessing transformation up close.
Ralph was also an intersectional activist, musician, wannabe acrobat, and outdoor enthusiast, who made his home in Seattle, WA. His teachings and writings continue to inspire and support people navigating trauma and transformation.
Some of the topics we covered in this episode include:
- A beginning guided meditation
- What drew Ralph to IFS
- Overlaps with ACT and IFS
- The value of living with an open heart
- And Ralph guides me through some experiential IFS work
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Outshining Trauma: https://a.co/d/cQ8kREn
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