Dr. Elijah Eckert-Smith is an adjunct faculty offering an approach to spiritual/ pastoral counseling as it applies in the mental health profession, and more specifically the realm of addiction and recovery. Elijah also works as a Senior Spiritual Counselor for the world-renowned Passages Addiction Treatment center in Port Hueneme, CA., and has spent 11+ years working in the mental health field advocating for spiritual exploration and individual transformation. Elijah completed his Ph.D in Depth Psychology with an emphasis on Jungian and Archetypal Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute and has been a featured presenter at multiple conferences and workshops dealing with the application of the sub-field archetypal astrology to advances in transpersonal and Holotropic experiences, as well as to individual therapy.
Elijah’s dissertation, titled How Roses Grow From Concrete: Astrological Synchronicities in the Work of Tupac Amaru Shakur, discusses the application of depth psychology and archetypal astrology to the work of contemporary art and cultural events, and furthers the growing catalog of research aligned with the progress of the field. Elijah’s current research involves the application of archetypal astrology in partnership with Holotropic Breathwork as offered by Grof Legacy Training, and aims to enhance and deepen the alignment between these modalities as a tool to assist with the growing curiosity around the therapeutic use of “non-ordinary” states of consciousness and possible psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Elijah also runs an independent practice revolving around IAP-certified Spiritual Coaching and astrological exploration, and has been highly connected to expanding knowledge around spiritual ideas and philosophies as they relate to personal development. Elijah has worked extensively with alternative practices, including Tarot, Jungian Dream Analysis/ Dream-Tending, Art Therapy, and Active Imagination and has extensive experience developing personality-type research through use of the Enneagram and the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). To explore further into Elijah’s work and to deepen research into depth psychology and to stay updated on developments in archetypal astrology, visit his page on Instagram: @jungianweaver.