Brian Stafford, MD, MPH
Brian Stafford is a guide to the wilderness of nature, wildness, and soul. Called out of academic medicine to serve as a guide to the depths and to serve as an agent of cultural awakening and transformation, he guides with humor, playfulness, fierceness, compassion, discernment, and a deep remembering of the fullness of what each human life can, should, and was meant to be. A native of Colorado and the former holder of an endowed chair and professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, he is currently a guide, Board Member, and Training Director of the Wild Mind Training Program at Animas. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute where he teaches Human Development and directs the Psychedelics and Depth Psychology Certificate programs. He is an avid outdoorsman, teacher, writer, mentor, partner, and parent. He delights in helping individuals rewild and ensoul their lives by assisting in the dissolution of their current life so that they may discover and live from their deeper life, their soul-life. Brian currently makes his home in Ojai, California.
Events with Brian Stafford, MD, MPH
Fishing For Shadow - June 2026, BulgariaJune 9 - 13, 2026
I went out to the hazel wood, Because a fire was in my head, And cut and peeled a hazel wand, And hooked a berry to a thread; And when white moths were on the wing, And moth-like stars were flickering out, I dropped the berry in a stream And caught…….?????? Fishing for Shadow’s Dangerous Gifts is a newer offering that is preparatory, in some ways, for the Sweet Darkness intensive. We will explore Shadow — the hidden, deep, and dangerous realm of our psyches. The Shadow has sinister or negative aspects as well as positive or golden qualities. And it…
Wild Mind Shadow Training - June 2026, BulgariaJune 14 - 18, 2026
The Shadow is the hidden side of our psyches, with both its “positive” and “negative” aspects. The Shadow helps ensure our survival by keeping the lid on elements of our psyche – both negative and positive – that feel dangerous or unacceptable to our ego. But it can also impede our blossoming by keeping that lid on too tight or too long. Many of the psychological resources we need in order to co-create more fulfilling relationships are impounded in the dungeon of our psyche. The Shadow is not what we know about ourselves and don’t like (and perhaps keep hidden)…