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
Wild Portal to The Imaginal – November 2026, AustraliaNovember 4 - 8, 2026
There is a sacred portal, a mysterious door, a green gate, a dark space into certain realms of our consciousness, of our and the collective Psyche. These portals are both within and without. Many of us struggle to find enchantment in the world and a connection to our imagination. An important practice for intentionally accessing the sometimes-hidden realms of the Self, the Earth, and the Cosmos is through the practice of deep imagery. Around us we see the cleverness of the human ego creating artificial intelligence and striving for virtual reality when, in fact, what we most deeply long for…
Wild Mind Mirror Training – November 2026, AustraliaNovember 9 - 13, 2026
In the Wild Mind Mirroring Training, we practice detecting the greater story that pulses beneath the events of a person’s life. By immersing ourselves in the practice of deep listening and mirroring, we uncover the archetypal themes that might frame a person’s experience within the arc of their destiny. When our story is compassionately reflected through the skilled mirroring of another, we feel fully heard and able to experience ourselves in a larger and more meaningful context; we’re enabled to catch up to ourselves and perhaps leap into the next phase of our journey of individuation. An alchemical exchange occurs…
Wild Mind Training Program Residential – November 2026, AustraliaNovember 14 - 18, 2026
The Wild Mind Training Residential is the core of the WMTP steeped in the Nature Based Map of the Human Psyche. In this 5-day training, participants hone their skills in listening, tracking, deepening, mirroring, and creating invitations to help others cultivate their wholeness and heal their wounded and fragmented subpersonalities. We also practice the skills of council, dreamwork, and Shadow work, and further develop our understanding and use of the Nature Based Map of the Human Psyche. Included is an introduction to the use of the Soulcentric Developmental Wheel. Designed for human development guides, the WMTP is a professional training…
Wild Mind Mirroring Training – April, 2027April 21 - 25, 2027
In the Wild Mind Mirroring Training, we practice detecting the greater story that pulses beneath the events of a person’s life. By immersing ourselves in the practice of deep listening and mirroring, we uncover the archetypal themes that might frame a per-son’s experience within the arc of their destiny. When our story is compassionately reflected through the skilled mirroring of anoth-er, we feel fully heard and able to experience ourselves in a larger and more meaningful context; we’re enabled to catch up to ourselves and perhaps leap into the next phase of our journey of individuation. An alchemical exchange occurs…
The Wild Mind Training Residential – April, 2027April 26 - 30, 2027
This year’s residential is limited to trainees in the Wild Mind Training Program only. Please note you must be enrolled in the Wild Mind Training Program to register for this residential. You can find more information about the WMTP by clicking here. NOTE: All Wild Mind Trainees will receive a link to register for this program from the WMTP Director. Please reach out to them if you have not received it. The Wild Mind Training Residential is the core of the Wild Mind Training Program steeped in the Nature Based Map of the Human Psyche. In this 5-day training, participants hone…