About Illuminated Encounters

EMBODIED EXPERIENCES WITH THE IMAGINAL

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The Story

HOW ILLUMINATED ENCOUNTERS EMERGED

dreamy image of a white, femme-presenting person smiling in a mask, overlaid with sparkles and sun-shines.

Illuminated Encounters was created in 2024 but has been incubating in the dream space since the start of the Covid pandemic (and ever since), in deep empathy for those who couldn't (any for many of us who still can't) be in physical community for safety purposes. In times of distance or lack of outer community, we can turn to our inner community for support and connection.

It was also created out of heartbreak for the world's suffering in other ways (climate change, gun violence, genocide, the list goes on...), and a deep desire to dream new worlds into being. Illuminated Encounters aims to address both individual and collective pain by bringing the insight, genius and medicine available in dreams and imaginal states to the world in an embodied, tangible way.

It is the culmination of a multi-year certification process in Dream Tending & Deep Imagination by the world-renowned depth psychologist, Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, ongoing education & self-exploration of my own inner landscapes, and my decade working as a psychotherapist. It is a project of the heart, soul, spirit and of Deep Imagination.

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About Brandy

A tree at night with gold sparkles overlaid.

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Brandy Gillihan (she/her)

LMHC & Dream Tender

MY FRAME

I believe in possibility and the emergence of new ways of being. This means I take a humanistic approach to healing: inside of each person lies the capacity for growth, change and wholeness. I believe that the body, dreams and imagination provide us with valuable information – clues to what is waiting to unfold. I believe that we can use whatever our present moment experience is–whether it's centered on the here and now, or memories of the past – for doing the deep work of healing. And I believe that the deep inner work must be demonstrated and solidified with tangible action in the world; this is the part of my work that is more aligned with some of the behavioral traditions like ACT.
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I believe in an animated world – some refer to it as animism – meaning that the world itself, along with the humans and nonhumans in it, is alive and breathing, and is dreaming through us.

I believe in you, and your right to the sovereignty of your own beliefs. This means that I won't push my agenda or my own beliefs on yours. I will respect your perspective and work with you to live into your own beliefs and values in an aligned way.

I believe in us. I believe that we are designed for and optimized in community, whether that be inner and outer community. And too, I believe in accountability, reciprocity and reparations. We belong to each other, and we are accountable to each other. All of my work is grounded within a trauma-informed, anti-oppression framework and weight-inclusive lens.

MY TRAINING

I earned my undergraduate degree from The Evergreen State College in 2006, with specific focus on liberal arts and depth psychology. I received my Master's degree from Bastyr University in 2015, which focused on Health Psychology and mind/body connections. I have specialized clinical training in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Health at Every Size-informed therapy and am currently undergoing training in Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy for trauma.

In 2024 I completed the Dream Tending & Deep Imagination certificate series, an intensive three-year program taught by Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, the founding president of Pacifica Graduate Institute and author of Dream Tending and The Imagination Matrix. I have undergone Grief Ritual Leadership Training (also called "Grief Tending") via a live 5-month course co-led by Francis Weller, titled "Entering the Healing Ground."