President: Emma Bragdon, PhD.
Emma Bragdon envisioned IMHU, founded it and directs both IMHU and its parent not for profit company, the Foundation for Energy Therapies. She has hand-picked the faculty for IMHU and has been instrumental in decision-making regarding all curricula. She has been a teacher, author, and spiritual guide, bridging psychology and spirituality since 1990. Prior to 1990 she was a licensed marriage, family and child psychotherapist in private practice with a deep interest in supporting spiritual development and optimal wellness. Her two books on spiritual emergency are classics in the field. Since 2001 she has been researching and publishing four books about a branch of Spiritualism in Brazil, Spiritism, with special focus on the Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals. In these hospitals conventional psychiatrists and psychologists collaborate with spiritual healers to facilitate healing for the patients.
Kylie P. Harris, PhD.
Dr Kylie P. Harris is a transpersonal research and climate psychologist, writer, and activist from Tasmania, Australia. She is a Founding Board Director of The Australian Centre for Consciousness Studies (ACCS), and a Board Member of Integrative Mental Health University (IMHU). Her doctoral thesis investigated the relationships between spiritual emergence(y), psychosis, and personality. Other research and writing projects have included shamanism and psi, mediumship, and holotropic breathwork. Kylie works experientially and her research is guided by personal experience. Her current research interests involve the psychology of climate change and the global crisis; human rewilding; and shamanic and Indigenous perspectives towards healing and transformation. She is also actively involved in creative projects that help to bridge the divide between academia and the general public, highlighting the importance of creative expression and peer support. Click to access her Research and Writing.
Bolling H. (Bo) Sasnett, III
Bo is a versatile executive with over 25 years experience in both domestic and international business. He is a visionary with strong entrepreneurial drive, excellent communication skills, sound and unquestionable integrity. Bo thrives in high growth and fast paced environments. He is a proven leader with experience in both large and small organizations. Bo has been successful in raising capital, developing technology, revenue growth, strategic alliances, new business models and streamlining operations. He is recognized as an industry leader and is frequently a speaker at leading industry events including NACS, NACStech, SIGMA and Think Tank. He was educated at Georgia Southern University where he majored in Business Administration. Bo is a supporter of the community and integrative health care. He has been involved with and raised funds for several community and non-profit organizations.
IMHU Advisory Board
Paul Grof, MD
Paul Grof, is a Canadian research psychiatrist, clinician and administrator. In addition to his therapeutic and research work in North America and Europe, he has worked at the National Institute of Mental Health, USA, and as an Expert at the World Health Organization, Geneva (1985-2000), where he chaired the Committee on Psychotropic Substances.
He has been involved in transpersonal activities for six decades. He has utilized Holotropic Breathwork and psychedelics with clients suffering from severe mood disorders, meditators, and psychiatric residents.
Dr. Grof was a professor at several Canadian and European universities, and his last academic appointment was at the University of Toronto. Presently he is the director of the Ottawa Mood Disorders Center. For his research, Dr. Grof has received several international awards in the USA, Canada and Europe. He has authored and co-authored 516 publications and three books.
Len Saputo, MD
Len has led the Health Medicine movement as the founder of the Health Medicine Forum, a non-profit educational foundation. Len has produced and hosted the “Prescriptions for Health Show” on KEST Radio with his wife Vicki, an RN. He authored “A Return to Healing: Radical Health Care Reform and the Future of Medicine.” DoctorSaputo.com offers a library of nearly 2,000 media files featuring Dr. Saputo, Vicki Saputo, and an amazing array of health and wellness experts from around the world discussing various health topics.
Craig Wagner
Craig is the Founder and Principal of Onward Mental Health. It provides Integrative Mental Health insight. Through speaking engagements, books, research summaries, monographs, training, infographics, editing services, and one-on-one interaction, it articulates an evidence-based and humane map for mental health recovery. They help people use that map to take their next best step forward. Craig is the author of “Choices in Recovery“- 27 non-drug options for recovery.
Emanuel Dutra
Emanuel has over 20 years of experience in the finance industry, having worked as a portfolio manager and proprietary trader in top tier investment banks, as well as managing experience in the technology industry, including the role of CFO of Alog Data Centers, a company acquired by Equinix in 2011. Emanuel graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in Electrical Engineering and French. A lifelong Spiritist, over the past two years he has led a project to produce new translations of the fundamental works of Allan Kardec, a project which has already resulted in the translation of The Spirits’ Book, and The Gospel according to Spiritism in Chinese.
Steven Brena, MD (Honorary Member)
(Steve passed away in 2017). We are grateful for Steve’s prior contributions as an Advisor to IMHU. He was the author of several books, including “Pain and Religion” and “Yoga and Medicine: The Merging of Yogic Concepts with Modern Medical Knowledge“. He had been a follower of the Self-Realization Fellowship teachings since 1968. He formerly directed the Pain Management Department at the University of Washington School of Medicine, as well as a Pain Management Clinic. He had a vast understanding of the Bhagavad Gita with commentaries by Paramahansa Yogananda.