Virginia: “Coursework at Meridian pulled me into deeper connection with mythic stories and archetypes, poetry, and various forms of creative expression…”

I am writing this letter as an expression of my appreciation for Meridian University.

It has been more than 25 years since I completed my coursework at Meridian University, then known as the Institute of Imaginal Studies. I remain deeply grateful and profoundly changed. The echoes of the richness of my learning continue to push me towards further personal growth, and I am thinking that this will be true for the rest of my life. I have come to learn with delight that Transformative Learning, as is taught at Meridian University, does not have an end, one does not become transformed at some singular point in time, rather one engages in the dynamic unfolding that is life becoming ever more fully oneself as a result.

Coursework at Meridian pulled me into deeper connection with mythic stories and archetypes, poetry, and various forms of creative expression, lenses through which to consider the profound mystery of what it means to be alive. While I had awareness theoretically of how this pull towards the larger human story has the potential to expand awareness, Meridian lived it. It is this embodied way of learning which continues to inform me decades later and which I carry with me deep inside, enriching my relationships and all of my experience.

I completed my undergraduate work at Sonoma State University in the early 90s and was fortunate to take courses taught by Melissa Schwartz and Eleanor Criswell, both now part of Meridian’s faculty. I briefly met Aftab Omer at that time as well, although regrettably I was not able to take a course with him. Meridian University had not yet been born, but the seeds were there. The courses that I took were life changing, consisting of concepts and ways of being that I had not previously imagined. The seeds for my future engagement with Meridian University were also there. At the time I was going through a very difficult divorce, one that necessitated a painful self-inventory. Those early undergraduate courses gave me the insight I couldn’t find on my own but needed desperately in order to navigate this difficult personal terrain.

Following my undergraduate degree, I completed a master’s degree in social work and worked for several years as a social worker with a focus on children in the foster care system. While this work was immensely satisfying and a wonderful opportunity, I had a growing awareness that there was a dimension of experience missing from my work, and from my life in general. It was not an easy quality to name, but later I came to realize that it was that ineffable and axiomatic quality which can sometimes be captured by the word “soul,” or that which is regarded as sacred, that was missing. I knew I had touched the edges of that quality in the courses I had taken a decade prior at Sonoma State University and yearned for more. I had heard that Melissa Schwartz and Aftab Omer had been involved in founding a university and resolved to seek it out. I found it, the Institute of Imaginal Studies. Although it was then a small institution and only in its seventh year, a little research confirmed for me that the soul work I longed for was being addressed. It felt right to pursue more education and a deepening of my experience by enrolling there, a decision I will never regret.

In addition to my personal growth, my professional abilities and opportunities were also exponentially enhanced. I entered Meridian as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and was seeing psychotherapy clients. The Wounded Healer with its archetypal reflections and related mythology was the myth I was living, but I was doing it with limited awareness of its relevance. Without awareness of this, I was in danger of doing more harm than good. Courses at Meridian opened me to the profound implications related to the embodiment of mythic experience and how such embodiment intrinsically forces one to look deeply inward as well as outward, even at the darkest corners of oneself. As a result, I am now a much better therapist. 

I completed my doctoral degree at Meridian, and then went on to obtain licensure as a Clinical Psychologist. This, too, has enhanced my professional experience and enabled me to move into circles and activities which would not have been available to me as an MSW/ Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Following my experience as a social worker, and with my education and degree under my belt, I worked for 15 years for Kaiser Permanente, an integrated managed care consortium, in the Child and Family Psychiatry Department. My duties there were varied. I provided therapy to families, children, and adolescents, in addition to leading the Intensive Outpatient Team serving adolescents with suicidal behaviors or severe mental illness, and their families. This complex work required me to wear many hats, both clinical and administrative. My experience at Meridian had primed me for surviving in such a demanding environment without losing sight of the heartfelt and soulful reasons for choosing my profession. For this I am also deeply grateful.

Faculty at Meridian are gifted and inspirational. My experience has been that they embody what they teach in terms of being open and vulnerable, learners as well as teachers.

Aftab Omer, remains an ongoing inspiration for me. He is a beacon of clear thinking so much needed in this troubled time for humanity. His kindness, authenticity, and awareness engenders much needed hope and a sense of personal agency. I experience him as a fellow traveler with a perpetual invitation to join him rather than follow him. His teaching inspires me to continue to tap my own personal potential.

Sincerely,

Virginia Crossleysmith, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist