Meet The Cheetah House Care Team
We help meditators suffering from adverse effects.
The people on this page have been trained and approved by Cheetah House as Peer Support Care Team members. This includes trainings led by Dr. Willoughby Britton, founder of Cheetah House and world expert in meditation-related adverse effects. Care Team members evaluate symptoms, provide frameworks for understanding, and suggest practices for resolving adverse effects.
Our team has a wealth of experience in a wide range of meditative and spiritual traditions. Many of us come to this work because of our own challenges with meditation. You can read about our Care Team members and their expertise below. Additionally, you can learn more about them through our Meet a Cheetah series.
Scheduling a Consultation
Review the Care Team members below and find the best fit for your needs. Peer support consultations with Care Team members last 50 minutes and are priced based on Care Team member’s experience working with meditators in distress for Cheetah House. Cost for Care Team members ranges between $100 - $150 USD. Consultations with Dr. Canby and Dr. Britton have a higher fee. Consultations with Dr. Canby are $130 and $185 and consultations with Dr. Britton are $100, $150, $200 and $250 USD. If finances are a barrier, we encourage you to request funding through the Cheetah House Care Service Fund for a reduced fee during the booking process.
Willoughby Britton
(she/her)
Vermont, USA
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PhD in Clinical Psychology
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human behavior, Brown University Medical School
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health
Director of Brown University’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (RI, VT)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy teacher
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP);
Mindfulness and meditation researcher, with expertise in meditation-related adverse effects, practice specific effects
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Hyperarousal symptoms: anxiety, panic, insomnia, involuntary movements, energy-like somatic experiences.
Meditation, psychedelic or trauma-realted changes in sense of self, especially depersonalization type dissociation
Neuroscientific mechanisms of meditation-related adverse effects
Practice-specific effects; practice modifications
trauma-informed and person-centered approaches
Buddhist philosophy + mindfulness ideology, especially around self and no-self
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Meditation induced changes related to
sense of self
depersonalization
dissociation
fear/panic/terror
perceptual changes and hypersensitivity
Involuntary movements/convulsions
Harmful advice from teachers and negative responses to disclosure
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Meditation-induced changes in sense of self, especially depersonalization type dissociation;
Making sense of or working through no-self teachings;
Questioning or loss of faith; deconversion; betrayal trauma;
Sorting out interpretive frameworks
Neuroscientific explanations
Survivors of high demand groups
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OCD-like struggles (unless they are related to depersonalization)
Client with acute psychosis or current inpatient hospitalization. I am happy to meet with caregivers or family members if the main client is acutely psychotic and/or hospitalized.
Clients seeking only a spiritual or Buddhist approach
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Trauma approaches, especially Somatic Experiencing
Neuroscience
Clinical Psychology
Social Psychology (influence)
Social and Disability Justice
Feminist Philosophy
Institutional courage
*If booking your first session with Dr. Britton, please only book one session.
Nicholas Canby
(he/him)
Rhode Island, USA
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Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (RI)
Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at Brown University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Brown University
Completed extensive trauma training among Veterans with PTSD (CPT, PE)
Trained in a variety of evidence-based therapies, including ACT, DBT, CBT, and IBCT
Completed Cheetah House Care Team Training
Personal experience with Vipassana, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhist Practice, as well as other contemplative/spiritual traditions (e.g., Peruvian Curanderismo)
Researcher of meditation and psychedelic-related adverse effects, changes in sense of self, altered states of consciousness, trauma/dissociation, and interpersonal relationships with spiritual teachers/communities
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Meditation-induced changes in sense of self
Non-ordinary states of consciousness
Trauma responses and symptoms of PTSD
Interpersonal challenges related to spiritual teachers or communities
Difficulties with meaning making, values, and worldview
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-Disorientation or distress related to changes in sense of self or other non-ordinary states of consciousness
-Trauma responses, dissociation, and symptoms of PTSD
-Depression and anxiety
-Interpersonal challenges related to spiritual teachers or communities
-Difficulties with meaning making, values, and worldview
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Acute psychosis
Substance use
Eating disorders
I am unable to support clients who are calling in from any of these states or territories:
Massachusetts
New York
Alaska
California
Guam
Hawaii
Iowa
Louisiana
New Mexico
Oregon
Puerto Rico
US Virgin Islands
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A person-centered functional-contextual approach: focusing on what works for your particular set of values and goals in your particular context.
Listening with warmth, attentiveness, curiosity, and compassion
The use of tools from various evidence-based therapies: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD (CPT), Scaffolding, Motivational Interviewing (MI), and more.
An integrative, flexible, and whole-person orientation
Nathan Fisher
(he/him)
Quebec, Canada
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PhD in Religious Studies, concentration in Cognitive Science
Scholar of Contemplative Studies
Meditation researcher with expertise in meditation-related adverse effects
Engaged Compassion facilitator (certification through the Center for Engaged Compassion)
15 years of contemplative practice in Buddhist, Chinese, and Abrahamic traditions
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Jewish, Christian, and Islamic contemplative traditions
Western Buddhist contemplative traditions
The “Dark Nights” of the soul in Abrahamic traditions
Some Taijiquan and Qigong/Neigong traditions
Jewish and comparative mysticism
The Varieties of Contemplative Experience (VCE) and VCE-Abrahamic (VCE-A) research studies
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Fear and anxiety
Headaches and head pressure
Depression
Energy-like Somatic Experiences (ELSEs)
Involuntary movements
Re-experiencing of traumatic memories
Worldview changes
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Wrestling with western Buddhism/Buddhist modernism
Wrestling with worldview confusion
Exploring religious or spiritual frameworks and worldviews
Exploring secular or scientific frameworks and worldviews
“Safe and sifted” approaches to re-engaging with contemplative practices traditions
Jewish, Christian, and Islamic contemplative practitioners
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OCD-like struggles
Acute psychosis
World-negating (acosmic) spiritual frameworks
Yogic practitioners
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Person-Centered Care
Social and Cultural Psychiatry
Enactive Psychiatry
Embodied, Embedded, Enacted, and Extended (4E) Cognitive Science
Psychological Anthropology
Attachment Theory
Social-Baseline Theory
Internal Family Systems Approach
Nathan’s schedule is closed at the moment, but will open sometime in early 2026. If you feel strongly about meeting with him, please email us at cheetahhouse.org@gmail.com
Mandy Johnson
South Africa
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Undergraduate: Organisational Psychology
Masters Level Coach
Postgraduate Certification in Mindfulness Based Interventions (2 years)
Enneagram Certified
HeartMath Certified
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Mindfulness
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention
Mindfulness of Feeling Tone
Adult Children of Alcoholics or Dysfunction
Codependency & Addiction
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Reigniting Childhood Trauma
Severe Tinnitus
Dissociation
Anxiety and Panic
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Early developmental childhood trauma
Hyperarousal and Anxiety
Mild Dissociation and Depersonalisation
Loss of meaning and existential crisis
Mindfulness crisis - retreats
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Acute Dissociation
Delusions
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
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Attachment and Trauma
Grief and Loss
Compassion Focused Coaching
Recovery and 12 Step Frameworks
Mindfulness
Scott Lippitt
(he/they)
Utah, USA
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A ten year vipassana meditation practice and 5 years of lived experience with adverse effects of meditation.
Training from Cheetah House on the mechanisms of meditation induced adverse effects and how to facilitate healing through multiple modalities.
Cheetah House Care Team Scaffolding / Resourcing Trainer
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Cheetah House's Scaffolding / Resourcing Modality
Meaning-Making
Dealing with anhedonia and depression
Dealing with a loss in world-view
Getting back to oneself and one's life
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Changes in sense of self
Dissociation
Fear/Panic
Depression
Anhedonia
Changes in visual perception
Involuntary Movements
Energy-Like Somatic Experiences
Changes in cognition (mainly memory)
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Folks who
Would benefit from a friend with lived experience who understands what they're going through
Need help feeling meaning in their life
Need help finding practices, objects and activities that align with their original practice goals
Would like to learn and practice Cheetah House’s Scaffolding / Resourcing modality
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Folks who
Are seeking help from someone with an educational/professional background in psychology/therapy.
Are seeking help for OCD (Obssessive Compulsive Disorder) type struggles
Are not open to non-spiritual explanations for the effects of meditation
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Person centered care
Cheetah House’s Resourcing / Scaffolding Modality
Nervous System Regulation
Internal Family Systems
Neuroplasticity (No such thing as a 'point of no return')
Meaning Making
Christen Kramer
(she/her)
New York, USA
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Certified crisis counselor with 10+ years of work with people in a variety of crisis situations and states of being
Training from Cheetah House on scaffolding/resourcing and the mechanisms of meditation induced adverse effects
2 Master’s degrees and a Bachelor’s degree with focus in Psychology
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Non-dualism and ideological/ belief related adverse effects
General meditation-induced adverse effects
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Extreme and varied traumatic dissociative effects from non-dualism and meditation
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Anyone who has experienced negative effects related to non-dualism, belief/ideology or meditation
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Meditators experiencing psychosis or mania
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Non-ideological
Trauma-informed
Curious & compassionate
Focus on individual interpretation of experience
Ashley Owens Wood
(she/her)
Massachusetts, USA
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Master's in Clinical Social Work (MSW)
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)
Advanced Ed/Certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies
Internal Family Systems therapist
EMDR provider
MBCT training
Advanced training in integration of meditation & psychotherapy
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Certification
Experience in multiple meditation groups & Buddhist studies programs
Previous individual study with Western Tantric (Tibetan) Buddhist teacher
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Trauma theory, research, & therapies
Non-ordinary states of consciousness
Meditation-, psychedelic-, &/or trauma-related changes in sense of self, dissociation, depersonalization, perceptual hypersensitivity, fear/panic/terror, somatic pain, energy-like somatic experiences
Western Buddhist philosophy & meditation practices
Intersection of meditation & psychology/psychotherapy
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Meditation-induced changes in sense of self, perceptual hypersensitivity, fear & anxiety, dissociation (including depersonalization), somatic pain, energy-like somatic experiences, & changes in executive function
Exploration of worldviews and cultural, psychological, or spiritual frameworks to make sense of experiences
Exploring ways to carefully re-engage with contemplative practices
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Acute psychosis
Eating disorders
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Person-centered, relational approach
Compassion, openness, & flexibility
Neuroscience, neurobiology, & neurodivergence
Benefits of combined "top down" + "bottom up" processing
Somatic approaches
Attachment Theory
Trauma Theory & trauma-informed approaches
Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework
Doug Tielli
(he/him)
Canada
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2 years of gestalt psychotherapy training
1 year shiatsu training
19 years of meditation and yoga practice
Cheetah House care team training
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The teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village
Ashtanga yoga
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DPDR
Dissociation
Psychosis
Involuntary movements
Hyper-sensitivity
Energetic porousity
Long-term adverse effects
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Those who are in Cheetah House Support Groups:
For 1-1 Consultations, those who are:
Referred to me by another Cheetah House Care Team member.
In a reintegration phase
Open to challenging and exploring their belief systems and the impacts of those belief systems on their lives
Interested in creativity and art and exploring how these modalities can be part of a re-integrative path
Experiencing long-term symptoms
Have various relationships to the practice of meditation, including: discontinuing, re-engaging, modifying, and continuing
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Those in acute or crisis situations
Those experiencing psychedelic or other plant-medicine based difficulties
Those experiencing OCD like systems
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Person-centered, relational approach - influenced by Gestalt
Doug’s schedule is closed at the moment. If you feel strongly about meeting with him, please email us at cheetahhouse.org@gmail.com
Peter Warren
(he/him)
Massachusetts, USA
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25 years meditation practice, Theravada and Adyashanti
5 years dealing with personal adverse meditation effects
Cheetah House training on meditation-related adverse effects: how they arise, and multiple methods for helping distressed meditators recover
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The danger of uncritically following powerful teachings and frameworks that promise awakening (Buddhist, non-dual, awareness-of-awareness, etc)
Institutional betrayal: the heartbreak of losing one’s community, teachers, and worldview
Recovery from adverse meditation effects and losses
The Cheetah House approaches for helping recovery, including Scaffolding/Resourcing
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Meditation-induced symptoms
Major unintended weight loss (50 lbs)
Depression
Dissociation
Emotional flattening
Cognitive impairment, especially memory loss
Dizziness
Loss of my former beloved meditation-related community and teachers, and being gaslighted, disbelieved, and ignored by them
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Those who need someone:
whom they can tell their story to without fear of judgement or shaming
with many years of meditation experience before the wheels came off
who learned how to rebuild their life and found meaning and healing
Those who need support with institutional betrayal, disbelief, shaming, rejection
Those who need help finding what practices work for them and help them feel safe and grounded
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Psychosis
Depersonalization/derealization
OCD
Those unwilling to question their spiritual teachings
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Window of tolerance model of nervous system regulation
Person-centered, trauma-informed approach to recovery
Humanist
Belief in the power of creative endeavors (music, art, writing) for healing and finding meaning
Belief in the inherent good in all people
Michael Yonkovig
(he/him)
Massachusetts, USA
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B.S. in Psychology
B.S. in Nursing
Master's in Social Work, Concentration coursework in neuroscience and philosophy
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Registered Nurse (RN)
Research collaborator in Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at Brown University
Psychoanalytic fellowship training
Undergoing Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) training
Experience with cortical mapping, TMS, and neurofeedback
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Altered states of consciousness and alterations in sense of self
Intersections between psychedelic use and contemplative methods/philosophies
Western Buddhist and Christian contemplative practice
Aspects of western esotericism
Chronic illness
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Existential/metaphysical concerns
Depersonalization/derealization
Sensory and perceptual changes
Transpersonal experiences
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Institutional betrayal
Eating Disorders
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Neurobiology
Existentialism
Psychoanalytic theories
Somatic approaches
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