Each one of us brought a different personal and cultural background to this new field of healthcare, and varying levels of scientific knowledge, clinical experience, training, apprenticing, beliefs, and also varying degrees of our own spiritual and psychological health and balance. Because of this, there is not one, single, definition of what exactly Naturopathy /Natural Therapy is. Each practitioner /therapist in this field therefore, needs to qualify their own interpretation and experiences, so that we contribute to a climate of collective understanding and information -sharing; these enable better communications among us, and also enable those in our care to work with us in a spirit of informed consent.

We created, preserved, updated, and re-invented this art and science and brought it with us into the 21st century against terrible odds: these include all forms of academic ridicule, legal and illegal terror and harassment targeted against ourselves and against the people in our care, and includes suffering the agonies of providing healthcare in underground conditions. The epoch of those struggles has not yet ended, even if for now the worst seems to be over, because many of the unorthodox traditional treatments and therapies we offer still remain controversial, banned - or outright illegal - in many areas of the world.

What follows below, in the form of a sworn deposition, is the condensed life -story of one such sometimes "barefoot", sometimes sneaker-footed, Natural Therapy provider.

I hereby declare all of the statements below to be true, to the best of my knowledge:

I recognize the need for personal responsibility in being thoroughly and fully honest regarding my training, both theoretical and practical, and also regarding the determining experiences of my life, which might in some way affect positively or negatively my ability to provide therapeutic care to any person or other being, including my clinical experiences, social, personal and otherwise.

For reasons of clarity, and in an effort toward helping to shape relationships based on informed consent, and to avoid any possibility of disinformation or confusion, I offer the following information about my person, in the form of a condensed biographical note (in reverse chronological order). Questions and commentary are always welcome!

1993 to present: volunteer, non-profit Natural Therapy practice, on the island of Cyprus.
Active participation in the radical green movement, with specific emphasis on the building of the alternative community; lesbian /gay /bi /trans -liberation efforts; efforts to legalise cannabis; efforts for a Turko -Hellenic Bi-communal re -approachment.

1991 to 1993 : volunteer, non-profit Natural Therapy practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

1990 - 1993 : Biology studies at Univ. of New Mexico. Studies included : Human Cadaver Prosection; Human Physiology-Anatomy w/ Labs; Botany; Taxonomy of Plants; Philosophy and History of Biology.
Asst. Teacher Tai-Chi Chuan at UNM to advanced class; private tutoring to individuals.
Volunteer member Red Balloon Collective, active in anti-war and Green mvt.

1990 : Graduated NM School of Natural Therapeutics. Studies included : Bodywork (Polarity, Acupressure, Massage, Shiatsu); Internships w/Clinical work; Herbology; Ayurveda; Nature Cure treatments; use of Homeopathics.

1987-1991 : training in the use of sacramental and psychedelic plants for therapy.
Joined Universal Life Church; co-founded Congregation of spiritual and health -service ministry.
Volunteer member Red Balloon Coll. active in anti-war mvt. Co-founded Lobo Peace Group, and The Hemp Coalition (THC).

1989 : moved to Albuquerque, NM, from the New York area.

1988 : began daily/regular practice of Tai-Chi Chuan, Yang style - continued to the present time. Underwent psychedelic-assisted therapy- which also continues to the present time. Full-time factory work, floor manager's asst.

1986 -1988 : part-time volunteer Red Balloon Coll. / anti-war movement (Stony Brook, NY) : counseling (mental/emotional work); occasional bodywork.
Introduced to the systematic use of medicinal plants. Slow transition to vegetarianism.
Full-time and part-time factory work.

1985 -1986 : full-time volunteer Red Balloon Coll. / anti-war mvt: mostly the political work of small -group and community mobilisations, work included personal contacts; negotiations; mediation; conflict resolution; crisis-intervention (including suicide prevention, life-transition crises, dealing with high-intensity political conflict situations with potentials of mass violence, situations of sexual/emotional/physical abuse); occasional bodywork.

1985 : moved to Stony Brook, NY, from Amherst, Massachussets. Began daily/regular practice of Yoga, initially Hatha, then graduallyPatanjali's 8-fold path - continued to the present time.

1984 : completed degree studies in Natural Sciences /Biology; State Univ. NY, Empire State College.

1982 - 1984 : full-time volunteer Red Balloon Coll. / anti-war mvt. Amherst, MA. : provided support in drug and alcohol detoxification therapy; worked with "cult deprogramming" cases; crisis intervention; counseling.

1981 -1982 : enrolled in Hampshire College, at Amherst, MA. Part-time volunteer Red Balloon Coll. / anti-war mvt : provided drug and alcohol detoxification therapy; crisis intervention; counseling.

1980 - 1981 : full-time volunteer Red Balloon Coll. (Stony Brook, NY) / anti-war mvt and anti -nuclear mobilizations : personal contacts, counseling; negotiations; crisis-intervention (including suicide prevention, youth runaway situations, young adult life-transition crises).

1977 - 1980 : Biology /Pre-medical student at State Univ. of NY at Stony Brook. Studies included : Cell Biology; Vertebrate Physiology; Genetics; Intro Biology w/ Labs; Organic Chemistry w/ Labs; Inorganic Chemistry w/ Labs; Physics w/ Labs; Calculus; and also Physical Geology w/ Labs; Historical Geology w/ Labs; Paleontology; Oceanography.
Part-time volunteer at Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.

1975 - 1978 : volunteer full-time Greek-Cypriot Armed Forces, 2nd Lieutenant - served as Commanding Officer Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery; assistant Field Artillery Battalion Operations Officer; Topography Officer; Head Instructor of Artill. Technical School.
Concurrently : volunteer military nurse/paramedic/physician's asst : provided First Aid; treated minor injuries; performed minor surgery; assisted major surgery; provided immunization vaccines; administered medication; provided counseling, acted in suicide prevention; treatment of shock and war-induced PTSDS for officers, soldiers and civilians.

1970 - 1974 (teen years) : member of clandestine youth resistance, active against a military dictatorship based in Athens and a church dictatorship based in Nicosia; nursed chronically ill family member; peer counseling and First Aid.

{Born Feb. 21, 1958; 3rd generation to family of health -care practitioners.}