Emma Bragdon, PhD., was licensed as a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist in California in 1988.  Since then she has been in private practice, publishing books, and teaching.

In 1985 she was asked to organize an invited conference at Esalen Institute to define “Spiritual Emergency” and articulate the best ways to support people in this psycho-spiritual crisis.  When appropriately supported people in this crisis emerge with greater wellbeing, deeper peace and life satisfaction, and a desire to be in service to others.  Thus, Spiritual Emergency has also been named a “transformational” or “evolutionary crisis”, not to be confused with mental illness.  Dr. Bragdon has specialized in supporting people in these crises and teaching Spiritual Emergence Coaches® who can also be supportive.

Those invited to the conference were psychiatrists, psychologists, spiritual leaders, life-experiencers, and a renowned psychic.  The conference was so successful Emma was invited to host a second conference in the same year.  The results of both conferences were summarized in her book, A Sourcebook for Helping People in Spiritual Emergency (1988).  This was one of the first books ever published on this theme and it is still being used to teach graduate school students around the world.  The second edition has been renamed A Sourcebook for Helping People with Spiritual Problems to describe a category of experience named “Spiritual or Religious Problem” in the DSM-IV and V, that is not an indicator of pathology.

From 1991-2002 Dr. Bragdon also taught a 9-day intensive personal development course.  She was invited to Brazil in 2001 to support new teachers of this course who were learning the ropes.  During this visit in Brazil she also visited spiritual healing centers and became deeply inspired by Spiritist Community Centers and Psychiatric Hospitals run on Spiritist principles.  She recognized that the spiritual healing provided in these hospitals and centers was a highly effective improvement to the paradigm of Integrative Mental Health.  She wrote three books and co-produced two documentary film about what she had learned in many visits to Brazil from 2001-2012.  Spiritist leaders in Brazil recognize her profound understanding and given her the role of “Ambassador” of one of the largest Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil, Hospital Euripedes Barsanulfo.

Spiritism is a social movement and a philosophy that 20-40 million Brazilians participate in when they want to approach their physical or psychological issues from a spiritual point of view to expand the potential for healing. Spiritism is a path of healing and spiritual evolution that is ecumenical, welcoming everyone interested in spiritual growth. It provides a safe and powerful path of spiritual emergence.  Spiritists also recognize spiritual emergency and for more than 100 years have developed effective ways of supporting people in such crises and harnessing the positive energy that  can create positive transformation.

In January, 2008, Dr Bragdon founded “The Foundation for Energy Therapies, Inc.”, a not-for-profit charitable foundation in the USA recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3.  Its mission is research and education about the positive potentials of spiritual healing and energy medicine. Towards this goal, FET collaborates with hospitals and community centers in Brazil. One example: the Foundation offers tours for health professionals and ministers who want to experience Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals where spiritual healers, medical intuitives, nurses, psychologists, and physicians work as a team to benefit patients.  It has been transformative for students to see this paradigm in action and speak with practitioners about how it works.

Dr. Bragdon has published seven books and two documentary films. Her work has been generously supported by grants from many individuals and foundations.

More Personally:
Dr. Bragdon enjoys kayaking, hiking, swimming, horseback riding, skiing, writing and singing. Family and friends are of great importance to her. She lives in Vermont. Her spiritual evolution began with Buddhism.  At a young age she met Graf Karlfried von Durkheim, Philip Kapleau, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, and Sogyal Rinpoche.  The Dalai Lama and Paramahansa Yogananda have been models for her.  She is currently a member of the Self Realization Fellowship. Her father, Joseph Bragdon, was an MD, pathologist, professor at Harvard Medical School, editor of a medical journal and researcher.  Her mother, Marjorie Bragdon, was a visiting nurse. Through them she learned the joy of being of service to others.