Dylan Emrys, M.A.
My professional journey began about 17 years ago when I was caring for infants in a Seattle daycare. It was during a chaotic moment when I was feeding three babies at one time (yes, it can be done!) and had another baby – a six month old girl – on the floor waiting her turn. She was getting a bit fussy so I gave her the bottle to play with. She looked at me helplessly with big brown eyes and seemed to be asking, “Well, what do you want ME to do with it?” I looked in her eyes and said, “Annie, if you hold the bottle up over your head and put it in your mouth, you can feed yourself.” And I promptly went back to attending to the babies in my arms.
What happened next blew me away and changed my life. I looked back at Annie a minute later and was amazed to see that she had followed my directions! She was indeed holding the bottle over her head and had her mouth on it. But she was still looking at me with a question in her eyes, because she had the bottom of the bottle in her mouth, not the nipple! I realized I hadn’t been specific enough, and I amended, “Oh! Annie! That’s right, but tip it over so the rubbery soft part is in your mouth! That will work better.” And she DID.
Thus I delved into the realm of what babies know, and how they know it, and found an entire field of study dedicated to educating and learning about how our earliest experience shapes who we are. I joined the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH) in 1991 while working towards my B.A. specializing in prenatal and perinatal (PPN) psychology from The Evergreen State College. I became certified as a Doula, or labor support person, in 1993 and found a role not only as an advocate for parents during labor and delivery, but also for the babies themselves as they transitioned to life outside the womb.
Later, I received my Masters in Clinical Psychology specializing in PPN from The Santa Barbara Graduate Institute , further supplementing my education of how our earliest experiences shape who we are, and how we relate to the world and each other.
While first working as a family services therapist in Seattle, and later in private practice on in British Columbia I have discovered and developed my additional skill as an energetic healer, and am currently exploring energy psychology, a new and extremely elegant form of healing and growth.
Throughout this journey, I have come to understand two very important things: First, that we can, as adults, identify and resolve our earliest wounds, giving us a much broader range of health and joy. And secondly, how to assist babies in ways so that they can learn to feel safe and empowered in the world. I have combined my ability to communicate with babies and my knowledge of the pregnancy and birth process with my skills and knowledge as a counselor/psychotherapist, parent educator and support resource. In this way I can help others on a path to more fulfilling connection and joy.
I currently live in Wenatchee, Washington where I share a home with my mother and daughter Sidra, (11). When not working I am spending time with my family enjoying the natural environment in a variety of ways, especially with our Newfoundland dog, Morgan. I can also be found singing in the community choir (or the shower, or the car), and watching movies (or episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly) on DVD.
Feel free to call me at 206-418-6539 in the U.S. or email me if you have any questions at all.