Chiron
Center for Integral-Relational Studies
Chiron was formed with the goal of creating a community of people in Minnesota who share a passion for progressive thinking in the realms of depth psychology, human relationships, comparative spirituality, and alternative views of human health. We hope to bring these people together to share ideas, clinical wisdom, and advance our understanding of this fascinating area of study.
About Us
There are more things in Heaven and Earth...
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
-Shakespeare
We believe the human race is just barely beginning to understand the mysteries of our world (outer and inner). Because of this we value exploring new ideas, playing with new ways of working, and constantly re-evaluating our assumptions. This spirit of openness to new ideas, coupled with rigorous critical thinking, is the birthplace of insight.
Yvette Erasmus holds Master's degrees in both Education and Psychology, as well as her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Her areas of expertise include human relationships, relational-cultural theory, compassionate communication and interpersonal dynamics in couples and groups, mind-body skills, mindfulness practices, and Integral Psychology. She has extensive teaching and speaking experience in a wide variety of contexts.
David Thompson received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies. His areas of interest and expertise are in Jungian psychology, Relational-Psychodynamic theory, and worldview/comparative spirituality studies. He has taught in these areas for several years at the California Institute of Integral Studies, the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology, and the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society.
Lance Hauge has been studying, training, and working in mind-body healing for twenty years. His unique area of expertise is in the interrelationship between the body, psyche, and spirit. In his integral perspective on mind-body health, he draws from a wide range of theories--from Western medicine, psychoanalysis and structural bodywork, to movement therapies, energy healing, and comparative spirituality.
Dana Elkun is a poet and a therapist. She holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Washington and was a national finalist for the Ruth Lilly Fellowship in 2003. Her poems have appeared in many literary journals, including Bellingham Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, MARGIE, Poetry Northwest, Puerto del Sol, and VerseDaily. Dana loves teaching as much as reading; she has taught previously at University of Washington, University of Colorado in Boulder, and University of Arizona Poetry Center. She has also taught workshops at a juvenile detention center and a women's jail.
Dan Ronken, M.A, LADC, has been helping people explore the benefits and challenges of substance use for over 15 years.
Dan is a long time pursuer of novelty, which has led him to experience some of life’s greatest highs as well its painful lows. In all of these instances, he has sought deeper meaning. In his previous career, as the founder of a small marketing agency, Dan loved the conversations with his clients but found himself wanting more. Becoming a therapist has allowed for deeper and more meaningful conversations.
Dan's hobbies include biking, eating sushi, reading, hiking, yoga, skiing, camping, and traveling. He has been described as kind, positive, adventurous, joyful, entrepreneurial, and a risk-taker. To learn more about Dan's approach to recovery, please visit Inclusion Recovery.
In addition to the presentations, classes and groups that Yvette and David offer, Chiron aims to find exceptional, like-minded thinkers and host their lectures, classes, and groups.
The name Chiron (kī'rŏn) comes from Greek mythology. Chiron was a centaur known for his dedication to learning, practicing and teaching the healing arts. He is often known as "the wounded healer" because despite his knowledge and skill in medicine, he was afflicted with a painful wound that he could never himself cure. The archetype of "the wounded healer" reflects the common theme that many people find their life's calling in the healing arts because of their own experiences with pain and struggle. Wounds instill compassion (the etymological meaning of compassion is "suffering with"), which can trigger a lifelong quest to understand how to heal from our traumas and use the experience of suffering to cultivate wisdom and facilitate transformation.
...[I]n order to find the patient, we must look for him within ourselves. -Christopher Bollas