Zero (aka Charlie Nicely)
Oct 192 min read
Cradled in the unfolding mysteries of the present moment I invite you to approach adversity and its messengers not as a problem, but rather, as the perfect companion .
My inclination is to invite a spirit of radical acceptance and fierce self-compassion. Rather than using a prescribed model of treatment, I work from an attuned and responsive approach to the present moment. As all of us have a tendency to get lost in a narrative or storyline, the invitation I offer is to slow down and tune into your direct experience of life outside of the conceptual world—the raging emotions in the body, the rhythmic flow of your breath, the coming and going of thoughts, the feeling of shaky vulnerability, the rage, the loneliness—honoring it all as sacred portals of possibility, as the dying of one world and the birth of a new world.
A great deal of my work has focused on bringing a sense of safety and trust to people who have a history of trauma. It has been my experience that adversity can be used to catalyze growth and personal empowerment rather than merely acting as something to travel out of or through as quickly as possible. While recognizing the impact of adversity, my goal is to co-create ways to work with and leverage these experiences rather than be consumed by them.
As a Mestizo queer gender non-conforming and ethically monogamous person, I strive to bring an inclusive and multicultural spirit to my work.
Areas of Expertise: Gender & Identity. Racial & Identity Formation. Fertility & Parenting. Exploring Sexuality, BDSM/Kink, and Ethical Non-monogamy. Existential Dilemmas & Spiritual Formation. Anxiety & Depression. Substance Use.
For inquiries about my psychotherapy practice feel invited to complete the confidential contact form below.
My coaching is an engaged form of coaching in which deep listening is used on the part of the coach as well as the client to tune into your core challenges and to co-create solutions that are based on your history and needs. The coaching program is anchored in the belief that you are already whole, perfect, and complete.
The goal of wellness & behavioral coaching is to make use of the complexity of human experiences, both yours and mine, to create a new way forward. This approach is non-diagnostic, holistic, and is aimed at enabling you to move forward in your life with foundational skills to craft your life well after our sessions together are over. Coaching focuses on one or two key areas, is directive, and intensive.
I use a trauma-informed approach that includes the use of mindfulness, dance/movement, art , and other forms of contemplation and creativity as well as more conventional methods such as CBT and Behavioral Therapy techniques to create lasting behavioral change. Coaching is 8 weeks and is conducted in one-on-one online (and occasionally in-person) sessions.
For inquiries about my coaching practice feel invited to complete the confidential contact form linked below.
Your experiences are sacred. Honor them. Invite total intimacy with them. Say to them with your attuned presence "I see you. I hear you. I'm here with you."
Most of us yearn for a deep connection. The kind that will reassure us that we are seen, heard, and accepted--that nothing is wrong with us or our lives. And often, we do not find it in the world around us, or if we do it doesn't seem to last.
The invitation that is on offer is to discover that our simple presence is a deep and loving holding space--a natural field that embraces us and our lives, not as fractured pieces, but as whole, resolute, and divine.
To sit in our natural presence, even for a few minutes, is to discover that the rest and acceptance that we so deeply long for is always at hand.
Deep rest in the form of meditation encourages the optimization of our brain in ways that improve focus, clarity, relaxation, emotional regulation, and overall wellness. There are thousands of research articles demonstrating the efficacy of meditation in reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and symptoms of PTSD.
I have been trained in various meditative methods and by teachers within a wide array of Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions. It's my aim to utilize a best fit approach depending on the individual or group I am practicing with. I am most at home in teaching Just-awareness meditation, where we remain natural and easy as we witness the unfolding of the present moment. Gradually, we return home to our effortless presence.
I offer meditation retreats, workshops, and one-on-one instruction where I integrate topics such as creativity, conscious relating, sex as spiritual practice, self-compassion, and radical acceptance.
To learn more about Deep Rest, Natural Acceptance feel invited to complete the confidential contact form linked below.
Hey there, thanks for dropping by. My name is Zero (aka Charlie), I provide individual psychotherapy, death doula services, and coaching. With a career spanning several decades in the arts, you can often find me working at the intersection of creativity, mental health, and wellbeing. I've been doing this work since 2012 and have had the privilege of journeying with countless individuals in that time.
My educational background is in psychology, sociology, mindfulness-based contemplative/Buddhist psychotherapy, death and dying, and clinical mental health counseling. While I have gained a great deal through formal study, it's my own history of adversity as well as my long journey towards liberation that have inspired my work the most.
My intention in our work together is to provide warmth, reassurance and acceptance, as well as to provide enough challenge to help you to fully awaken to your most authentic self and your most fulfilling life, not despite the challenges that you've faced but by using the challenges that you've faced to leverage new growth.
All of the services that I offer use a multicultural lens and are affirming of sexual minorities to include sex workers, LGBTQAI+, TGNC, kinky, and ethically non-monogamous individuals. I'm a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and provide affirming care for trans and LGBQAI+ individuals. I'm also a leading expert at the intersection of mental health, spirituality, religion, sexuality, and gender. For more information on WPATH Standards of Care see my resources page.
Have questions? Feel free to contact me
The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.