Over the years I have been asked on many occasions how I got into this work. So I will now explain further how it all came to pass.

Maybe like you, I was a very sensitive child. Sensitive to other people's emotions, moods, energy, (crap) etc. I was incredibly shy, and easily thrown off balance by conflict and negativity; I also felt a sensitivity to the spirit world and loved nature (like most kids do). Though I did not understand my connection to the spirit world then, and also suffered from horrible night terrors and nightmares well into adulthood. It wasn't until I started studying different forms of energetic and spiritual healing later in life, did I realize that there was something I could do about it. And the nightmares stopped. But there's more to the story...

I'm often asked what lead me to the Shamanic path, because it sounds like something exotic and dramatic. And it certainly has it's moments, but truthfully I think it's simpler than that, it was more like, what lead me to the path of the wounded healer, and holistic health and integrative medicine? Like many folks, it was not finding what I needed to feel better, through Western medicine for a particular health issue. Though, just to be clear, I am a believer and supporter of integrative medicine, and whatever is the best approach for an individual person and their personal health and wellness needs. And that can include both holistic, integrative and Western approaches. There is no one size fits all.

My healing journey began as a senior in college finding out I had cancer, malignant Melanoma to be exact. It was a stressful several months after getting the diagnosis, and going through surgery, and the follow up care. Thankfully, I was very lucky and the outcome was very optimistic. But emotionally, I was rattled by my first potential brush with death. Struggling with anxiety for most of my life already, I became even more anxious and fearful in the wake of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (sound familiar??) and my own brush with death through the cancer. I became obsessed with getting tested for HIV for fear I some how "picked it up." There wasn't really a physical world reason for me to feel this way, but I couldn't relax and let it go, so on went the testing which devolved into a form of OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This was like living in a hell inside your own mind, where you can never rest. It was truly a dark night of the soul. Not having any luck with psychotherapy, psychiatry, medications of various sorts, I figured there had to be SOMETHING that could help me. And so started my journey of exploring self-help, alternative medicine, holistic health and various forms of spiritual healing.

It was through seeing a Naturopath that I discovered the incredible power of Flower Essences, nutrition, started taking yoga classes and doing some meditation. I started to feel better. It opened up a whole other world for me, and even though my day job was in the corporate world as a graphic and web designer for a human services company, my passion became exploring the fields of mind/body healing, holistic health, energy medicine and spiritual healing.

Thankfully, my evolving education in the realms of the healing arts came in profoundly handy, when nine years after the cancer diagnosis, I was hit head-on in a near-fatal car accident on the eve of my dear Dad's 70th birthday back in 1997. That accident was the biggest catalyst of my life, to leave the soul-deadening environment of the corporate world, to step fully onto the path of healing. I literally had no choice. The accident left me with major injuries including two shattered femurs, two collapsed lungs, a liver laceration, broken ribs and sternum, major musculo-skeletal injuries to my neck and back, and other more minor, but no less aggravating injuries. Though the initial biggest obstacle I had to overcome was being unable to breathe, and waiting over 20 minutes for EMT's to arrive. However, having been raised Catholic and having a strong sense of spirituality (wouldn't have survived the OCD without it), I thought it over if I wanted to die, if it was my time, as I felt like I was given a choice. And actually a few months prior, I had participated in a Shamanic journey to meet a Power Animal, and Eagle and Phoenix showed up. They have remained companions every since, and were messengers at that time of the death and re-birth process I would go through.

I was only 30 years old, only married a few years at the time, I was an only child, and I felt like I hadn't done the work my soul intended in this life. So I thought, NO, I'm not ready to die yet. So, I asked God, "God, you have to help me. I can't do this by myself." And just after saying that prayer, I felt this light come into my body; like I was being held in this embrace of unconditional love and divine grace...I somehow was able to start breathing; enough to stay alive until I was brought to Danbury Hospital, in Danbury, CT, where I truly received the most outstanding care. I went through over nine hours of tests, then eight hours of surgery, and several hours in recovery. I spent eight days in ICU, and my family was told that I only had a 50/50 chance of surviving due to the catastrophic nature of my injuries. I was on a ventilator for five days and pulled all the tubes out, because I felt somewhere deep inside of me it was holding back my healing process. If you've read anything about or know someone who has been on a ventilator, especially now with the Covid pandemic, and expresses how traumatic it was, BELIEVE them. However, ventilators can save lives, such is the miracle of technology.

Folks ask how long my recovery was. And it's actually pretty hard to answer, because I still feel affected by that experience almost everyday. Even though I had a truly MIRACULOUS recovery. And this experience brought untold, enormous blessings into my life that I could have never imagined. It was still hard AF to go through though. However, I knew every step of the way I was truly guided by many angels both in spirit and human form, way too many to mention. I knew I was truly supported and blessed through it all, literally by heaven above, and helped in the real world by outstanding doctors, nurses, health care practitioners, dear family, friends, bosses, co-workers, and people I didn't even know, sharing their gifts, time and generosity, and praying for me on the regular. So, for those who have been through a life-shaking trauma, you never fully recover. But you can heal.

I was in the hospital a total of two and a half weeks, was in a wheelchair and not able to walk for six weeks (it felt like six lifetimes), had another surgery about ten weeks after the accident to remove the screws that were placed above both of my knees and in my hips to keep the titanium rods in both my femurs in place, and then finally returned to work after three and a half months. I returned home to my townhouse with my then husband (now ex-husband) after four months as it had several sets of stairs. After getting out of the hospital, I ended up staying with my parents because they were both retired, and they had a spare bedroom with a bathroom and everything else I needed on the main floor of the house. So for the physical part, the healing was indeed one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it also was very quick, all things considered. I was told by several doctors, health care practitioners and healers of many types that they had never heard or seen anything like what I went through and survived, and could then walk around "looking" like nothing had ever happened to me in very short order. The whole ordeal felt like a spiritual rebirth, not just a physical one. And to facilitate that recovery, I created a whole holistic health care plan to aid in my my healing process as the only plan I received from the hospital upon discharge, was for physical therapy and pain medication (which I refused to take). So, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands to continue the healing process, so I could get my life back. Though the life I would get back, was one that in some ways was the same, but also completely different.

And I did go back to the corporate world to my original job, which I was very lucky to still have, but knew I couldn't stay, that my destiny lay elsewhere. But first I had to heal. I incorporated nutrition, herbal medicine, seeing my Naturopath, an amazing Chiropractor, massage therapist, yoga instructor, a body-centered psychotherapist, and I also explored movement therapy. A year after the accident, I discovered Reiki. I had such a mind-blowing experience after taking my first class (and not even knowing what the hell it was, but someone said it could help with pain and stress, so I was in...); it relieved the overall pain and tension in my body, and cured a limp I had on my left side, AND brought all the feeling back in both of my feet after losing sensation in them due to nerve damage from the dashboard of my car slamming into them at the time of the accident. So needless to say, I was sold on Reiki after that, and became certified in levels one and two in 1998, thanks to Beth Leas, and as a Reiki Master Teacher in 1999, thanks to the one and only, Sherri Farrington.

From there, I went on to Massage Therapy school, graduating in 2002, and receiving my license on five years to the day, of the anniversary of the car accident. Yep. So from there, I worked in medical settings, massage therapy centers and in my own private practice and I started teaching Reiki to the public. I also continued to study different forms of bodywork, energy healing and spiritual and metaphysically-based healing modalities. You can see my list of training and credentials below. I'm Capricorn-rising, so I take sh*t seriously. That being said, I also completed a Master's program in Integrative and Holistic Health studies at the Graduate Institute.Plus when you are dealing with health, AND the soul, it is pretty damn serious. Make sure you check credentials and do your due diligence when researching holistic and spiritual practitioners especially. Unfortunately there is a lot of "fly by the seat of your pants" and "everything is love and light so whatever I do is OK" that goes on in this field and it's much to all of our detriment when folks think that "natural gifts" are enough to work with the public as a healing arts practitioner. Go share that with a doctor or a nurse, or a licensed massage therapist. Or a traditional medicine person or healer from an indigenous culture.

Moving on, rant over for now, in 2003, I got a strong message that I needed to work with a Shaman. I honestly didn't even know what that was or meant in our contemporary day and age. But within a month, one showed up on my door step. I continued to work with him for several years, along with other contemporary/Western teachers of Shamanic healing. Shortly after that I had my natal astrological chart read which indicated there were very strong indications of my life's path being one of the wounded healer (HELLO), and that I was meant to follow an earth-honoring Shamanic path in this life. I was surprised and not surprised to hear this, and it also sounded terrifying as well. AND a lot of responsibility. Which it IS. So, I just said to the Universe, "OK, if you want me to do this, then you need to show me the way."

So it was not long after asking to be shown the way, that I started meeting different First Nations and indigenous medicine people who were traveling to my area to teach (WTH?) and I would somehow be invited to go. And that is how I began my ongoing studies with indigenous teachers of traditional Cross-Cultural and Shamanically based healing. I also met teachers and practitioners of "Core Shamanism" or Contemporary Shamanism, which was adapted by Dr. Michael Harner from traditional Shamanistic cultures, which focuses on the practice of the Shamanic Journey but is a more simplified healing approach without a cultural over-lay. The Shamanic Journey is a technique that most folks can learn. It is not the same thing as being a "Shaman," in the traditional context, as Shamanism is practiced in the Evenki tribal regions of Siberia, where the title Shaman originated. But it is an extremely helpful technique and practice that can be learned to communicate and work with our own team of healing and helping Spirits and Guides.

As a Western practitioner, I find it extremely important to not call oneself a title from an indigenous tribe that one does not belong to, such as "Shaman," or "Paco." These titles in their traditional context, involve decades of training side by side with elder mentors OF THAT PARTICULAR tribe, on the tribal lands themselves where that tribe comes from. While I have indeed trained with many elders for several years, it is not the same. Let's get real here, I am a white chick from Connecticut who was extremely lucky, priviledged and blessed to have the permission to work with these elders, and they have given me permission to teach and share what I have learned. However, approaching this work with great respect is important. Using those traditional titles, to me, is another form of white supremacy and colonial entitlement when they are taken out of the context of tribal culture and traditional training and initiation.

Over the years I have had the great honor to have either worked with, or trained with the following teachers in my healing and shamanic practices and training: Gail Gorelick, Eileen O'Hare, James Mellor, Charles & Gretchen Thermer, Alverto Taxo, Yachak elder of Equador; Don Jose and Don Esteban Tomayo of Equador; The Q'ero medicine people of Peru, including renowned elder Kuraq Akuyaq Don Umberto Soncco Quispe, Don Claudio, Don Jose, Don Mariano Quispe Flores, Don Francisco Chura Flores and Dona Juanita, Don Sebastian; and Don Martin Pinedo of the Wasau lineage, of Cuzco  Peru, the twins Isabel and Yolinda of the Northern coast of Peru, Lewis Mehl Madrona of Cherokee descent, Leroy Louis of the Hopi; Frank Wise of the Cheyenne Sioux, Painted Muddy Turtle of the Mohegan tribe of CT, Lama Lobsang Palden of Tibet, healers of medicine traditions of the Amazon. I have also sat and worked with elders from the Maya, Choctaw, Apache and Aboriginal tribes of Australia. And just so we're clear, working with me does not replace in any way, working with one of these elders or any other wisdom keepers.

I have also been blessed to have received multiple initiations, rites and empowerments over the years from contemporary teachers and the Q'ero and Tibetan Lamas in their indigenous healing traditions. My main indigenous teachings have come from the mystical traditions of the Andes and the Q'ero tribe of Peru. All of my teachers, and in particular those from the Andes, have gifted their teachings to humanity to support us during these intense times of challenge and have given permission for us to work with them and share them. While other tribes do protect and guard their teachings, especially from white people, and rightly so given our history especially in this country, it is not appropriate to take teachings, sacred tools or offer ceremonies without permission of indigenous cultures or tribes and their elders.

Now, even though my personal training has focused most heavily on Core/Contemporary Shamanism and the healing traditions of the the Andes, North America, and Tibet, I am also deeply committed to learning and studying the traditional ways of my own bloodline Ancestors. I do not feel that the other traditions I have been blessed to study in any way replace my own Ancestral traditions. But I do feel they complement one another. I also never felt that I needed to drop my Catholic faith, even though I have had my own struggles with the Church over the years a variety of areas, but that is a whole other story. If anything, what I have learned from my own indigenous Teachers gave me a framework to connect with my own Ancestors and my birth religion, from a more mystical perspective, the land where I live and in the process, discover my own personal medicine and personal team of Guides and Helping Spirits and how to work respectfully with Nature on the land where I now live. And this is what I teach as well. Which is a life-long path path of study. The healing path is also a life-long path. The Shamanic path is a life-long path as well.

As far as my own Ancestry goes, I am the granddaughter of recent Immigrants, whose DNA hails from Southern Italy, Ireland and the Celtic British Isles; Eastern Europe and Western Asia; and Northern Africa including Egypt, who left their ancestral lands due to famine, poverty and war. I was raised Roman Catholic, but have studied world religions and have always connected with was the similar about all of them. My maternal lineage goes back to ancient Mesopotamia and the Middle East, my paternal lineage to the ancient Gauls of Europe, the first peoples of Ireland and Scotland, and the tribes of South-Saharan Africa.

While I have many races, religions and cultures represented by my dear Ancestors, I am a white woman who is dedicated to and was called to this path of the wounded healer, and sharing what I have learned with humility, integrity and respect, knowing that I will fall short at times. Besides Cancer, OCD, and the car accident, my own healing/learning path has also included a difficult divorce, several major surgeries, changing careers from corporate to holistic health, to academia; losing several loved ones and pets, including my dear Dad to Alzheimer's in 2018, and our beloved dog Lexi who passed of status epilepticus at the age of 5 in 2022.

I am also a life-long student and realize I still have much to learn and continue my own studies to improve my skills and just to become a better human. I am also committed to supporting the BIPOC and social and environmental justice.

As I've said, the healing path and the Shamanic path are life-long. And the initiations keep coming. Like Covid-19, a difficult process but one that has unified the globe, and the racial and climate crises as well, showing us the old ways must finally be dismantled that have caused suffering for so many marginalized groups in particular, and our beloved Mother Earth. It is time for us to step into the power of our hearts, and minds, restore our sacred connection to the Earth and step up as members of one human family and work together. Our very survival depends on it.

At the end of this very long "About page,"  I would like to thank my dear parents, Frank and Elvera Paqua for their endless support, and my life-partner Keith Donlay for helping me keep it real and accepting me and loving me for who I really am, and our beloved rescue pups Lexi and Charley for their boundless energy, joy, and unconditional love.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long-winded snippet of my life. There's more to the story, but that will come in time.

“Deana is the person I call whenever I hit a particularly rocky spot in life. My reiki sessions with her have been nothing short of miraculous. After an hour of moving energy around and working with my guides and totem animals I am a completely new, refreshed, better 'me'. Anyone who has ever struggled with depression and/or anxiety knows what a struggle it can be just to feel okay. Deana has been able to for me what no amount of talk therapy or medication has ever been able to do. It doesn't matter whether you're a believer, on the fence, or just don't buy in to this "new age holistic healing stuff". Deana has literally saved my life on more than one occasion and I couldn't be more grateful for her unique talents and insight into that which remains a mystery to the masses.” Thank you Deana. - M.P., Newtown, CT

“Deana is a gifted, knowledgeable healer. She is able to use a variety of techniques and healing systems, depending on which one is the best for the client at that time. I always feel better, emotionally and physically, after a session with Deana. I highly recommend her to you.” C.M., Wilton, CT

• B.A., Fairfield University, 1989
• Usui Reiki Master Certification 1998-1999 trained by Beth Leas, Sherri Farrington & Gigi Benanti
• Karuna Reiki® Master Certification 2000 with Aurora Mary Kilai
• Licensed Massage Therapist (#002963) 2002, CT Center for Massage Therapy
• Integrated Energy Therapy® Master Instructor 2003, trained by John Mercede, Julie Santini & Steven Thayer
• Ongoing Shamanic training and healing work with contemporary and indigenous medicine people since 2003; including Andean, Peruvian, Equadorian, Q'ero, Mohegan and Tibetan indigenous healing lineages.
• Savior's Fire Energy Healing Master Practitioner 2004 with James Allen
• Certified Medical Massage Therapist 2004, CT Center for Massage Therapy
• Reconnective Healing Level III Practitioner 2006 trained personally by Dr. Eric Pearl
• Healing with the Angels, Doreen Virtue, 2006
• M.A. in Integrative Health/Experiential Health and Healing, The Graduate Institute, 2006
• Elemental Mastery 3-year Contemporary Shamanic Training & Western Mystical Program 2009 with Ramsa Healing Arts Center
• Ordained and Licensed Minister in the Order of Melchizedek, Sanctuary of the Beloved, 2009 with Dan Chesbro
• Mesayok Medicine Spiral Andean-Based Mystical and Core Shamanic Training Program 2013 with Eileen O'Hare
• Earth Spirit, Plant Spirit Medicine Program, Twin Star Herbal Education with Mohegan Elder, Painted Turtle and Lupo Passero, 2016
• Core Shamanism training, Gail Gorelick of Crossing Rainbows, 2008-present; online study with Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman
  
• Andean Mysticism teachings, Joan Parisi Wilcox 2018
• Certified Flower Essence Practitioner, Twin Star Herbal Education, 2018
  
• Certified in the Science & Art of Herbalism, Twin Star Herbal Education, 2019
• Herbal and Green Witch Study Program, Twin Star Herbal Education 2019
  
• Certified Tarot Card Reader, Maria Amore Davis, 2020
• Ongoing training in the wisdom of the Tarot and Crystal Healing with Sherry Whitfield
• Ongoing online study and courses with Sandra Ingerman, Fredy Puma Quispe Singoma, and other traditional elders and healers from various traditions
  
• Visiting Instructor in Integrative Health and Healing at The Graduate Institute
• Member Advisory Board of the Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Westconn, Danbury CT
• Adjunct Professor, Health Promotion Dept., Westconn, Danbury CT, 2014 to present