This week I am excited to introduce you to my dear friend, Rob Aptaker.Rob is one of those humans who always inspires me to be a better human myself. His gentle manner, sincere interest, and unwavering listening always compel me to more presence and humility. You might be surprised to learn that Rob's own healing journey began as a struggle with rage, a starving ego, and an inability to find his place and purpose in the world. Like many of us, he struggled for years to fit in.Luckily, Rob's early fascination with and access to the natural world allowed him the space to cultivate powerful connections to himself and something larger. He began to study the many uses of wild plants and fungi, and to learn wilderness survival practices. Ultimately, it was this spiritual affinity with nature--and his deeply held feeling that the culture he was living in was missing a vital element of meaning and connection--that led him to seek out Native American medicine people and ceremonial leaders as teachers.For the past 45 years, Rob has taken part in ceremonies and cultural activities with Native People and elders from all over Turtle Island (North America). Spiritual fasts and ceremonies, along with conventional therapy and Mens' Work, have helped him to gain a measure of balance, meaning and purpose in life.If you would like to contact Rob Aptaker, you can email him at robaptaker@gmail.com***************************************************************************The Healing Grove Playbook is now available for purchase! You can use this collection of journal prompts to deepen your experience with the talks and keep track of your progress. Get it here:➢ The Healing Grove Playbook: https://troutcreek.kartra.com/page/PlaybookVol1Be the first to hear new episodes by following or subscribing to this podcast, or by signing up for my newsletter on my website.➢ Website: https://www.kristinreihmanmd.com/Other ways to connect and learn:➢ https://linktr.ee/kristinreihmanmd