About Joseph

The desire to understand the spirit of the human being was awakened in me by reading “The First and Last Freedom” by Krishnamurti in 1971. That led me to go to graduate school in

Joseph RubanoClinical Psychology at San Diego State University and to begin a meditative practice through the Ananda Marga Yoga Society. I did not find what I was seeking in graduate school. After completing my studies and counseling practicum, I realized that I was still too young and lacking in life experiences to be counseling others.  However, a meditative practice and the journey toward understanding and experiencing was set and just beginning.

My path involved being raised Catholic and loving the rituals of the Church as a boy. When the Church no longer served me I began reading about other ways. I immersed myself first in yogic practices from India in the 70’s, then Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Taoist meditation practices along with Jungian inner work and Native American ceremonies (Sweat Lodge and Vision Quest) in the early 80’s.  The biggest immersion of all was being married and starting a family. By 1978 we had two children. I bought the American Indian Herb Company in 1981 and owned it until 1995. The work of wildcrafting herbs and making medicinal tea blends and herbal products gave me the experience of the healing forces of nature. Since 1979 I have taken part in hundreds of Sweat Lodge and dozens of Vision Quest ceremonies, which have deepened my connection to the elements and awakened in me the power of prayer and the humble gratitude for life.

Also in the 80’s, I experienced the power of the Dyad Communication Process, the Enlightenment Intensive, and the Mind Clearing Process which were brought to the world by Charles Berner and introduced to me by two friends, Yoah Wexler and Paul Weiss. These three processes continue to be important aspects of my work. Out of necessity and with unlimited help from my wife, Patricia, I have come to be very experienced and capable in the Dyad Communication Process. Patricia, a long-time Waldorf teacher, introduced me to the teachings of Rudolf Steiner soon after we were married in 1976. By 1984 I was hooked on studying Steiner and his teachings on Esoteric Christianity awakened and revitalized sleeping roots in me. The ideas and practices of Anthroposophy now form the foundation of my inner work and spiritual life.

When I was 42, after experiencing the gift of the counseling relationship in my work with Robert Johnson, I renewed my interest in counseling and enrolled in the Anthroposophic training for Biographical Counseling from the Centre for Social Development at Emerson College, England in 1991. I was certified as a Biographical Counselor in 1993 and have been counseling ever since. I was also certified to teach Spacial Dynamics and Bothmer Gymnastics from the Spacial Dynamics Institute in Mechanicsville, New York in 1999.

I am on the visiting faculty of the Waldorf Institute of Southern California in San Diego and will join the faculty of the Biography and Social Art Program at Sunbridge Institute in Chestnut Ridge, New York in July 2013. I have a private counseling practice in Oceanside, CA where I live and share a home with my wife, daughter, and three grandsons.