Your guide for this deep, alchemical journey is
Elise Hebert, PhD
Education & Experience
I earned a BA in English Literature from Georgetown University and a PhD in somatic depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. My doctoral work focused on the cultural, heterosexual prescriptions that have deeply affected female sexuality. I describe the result of these engrained, sexual, so-called norms as a lackluster, performance-based sexual script that has seeped into the psyches and sexual practices of both males and females.
In my dissertation I used an archetypal approach to explore how the playing out of sexual norms perpetuates sexual experiences that are often not fulfilling for females (and males), resulting in a female lack of sexual desire for “the sex on offer.” Alternative ways to approach and engage in sexuality–ones that provide authentic pleasure, deep healing, and bonding–are also introduced in my work.
Helping people understand and step into their unique astrological design is part of my own commitment to life-long learning and growth. Also, having been born and raised in the Middle East, I have an avid interest in different cultures and religions and love traveling to places with friendly people and delicious food. In my free time, you’ll find me hanging out with friends and family, going to concerts and dance performances, spending time in nature, exploring healthy living, and laughing with loved ones.
PhD in Somatic Depth Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute
Shamanic Astrologer, Turning of the Ages Mystery School
Certified Coach, Accomplishment Coaching
Elise’s work is informed by many years spent studying:
— Carl Jung’s concepts such as archetype, myth, alchemy, synchronicity, shadow and the inner sacred marriage
— The ancient wisdom of Alchemy and the power of its imagery and symbolism to express deep philosophical and spiritual truths, aiding us in understanding each other and the whole of creation
— The philosophy and practices of the Eight Limbs of Yoga that provide a path to self-knowledge
— The ancient Eastern science of Tantra (a Sanskrit word derived from the root tan, “to expand”) as a way of life, which teaches us to be fully present to our lives in a bodily and open-hearted way
— The element of Tantra which includes the principles of shiva and shakti as they reveal themselves in sacred sexuality and the art of love
— Stan Grof’s Holotropic Breathwork paradigm which provides for the experience of non-ordinary states of consciousness, leading to a greater sense of wholeness
— Buddhist philosophy and teachings that espouse ways to cultivate peace, love and compassion for oneself and for the health of all relationships
— The wisdom of the Enneagram in its description of personality types, innate patterns, and how to get back in touch with our spiritual depths
— Richard Rohr’s deep and mystical approach to Christianity that provides fresh and universal ways to live as a spiritual being, especially at this time in history
— The astrologically based Human Design paradigm that helps unlock the code of your human design, allowing you to live a more aligned life
— Neuro-linguistic Programming and its techniques that help expand conscious awareness and improve how one experiences the world
Elise’s PhD Research
Elise’s PhD degree in somatic depth psychology has provided her with deep knowledge and insight into areas such as archetype, shadow, alchemy, ritual, shamanism, and the inner sacred marriage. Being rooted in the exploration of the unconscious, depth psychology values symbol and metaphor in the exploration of the personal and collective psyche. It pays attention to what is cast into the shadows and helps unearth and process that material, leading to greater wholeness and ease in a person’s life.
Elise’s doctoral work focused on the cultural, heterosexual prescriptions that heavily influence female sexuality, resulting in what she describes as a lackluster, performance-based sexual script that has seeped into the psyches and sexual practices of males and females alike. Using the Greek myth of Apollo and Daphne as a symbolic and exploratory doorway into the topic, Elise explored how collective, heterosexual norms inside of marital sexuality–which can be applied outside of marriage as well–have become collectively entrenched, as well as internalized by females.
These norms include a quantitative approach to sex that includes orgasm as the goal as well as frequency of sex as the measure of good sex. This behavioral approach to sexuality leads to couples following a societal script that is performance-based, where they are literally working to check the boxes of what they believe good sex should be. This perfunctory model of sex leaves no room for sex that could be more pleasurable, restorative, and bonding.
Elise’s work outlines how the collective messaging about sex has especially affected the female psyche and sexual self. Widely disseminated marriage manuals from the 20th century are featured in her work and cited as one way that this messaging penetrated the personal and collective psyche. The marriage manual material heavily emphasized the importance of sexual service, availability and sexual enthusiasm on the part of the wife. This medical, authoritative messaging was an assumption of the asexuality of the female and an urging of husbands to corral their wives’ sexuality into the roles for which they were meant–that is, reproduction and sexual service of the male.
This gendered, socio-sexual conditioning does not so easily disappear by condemning these old- fashioned views and claiming one’s personal agency. These discourses are perpetuated throughout time and become such a part of the cultural fabric that they can become invisible to those who exist inside that culture.
This deep focus on the area of sexuality has Elise recognize what an important dimension of life this is for her clients. Sexual fulfillment can look very different to each person. It’s important to get out from under sexual scripts that serve other people’s desires and to uncover how you want to express your unique version of sexuality. Your astrological blueprint offers clues to what kind of sexual and intimacy style might be meaningful for you. Should this be something you want to explore, Elise will hold a safe and compassionate space for you to share your experience and help you to claim the sexual fulfillment that you desire.
Dissertation Abstract:
Fleeing the Apollonian Marriage Bed: Daphne and the Discourse of Desire
This qualitative, textual hermeneutic study explores what influences female sexual desire inside of a heterosexual marriage via an archetypal approach to the Apollo and Daphne myth. The methodology includes Hillman’s psychologizing process and imaginal dialogues with the mythic figures. Both Ovid’s version of the myth and Bernini’s statue of the mythic pair serve as an imaginal gateway into the phenomena of low or absent female sexual desire inside the marriage bed. Western culture’s inherited, dominant, heterosexual discourses are examined and characterized as Apollonian in nature, possessing solar, performance-based qualities that lack intimacy. Shadow elements of this sexual style are interpreted as phallocentric, materialistic, and misogynistic. A lunar sexual style is illuminated via the mythic characters of Daphne and Dionysus. The power of dominant sexual discourses to penetrate the personal and collective psyche are illustrated and the mythic Daphne becomes a symbol of the effects of these discourses on the female psyche and soma. In this interpretation of the myth, Apollo’s solar sexuality robs her of the unique expression of her sexuality and encages it inside of the constrictive narrative of obedience found inside the heterosexual discourse. Implications for depth psychology are the obligation to deeply understand this legacy and to approach sexuality from a symbolic and embodied stance so as to be in service to both soul and soma. Emerging, sexual technologies and their influence on human sexuality are addressed.