Our History
Below you can find detailed information from our Founder, Phoenix Rising, LSW, about our unique history as an organization.
All About NAPTI
2019 - NAPTI is established as "The Art of Self-Healing Center"
In 2019, I started The Art of Self-Healing Center to teach trauma survivors everything I thought was missing from traditional talk therapy. I had been a social worker in the field since 2011 and had primarily served intergenerational trauma survivors. I wanted to help people understand that our connection with our body, how we engage in self-care, how we communicate our needs and boundaries, and how our daily lifestyle choices, are all key to helping the body heal trauma on it's own natural trajectory. By removing disordered labels, and solely focusing on nervous system recovery through a holistic approach, we can liberate ourselves from our past trauma.
I started by marketing to people who felt like they didn't belong to mainstream culture. At the time, those were the words I had to describe neurodivergent. I knew deep down that I was very different and wanted to share my offering with others who felt the same way.
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2021 - Joining the Neurodiversity Movement
In 2021, I came to understand what neurodivergent meant, and that I was actually ADHD, Autistic, and Gifted. This shifted my life and my work in big ways as I now had words for what I've felt my entire life.
I realized why therapy had been failing me personally since I was six years old. I understood why I seemed so deeply traumatized by a relatively normal middle class upbringing. I understood why I've had such a strong negative reaction to the DSM and how we diagnosis our clients. I understood how the work I have felt drive towards for many years, was all leading me to exactly where I needed to be.
I have been searching all my life for the cause I would dedicate a lifetime to serving. And I've found it: The Neurodiversity Movement.
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2022 - Teaching Neurodiversity-Affirming Care
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In late 2022, I taught my first Continuing Education (CE) presentation, "Neurodiversity and the Nervous System," virtually at Cedar Springs Hospital in Colorado Springs. They received their biggest turn out all year, with double the amount to registered guests and over 75 people who watched live. Shortly after, in early 2023, I gave my first keynote speech with an update version of the presentation at the University of Oklahoma - Tulsa Campus for their virtual Neurodiversity Conference. I started hosting my own trainings in May and trained over 200 mental health professionals by the end of 2023.
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I was blow away by the amount of progress made in one year. It was clear to me that the mental health profession really wants to make the shift into neurodiversity-affirming care.
I've received incredible and useful feedback from attendees, my neurodivergent supervisor, several neurodivergent consultants and colleagues. I continue to improve and create more Neurodiversity-Affirming CE trainings, with the goal of eventually creating an evidence-based therapy model for neurodivergent trauma survivors.
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2024 - Rebrand to NAPTI
