Glenn
Andrew
Koshar
For over 35 years, I have worked in the mental health field, often gravitating towards those with more traumatic and challenging issues. I have spent 10 years providing crisis intervention and emergency mental health services to individuals of all ages and walks of life. In addition, I worked in a jail setting for 5 years, overseeing substance abuse treatment services to adult male inmates.
The majority of my work in the mental health field has been with adults with a serious chronic mental illness or those dually diagnosed with a serious mental illness and a significant substance abuse problem. Finally, I have spent about 5 years working with children who have had a difficult start to their life, many of whom have had trauma early on. I have a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and I have been a licensed substance abuse counselor for 25 years, although I no longer maintain this license.
Parallel to my work, I have always had a deep interest in spirituality, even as a very young child.
I have always intuitively known that there must be more subtle truths to life than what is obvious and mundane. I have practiced meditation, kirtan/chanting and yoga for almost 40 years.
Who I Am and Why I’m Here
Why am I interested in the work of alchemizing emotions? While I have had my share of challenges and trauma in my life, I probably have had a less traumatic life than some and a more traumatic life than others. My life has given me ample opportunities to practice alchemizing my emotions. There have been many instances of loss, neglect, abuse; instances of being bullied, dismissed, overlooked, abandoned emotionally, and seen as an option instead of as a priority. I’ve had plenty of exposure to manipulation, intimidation, gaslighting, selfishness, boundary crossing, lying, cheating and having my kindness seen as a weakness to be taken advantage of and used for another’s wants or needs.
While these were painful experiences, I also remained curious about what possible deeper meaning or purpose might be hidden in these seemingly cruel turns of fate. I remained open, interested and hopeful, despite many opportunities to lose faith and give up. This is where that young (now inner) child who was always curious about spirituality comes into play. As I delved deeper and found the spiritual meaning underneath these events, I began to appreciate how even the most unfair, unkind and horrible events in my life, were serving a deeper purpose, were serving me and my growth in profound ways and were ultimately for my benefit and personal development. At first, I argued that this could not be the case, but over time I discovered that everything that has happened in my life has been in service to my personal and spiritual growth. And I continue to grow daily because, for me, alchemizing emotions is a lifelong process of personal and spiritual discovery.