SHORT BIO

Dr. Nick Atlas has thirty years experience in psychoeducation and the healing arts, and is widely regarded as among the most experienced psychedelic guides in the US, having facilitated over 500 solo and group journeys. Nick holds a Ph.D. in Psychology with multiple certifications, is Chair of the Department of Transpersonal Psychology at Atlantic University, and the Director of Evolutionary Education® and the Northeast Psychedelic initiative.

He has taught extensively at the university-level, and offers personal and professional training in Psychedelic Facilitation, Yoga Nidra, Lucid Dreaming, and Breathwork, specializing in trauma-sensitive, body-centered approaches for emotional release. He supports a wide range of clients dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, substance abuse, and terminal illness, as well as those navigating spiritual awakening and spiritual crisis.

Originally from New York City, Nick has authored a memoir, The Light Travelers, detailing his own psychedelic journey and world travels, and enjoys making music, open-water swimming, and hiking with his dog in the beautiful, Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts.

LONG BIO

Born and raised in New York City, I was an athlete and writer throughout my youth. I went on to study sociology and visual art at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), where I also fell in love with ecstatic dance and the burgeoning rave scene. During my senior year, I spent a semester abroad in Belize and traveled throughout the Guatemalan backcountry researching the impact of Western materialism on native cultures. I also developed a passion for photography and began to explore yoga, qigong, and meditation. Upon graduating from college, a series of mystical dreams, as well as a profound spiritual awakening while under the influence of psilocybin, radically altered the course of my life.

No single event was more impactful than a loved one’s tragic car accident when I was twenty-two years old. Prompted by support from an online community of healers, my subsequent attempt to heal my friend inspired me to quit my job, hit the road, and follow my heart into the unknown. I began to record my dreams on a nightly basis, and a remarkable, decade-long journey unfolded.

After several years spent documenting music festivals and visiting natural places throughout North America, I met my first great yoga teacher, Stephen Spyrit, in Portland, Oregon, and was inspired to travel to India, Nepal, Southeast Asia, Israel, and Egypt. From there, I spent a year as a professional photographer in New York before another mystical experience revealed my life calling: to start a school. Relocating to the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, I devoted myself to yoga full-time, ultimately returning to India, Thailand, and the Philippines to advance my practice, and later founding Evolutionary Education®.

In 2017, I earned a PhD in Psychology: “Consciousness & Society” (Critical, Humanistic, and Transpersonal Psychology) at the University of West Georgia, the only public institution in the US offering such a program. My research examined healing and psychospiritual transformation during visionary states of consciousness–lucid dreaming and psychedelic experiences, in particular)–and its relationship to archetypal mythology (the “heroic journey”) and yoga psychology (“kundalini”). 

Along the way, I have been blessed to study with and assist many incredible teachers, including Paulie Zink, Richard Miller, Toni Bergins, Jack Kornfield, Rhiannon, Bobby McFerrin, and the entire Department of Psychology at UWG. 

In 2019, I published my first book, The Light Travelers, and in 2020, after many years “underground,”  I began working full-time as a psychedelic guide. Simultaneously, I began serving as Faculty Chair at Atlantic University and am currently Chair of the Department of Transpersonal Psychology and Director of the Northeast Psychedelic education and advocacy initiative.

When I’m not teaching, speaking, writing, traveling, or working with others, I enjoy making music (especially improvisational singing), hiking, swimming, gardening, storytelling, and deep listening in nature.