Francis Weller

Francis Weller

Francis Weller, MFT, is a psychotherapist, writer and soul activist. He is a master of synthesizing  diverse streams of thought from psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, indigenous  cultures and poetic traditions. Author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the  Sacred Work of Grief, and The Threshold Between Loss and Revelation, (with Rashani Réa) he  has introduced the healing work of ritual to thousands of people. He founded and directs  WisdomBridge, an organization that offers educational programs that seek to integrate the  wisdom from indigenous cultures with the insights and knowledge gathered from western  poetic, psychological and spiritual traditions. 

For over thirty-five years Francis has worked as a psychotherapist and developed a style he calls  soul-centered psychotherapy. As a gifted therapist and teacher, he has been described as a jazz  artist, improvising and moving fluidly in and out of deep emotional territories with groups and  individuals, bringing imagination and attention to places often held with judgment and shame.  He has created three CD sets, two focusing on healing shame and one on “Restoring the Soul of  the World.” His latest offerings are a 10-session audio series on “Living a Soulful Life and Why  It Matters.” and “The Alchemy of Initiation: Soul Work and the Art of Ripening.” 

Francis received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and two Master’s Degrees  from John F. Kennedy University in Clinical Psychology and Transpersonal Psychology. His  writings have appeared in anthologies and journals exploring the confluence between psyche,  nature and culture. His work was featured in The Sun magazine (October 2015) and the Utne  Reader (Fall 2016). He is a frequent presenter and keynote speaker at conferences, bringing  insight, poetry and a breath of humor to his talks. Francis is currently on staff at Commonweal  Cancer Help Program, co-leading their week-long retreats with Michael Lerner. He has taught at  Sonoma State University, the Sophia Center in Oakland and has been the featured teacher at  the Minnesota Men’s Conference. He is currently completing his third book, A Trail on the  Ground: The Geography of Soul.  

For more information on upcoming workshops, to sign up for the newsletter, or purchase books  and audio series, please go to www.francisweller.net.

Deschooling Dialogues: On Initiation, Trauma and Ritual with Francis Weller

Journal Article

Alnoor Ladha interviews Francis Weller, a psychotherapist, writer and activist who pioneered the method of soul-centered psychotherapy.


Rough Initiations

Journal Article

Ritual initiation radically reshapes our sense of self. It is meant to break us open to the widest possible experience in identity.