Betsy Rippentrop, PhD. Licensed psychologist. PhD, University of Iowa, 2003. Clinical internship in Health Psychology, Rush Medical Center, Chicago, 2002. Hypnotherapist. Reiki practitioner.  Anusara-influenced yoga teacher. Owner, Heartland Yoga.

Dr. Rippentrop’s work is one of integration, blending traditional treatment with holistic healing modalities. Doctoral training in counseling psychology at the University of Iowa provided Dr. Rippentrop a strong foundational understanding of mental health and the practice of psychotherapy.  She has specialty training in pain management, sleep disorders, psychosocial oncology, and mind/body interventions for both physical and mental health. She has published on the relationship between spirituality and health, women’s health, and chronic pain management.

During her graduate studies, Dr. Rippentrop turned to yoga as a much needed respite from the stress of her work.  Her interest in yoga and its healing properties took root, leading to additional in-depth study of energy medicine, meditation, mindfulness, hypnosis, breath work, the chakra system, and mystical teachings.

In her clinical practice, Dr. Rippentrop views the therapeutic relationship as a collaborative partnership and the key agent of change. She believes the answers and guidance we are looking for as human beings lie within, and her goal as a therapist is to guide people inward towards their truth and intuition.  She trusts the innate wisdom of the body, and believes we must include the body in the healing process. In addition to traditional talk therapy, Dr. Rippentrop integrates hypnosis, imagery, energy work, chakra reading, breath work, and yoga into sessions.

Dr. Rippentrop is passionate about creating a bridge between psychotherapy and yoga.  She sees both disciplines as exquisite psychological maps, however also divergent in their explanations of how to achieve mental wellness.  Western psychological thought is often based on theories of pathology and lack, whereas yogic philosophy views the system as eternally whole and intact.  Both systems have much to add to improved states of mind, and Dr. Rippentrop believes the blending of these modalities is a powerful route to transformation.

Dr. Rippentrop owns Heartland Yoga next door to Eastwind Healing Center.  The studio’s intention is to provide a sacred space for exploration of self through the many limbs of yoga. She is co-creator of the Mindful Birthing program, a class preparing mothers and fathers for labor, birth, and parenting using the tools of meditation, yoga, hypnosis, and education. She is co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Chakras.  She routinely teaches workshops and trainings in the area.  She lives in the woods with her husband and 2 spirited sons.

Visit the website of Heartland Yoga.
See The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Chakras at amazon.com.