Meet Stacey Simmons | Writer & Psychotherapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacey Simmons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacey, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
The two things I am most passionate about seem somewhat divergent, but they both impact mental health. I think mental health is best served when you take the whole person into account. First I am a psychedelic psychotherapist. Psychedelics have the potential to revolutionize mental health care. From Treatment Resistant Depression to PTSD, psychedelics can do more in a month than years of therapy. The other is that in my research I discovered a transformational form of women-driven story that is an analog to the Hero’s Journey, and it’s NOT a heroine’s journey. This changes the center of gravity for women’s narrative- whether we’re talking about personal narratives in psychotherapy or the structure of blockbuster films- it changes how we see women’s stories on an archetypal level.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m working on two books. One is on psychedelics, and the other is on a discovery I made in graduate school to become a therapist. As a child I desperately wanted to be a Jedi knight. My mom told me I could never be a Jedi because I was a girl. Later, I saw the Bill Moyer’s PBS documentary series The Power of Myth. with Joseph Campbell, and felt deeply moved. It took years for me to realize that no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t take a hero’s journey. Later in graduate school to become a therapist I accidentally discovered an archetypal journey for women that is NOT a heroine’s journey. It has been hiding in plain sight for thousands of years. With this discovery I finally understood why I couldn’t be a Jedi- not because I am not capable, but because women’s stories and men’s stories are peppered with cultural expectations that don’t account for women’s experiences. At the heart of every myth, fairy tale, sacred story, and woman’s individual life is a story of a woman seeking sovereignty over her own life. I call this it The Queen’s Path. I have been teaching this model to filmmakers and writers for several years now. Every time I talk to women creatives they take a deep sigh. Sometimes women in psychotherapy cry the first time we talk about it. All people want the freedom to determine their own lives, to have sovereignty over themselves. Whether you’re talking to your best friend over a glass of wine, or watching the new Barbie Movie, you’re telling the story of women’s sovereignty. I have a book coming out next year from Hay House called The Queen’s Path: the journey of women’s sovereignty- I’m working on that day and night. I also have two active TikTok accounts, and I have horses. I do equine therapy which in itself is transformative. I don’t sleep a lot.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Most of the time people get the wrong impression about L.A. They think it’s all Rodeo Drive and Disneyland. I’d want them to see a little bit of the inside view. If we start on Monday, the first step would be the beach. When family or friends visit from New Orleans I frequently make them get up super early to watch people surf. They don’t usually believe me that the surfing is best early in the morning. Then we’d head for breakfast probably at the Rose or the Firehouse in Venice.

Tuesday we’d head to Long Beach to show off the Aquarium, and probably take a drive from Long Beach up to Malibu, or stop at Dana Point along the way to watch the water.

Wednesday and Thursday- I love live theatre, so I’d take them to the Ahmanson, and the Pantages. I’d probably also take them to the Hollywood Bowl and or the Disney Concert Hall.

Friday- Whether they were into or not, I’d take my family or friends to a bunch of museums The Academy Museum, The Getty Villa, The Peterson Museum, the Natural History Museum and LACMA. I lived in L.A. in the 1990’s and usually ended long party nights at Molly Malone’s and finally Canter’s on Fairfax. It’s still one of my favorite places to eat in L.A. I usually get a reuben and ask them to add avocado- so at some point I’d want to show them that place.

On Saturday- I’d end their trip with a hike in Topanga State Park, and dinner at Dukes in Malibu.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am very grateful to the loving support of my husband, Ched Hover. My best friends, Patricia McGrath and Laura Voglesong have encouraged and loved me through every step of the way. I am also profoundly grateful to my friends and colleagues, Samuel Spitale and Jennie-Marie Battistin. I think it would be impossible to not honor the clients whose lives I get to be a part of. It’s an incredible privilege to be in the role of supporting them and knowing about their lives. I love being a therapist, I am grateful for my clients and associates- they inspire me everyday.

Website: staceysimmonsphd.com

Instagram: staceysimmonsphd

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-simmonsphd/

Twitter: @staceysimmons

Other: TikTok: @staceysimmonsphd

Image Credits
photo with the horse- Marie Do Verdier