Commonly Asked Questions
A Registered Psychological Associate (PA) is a postdoctoral clinician registered with the California Board of Psychology. To qualify for licensure, PAs must complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.
At Rising Signs Psychology Group, our PAs receive close weekly supervision by Dr. Jay Pietrzak and regularly collaborate with peer clinicians. This structure fosters an especially attentive and dynamic approach to care. In fact, our associates are often more focused and current in their training than many seasoned clinicians, as they are actively refining their skills under scrutiny and guidance.
Client privacy is sacred. All discussions are de-identified and held in strict confidence, in accordance with our Informed Consent agreement.
Yes. We are approved providers for Medicare and Medi-Cal and are in-network with a select number of private insurance plans.
We’re happy to verify your benefits—whether through an HMO, PPO, or other plan. To begin, simply fill out our secure, HIPAA-compliant online form, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Yes—if the person is stable enough to engage meaningfully in therapy or coaching. We offer a nuanced approach that distinguishes between clinical pathology and potentially transformational experiences.
We work collaboratively to ensure appropriate containment, safety, and care. In addition, Rising Signs offers support for loved ones caring for individuals navigating extreme or non-ordinary states.
We’re happy to verify your benefits—whether through an HMO, PPO, or other plan. To begin, simply fill out our secure, HIPAA-compliant online form, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Yes. We offer both preparation and integration support for individuals engaging with psychedelics or plant medicine.
Post-experience integration is widely recognized as a vital part of the healing process. We help clients process their experiences and the cognitive, emotional, and spiritual shifts that often arise. Our work supports the meaningful embodiment of these insights and their practical application in everyday life.
When appropriate, we also assist clients in exploring ethically grounded options for travel to locations where legal plant medicine ceremonies are offered.
Terms Defined
Spiritual Emergence and Spiritual Emergency
At Rising Signs, we understand spiritual emergence as a natural process of inner awakening—an expansion of consciousness that deepens one’s connection to purpose, meaning, and the transpersonal dimensions of life. This unfolding may occur gradually or arise suddenly in a number of ways, including: by intentional methods; by physiological, neurological and emotional triggers; in spiritual or ritual contexts; spontaneously.
When the intensity of this awakening exceeds a person’s capacity to integrate it, it can give rise to a spiritual emergency—a period of emotional, energetic, or perceptual overwhelm that may temporarily impair psychological functioning. These states, though often mistaken for psychiatric pathology, may in fact reflect an underlying movement toward transformation and reorganization at a deeper level of being.
With the right support, spiritual emergencies can become gateways to profound healing and soul alignment. At Rising Signs, we offer a grounded, attuned space for navigating these thresholds—drawing from both evidence-based psychology and spiritually integrative approaches.
We honor the pioneering contributions of Stanislav Grof, MD, in bringing awareness to these experiences within clinical and academic communities. We also align ourselves with the many contemporary practitioners and organizations working to advance compassionate, soul-honoring care for those undergoing profound states of change.
Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal Psychology is a branch of psychology that explores the spiritual, mystical, and transcendent dimensions of human experience. It seeks to understand what lies beyond the ego—states of deep presence, unity, and inner awakening—while integrating these into a psychologically sound and grounded framework.
This approach supports not only healing but the unfolding of one’s highest potential through development, transformation, and service.
Soul-Centered Therapy
A spiritually informed approach to psychotherapy, Soul-Centered Therapy recognizes that many forms of psychological suffering arise from misalignment between the culturally informed personality and the deeper wisdom or direction of one’s true spiritual nature.
At Rising Signs, this work includes practices such as meditative alignments, intentional presence, guided imagery, somatic tracking, journaling, invocation, and breathwork. Through these methods, clients aim to develop a more conscious and inclusive understanding of themselves as energetic and spiritual beings supporting not only symptom relief, but a reorganization of the psyche around higher meaning and purpose. The soul is understood to be a mediating aspect between spirit and personality.
The One Life
is the absolute, formless essence that underlies all being and all becoming. It is both immanent and transcendent—the singular life in which all forms live, move, and have their being. It is beyond duality yet expresses through the multiplicity of creation.
The One Life is the livingness behind all phenomena—prior to thought, beyond form, and untouched by division. While often considered synonymous with “God” in spiritual traditions, The One Life is non-anthropomorphic, ineffable, and not separate from any aspect of existence.
Presence
Presence refers to the grounded, attuned, and spacious awareness that a therapist or guide brings to the healing relationship. It is not simply a method but a way of being—anchored in the here-and-now, and open to the subtle realities that exist within and between people.
At Rising Signs, we understand presence as both psychological and spiritual: a vessel through which compassion, clarity, and intuitive guidance can flow. In this space of quiet resonance, clients are supported in connecting with inner wisdom and reorganizing their lives from a place of wholeness.
Ageless Wisdom Teachings
The Ageless Wisdom refers to a body of timeless teachings that underpin and unite many of the world’s spiritual traditions. It describes the energetic structure of the universe, the evolution of consciousness, and the sacred nature of human life.
This teaching affirms the importance of right human relations, group service, and alignment with soul purpose. It also highlights the central role of energy and consciousness—principles that resonate with certain discoveries in modern physics and cosmology.
At Rising Signs, the Ageless Wisdom serves as a subtle compass behind our work, informing our understanding of transformation and human development.
Esoteric / Soul-Centered Astrology and the Rising Sign
In esoteric astrology, the rising sign is understood not simply as a personality trait, but as a symbol of the soul’s path—indicating the direction of growth, service, and spiritual unfoldment in this lifetime.
Rising Signs Psychology Group takes its name from this idea: that each individual has a higher trajectory, and that healing work—when rightly engaged—supports the alignment of life with soul purpose.
Like many wisdom traditions, esoteric astrology provides a framework for deeper inquiry, inviting reflection on one’s relationship to the One Life and the journey toward fuller expression of that relationship.
Psychedelic Integration
In psychological terms, integration refers to the process of organizing and synthesizing thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and behaviors into a coherent and adaptive sense of self.
Psychedelic integration applies this framework to the experiences arising from non-ordinary states of consciousness brought on by psychedelics or plant medicines. These experiences—such as vivid imagery, emotional catharsis, shifts in self-perception, or somatic responses—may emerge during the journey and continue to unfold afterward. Integration work aims to support psychological stability, insight, and behavioral change by helping individuals process these experiences and apply their meaning to everyday life.
The goal of integration is not merely understanding, but embodiment—bringing insight into daily life, fostering transformation, and living more deeply in alignment with one’s truth.
Holotropic
The term is derived from the Greek words “holos” (whole) and “trepein” (moving towards). The literal translation is: moving towards wholeness. Our use of the term honors Stanislav Grof’s Holotropic Breathwork and his elaborations on holotropic states of consciousness.
Ready to Begin?
If you feel called to explore therapy, deepen your self-understanding, or simply learn more about what we offer, we invite you to reach out.
Whether you’re new to therapy or returning to the work, Rising Signs is here to support you with clarity, care, and soul-centered guidance. Contact Us to schedule a consultation or explore our offerings further.