Biography:

Myrtle Heery, PhD, a former student and co-teacher of Dr. James Bugental for three decades, founded the International Institute for Humanistic Studies, in 2000 and has continued to serve as its director. She has conducted over 25 basic trainings, Unearthing the Moment, which consists of 4 to 5 trainings in both the U.S. and Canada, as well as many ongoing advanced trainings. She continues to instruct advance trainings on Zoom and in person. She is a trusted adviser to mental health professionals seeking confidential support for creating new meanings in their professional and personal lives, and offers ongoing consultation groups for psychotherapists. She is the first woman recipient of the Rollo May Award (2017) and established Tonglen Press (2013), where she published four books, including her memoir, Tracking Kindness: A Memoir of Life’s Teachings in Kindness (2025). She lived and worked in Amsterdam, Holland and led workshops in Europe, Mexico and Russia. She lives in Petaluma, CA where she gardens and loves being “grammie”.