James Nepenthe

"When I started working with James, my nervous system was in shambles. I was struggling with major burnout and was in the depths of a major transition. On the verge of panic, one session with James took me from a 10 to a 3 and suddenly I was able to breathe again. The boulder was lifted from my chest in an hour, and I decided to sign on for a couple months. James has a gift. When signing on to calls, there is an immediate sense of relief I experience because I am no longer holding my energy alone. Unlike talk therapy, SE is body-oriented. Without explaining anything verbally, James is able to meet me. He can meet the stuck energy and together we navigate it. Like a giant knot, we untangle it together strand by strand. I've never met anyone like him and I am deeply grateful for his presence in my life. I cannot recommend James more. Only good can come out of working with him."

— Megan Gesell

Training & Credentials

SOMATIC & TRAUMA HEALING

Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP) — 3-year professional training

Ongoing Mentorship under SEI Faculty, Debra Clydesdale (since 2021)

Somatic Experiencing International — Training Assistant (since 2022)

Crisis Stabilization & Safety (CSS) — Lead Trainer, SE International

Dynamic Attachment Repatterning (DARe) Levels 1 & 4; Assistant Trainer — Dr. Diane Poole Heller

Radical Aliveness — Ann Bradney

Somatic Coaching — The Strozzi Institute

Embodiment Lab with Ann Bradney— Year-long training (2024–2025)

Lead Resiliency Trainer — Project HOPE (Hurricane Ian disaster response)

Principles in Healing Collective Trauma (2020–2021)

Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness — David Treleaven

MINDFULNESS, MEDITATION & DHARMA

506 days of silent retreat, including three 3-month retreats, and two 6-week retreats (Insight Meditation Society & Forest Refuge)

Empowered Dharma Teacher — under Rodney Smith

Ten Fetters Process of Classical Awakening — under Christiane Michelberger & Steffi Mania (ongoing)

Former Ordained Buddhist monk — Sri Lanka (Venerable Dhammajiva, 2015)

Certified Mindfulness Teacher (CMT-P) — Engaged Mindfulness Institute, IMTA-accredited (2015–2017)

Nonviolent Communication — 3-year training (2015–2018)

MMFT Lead Trainer — Dr. Elizabeth Stanley; trained military psychologists & first responders in Ukraine

Advanced Teacher of Presence Training — Eckhart Tolle

Convergent Facilitation Training

The Work That Reconnects — Earth Leadership Cohort

RELATIONSHIP & SACRED INTIMACY

Yoga of Intimacy — Assistant under Justin Patrick Pierce & Londin Angel Winters

Dynamic Attachment Re-Patterning Experience (DARE)

GROUP WORK & FACILITATION

The Initiation (formerly The Event) — Assistant to Fleet Maull (since 2019; most recently Feb 2026)

All Kings — Initiate and Assistant; initiatory quests & trainings with justice-impacted men

ManKind Project — IMPACT Course for Young Men, Lead Trainer (2019–ongoing)

Brother's Hearth — Lead Facilitator, Young Men Awake (2020–ongoing)

iBMe — Youth Mentor and Mental Health Support

MMFT Ukraine Project — active-duty military and psychologist training (2022–ongoing)

Lead Instructor — Youth Opportunities Program

Mindfulness Director — Mindfulness Director Initiative (now WholeSchool Mindfulness)

ACTIVISM & SERVICE

At-Risk Youth Facilitator — Hogares Crea, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Standing Rock Resistance Camp, 2016

Anti-Racist Lead Facilitator — Farm & Wilderness, VT (2016–2017)

Crisis Counselor — Hurricane Ian, SW Florida

Engaging Whiteness Through Critical Contemplative Inquiry — Senior Honors Thesis, UMass Amherst Commonwealth College (2017)

UMass Divest — Successful campaign (2016)

Student Mentor & Anti-Oppression Educator, UMass (2016)

UMass Student Mindfulness Facilitator & Program Lead (2015–2017)

Reclaiming Indigenous Cultural Heritage Institute, Penobscot, ME (2017)

Overnight Staff, Craig's Door Shelter (2018)

Ongoing pro-bono Somatic Experiencing sessions for people without financial means

Ongoing mentorship for young men

"James Nepenthe opened this doorway for me, with open arms and full participation in the process. As if we were in the experience fully together. It is not separate. He asks the right questions to help lean into that space. Truly recommend this beautiful man to help anyone on their journey. He will meet you right where you are, with complete sincerity and passion and groundedness."

— Ben M.

"Working with James for just one session helped me shift how I relate to my tendency to shut down and self-protect. He was able to witness habits of mine that I judge and feel ashamed of and normalize my experience. He shed light on the wisdom I already carry about how to respond to my traumatized reactions. The quality of James's presence inspired me into a state of openness that I rarely experience with other people."

— Rachel P.

“Somatic Experiencing has made me far more conscious and present in my body. When I get triggered, I can immediately register it as a nervous system response, feeling the discomfort within my body while holding the space to allow it to subside. Before, when I was triggered I would spend countless minutes in rumination and negative thought patterning and wouldn't consider the role that the body has in my experience. I'm extremely grateful for having worked and connected with James. A favorite memory of mine would be the time I felt a huge amount of energy in my throat that seemed like it desperately wanted to be released. I started laughing, and it felt amazing. James started laughing too; we laughed together for a good few minutes. I would've never considered laughter's capacity to heal in that moment, yet James helped me hold space for my body's wisdom to guide the process.”

— Eli H.

"He has this magical quality that just brings people into the moment, into the present felt sense and felt experience. He has this way of both encouraging growth in a real honest, humorous way while at the same time providing deep care and compassion. I felt both pushed out of what I thought I could do and pushed into the capacity that I actually had available to me — and still felt comfortable and safe. It's this smoothie of encouragement and growth and pushing your edges all wrapped up into one."

— Lucy Lewark

“It is truly a transformative experience working with James- his approach to somatic experiencing helped me reconnect with my body in a way I didn’t know I was missing. Through his guidance, I developed a much deeper awareness of my nervous system and learned how to safely feel into and process emotional trauma in a healthy, supportive way. Over time, I’ve noticed a profound shift in my day to day life, practicing the somatic exercises to understand and trust my nervous system responses and how my body wants to express. I feel more grounded and at ease in myself. James brings a calm, intuitive presence to his work and creates a compassionate space for healing. I’m so grateful for the impact his work is having on my life and HIGHLY recommend him to anyone looking to deepen their connection with themselves on their healing journey!”

— Gina Glenbowski

"Working with James has been a Godsend! I have had truly amazing results from somatic work. Feeling more at home in my skin and more safe being here and can feel my own presence emerging more and more after each session. This work has unwound a lot of long held patterns that I had challenges in overcoming after years of other therapies. I highly recommend. James is a safe presence to work with and is a spectacular practitioner."

— Kim Kaufman

"Somatic Experiencing has helped me find stillness in the darkest corners of my past. As he learned the skills to understand and heal the root of trauma, our 'talk-therapy-esque' conversations turned into healing and nourishing full-body experiences to re-evaluate and shift the power of trauma on the nervous system. Without him, I would not have been able to transfer the darkness of my past into loving kindness and ambition to serve myself and others now and in the future."

— Jim S.

"He helped me connect with my body in a way that was gentle, grounded, and entirely new to me. So many people, myself included, are afraid to tune into their bodily sensations — because doing so can feel overwhelming or even frightening. But the tools James shared helped me access those parts of myself without becoming dysregulated. That alone was a huge shift. James has a warmth and presence that puts you at ease. He holds space with care, compassion, and deep expertise. Working with him gave me access to a deeper sense of safety and authenticity — something I didn't know was possible."

— Jay Gruben

"James is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. His engagement, confidence, energy and deep appreciation for healing and compassion throughout the process has helped me accept myself in ways I never knew I could. The enthusiasm and commitment he brings to life has brought me to tears on multiple occasions. Where I have been reminded of such a spark in myself. Something lost and buried underneath thoughts detaching my consciousness from the world, from myself. Being with James has helped me see through this fear into a world brighter than was known to me."

— 7aran

"Through a recommendation, I was brought to James, whose energy and methods immediately felt different in a refreshing way. Each week, we worked together, practicing somatic exercises, tracing the timeline of my fears back to their roots. Slowly but surely, we uncovered memories and feelings buried deep within my body. With each session, James provided exercises to discharge the trapped energy, releasing it from where it had lodged itself in my body for years. The relief I felt during and after each session was nothing short of transformative. Today, I can honestly say that I've come a long way. Now, I can board a plane, sit back, and relax — a feeling I'd only dreamed about but hadn't felt in over a decade."

— Anonymous Client

"I started working with James to develop a somatic practice to treat PTSD and chronic anxiety. His wisdom and grace of spirit gave me a deeper understanding of my own ability to heal and regulate my body and mind. In deepening this practice I found a path forward towards greater mindfulness and ability to resolve trapped emotions, and restore my physical and mental health."

— Anonymous Client

"Simply put, James supported me in the invaluable process of better understanding and befriending my nervous system. As soon as we got into the work, it was evident to me that I was working with a supremely talented, caring, and balanced practitioner. I have a different and greatly deepened relationship with my body, and continue to gain insight from our sessions (which were months ago now). If you have the chance to work with James, do it!"

— Davis Cowles, Life, Breath, and Movement Coach

"James has deep wisdom when it comes to somatic experiencing, leadership, and trauma resolution. James has helped me live a healthier, fuller, and more embodied life — all with deeper connection to purpose."

— Jon Luke Tittmann

"My first phone conversation with James left me with the unexpected experience of feeling real compassion and safety; this came in stark contrast to several intense months of interactions with different mental health professionals in the context of family and individual therapy. The interaction with James was different, supportive in a way I hadn't experienced — in words and in feel. My virtual sessions with James quickly became a main source of energy and support for moving out of my previous comfort zones to feel transformation and huge shifts in personal awareness. I am now completely convinced of the value of doing work in relation to another human who has amazing capacity to hold a sacred space for healing, with compassion and deep acceptance. While difficult to put into words, my experience with James is richer than anything I have experienced in traditional therapy; it's a reparative attachment experience with added bonuses of his expertise and passion related to somatic work and his deep personal connection with mindfulness and meditation. I feel incredibly grateful for how my work with James has helped me navigate mid-life transitions toward more meaningful relationships and work, and especially for how it has affected how I show up as a mom of two teenagers. I find courage to push forward on my journey of healing, and growth in spirit and soul, from knowing James is walking quietly beside me."

— Megan H., PhD Statistics, Critical Inference LLC

"My life has changed through my time with James. I am more loving, accepting, playful, embodied, and available to my own understanding of my boundaries, moment to moment, due to my time with James. James is a gifted facilitator. And. He is a giant giant heart with training, skills, certifications, thousands of hours of practice and study, and a deep commitment to healing, himself and others. As a result of my time with James, I am kinder. Kinder to myself and my thoughts. Kinder and more curious with my body. I trust kindness."

— Peter McLean, Co-Founder, Of Earth and Soul