Ayano Masty
PhD Student
Biography
Ayano Masty graduated MSc in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology with distinction through Alef Trust/Liverpool John Moores University in the UK in 2023. Her MSc dissertation as well as her personal and professional interests inspired her to pursue the PhD research. She is a yoga therapist certified through the International Association of Yoga Therapy (C-IAYT) and by Phoenix Rising School of Yoga Therapy. She is also a yoga teacher, trained through Kripalu and Phoenix Rising, with experience in Yin Yoga. In 2020, Ayano was certified as a practitioner of Compassionate Inquiry, a trauma-informed psychotherapeutic approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté.
Ayano is passionate about facilitating space for people to explore their inner wisdom and truth through embodied awareness. She trusts that our bodies carry deep insights about ourselves and the world and that healing (as in movement toward wholeness) is available for everyone. When she is not working or studying, Ayano enjoys being out in the vast and beautiful nature of Colorado: Rock climbing, hiking, and stand-up paddle boarding. She is also amused by engaging with her creativity: Painting, crafting, cooking and spinning yarn.
PhD research
Ayano’s research project aims to propose a theory to explain the phenomenon of “parts encounters” in psychedelic-type experiences and a framework of how it may support a person’s healing process. As part of developing a theory and a framework, she hopes to understand the overall picture of the phenomenon (prevalence, qualities, context, etc). The findings of the research can offer a structure to understand the experience of parts encounters, which may be utilised to support those who journey in psychedelic-type experiences, in the process of integration and their overall healing journey.
As a scholar-practitioner, Ayano is passionate about exploring and understanding how healing can happen in non-ordinary states of consciousness, from both academic and experiential perspectives. She hopes to contribute to the therapeutic fields through her research efforts, especially in the approaches that involve exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness, parts and Self, as well as healing as the movement towards wholeness.
