About Michael

Michael Lott, MA
Professional Counseling Associate (Oregon)
Supervised by: Kelly Hirstein, LPC & Rhys Pasimio, LPC

About

Hi, I’m Michael! I utilize he/him or they/them pronouns and identify as a queer and gay man. I was raised in a metaphysical household and have a lifelong passion for understanding and exploring the various dimensions of the human condition. Most of us didn’t get an “owner’s manual” for being human. I believe that for most of us, life’s ups and downs and traumatic developmental life experiences end up being a catalyst that nudges us to learn tools to improve the quality of and ability to better navigate our human experience. As a lifelong Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and a holistic practitioner for many years, I have helped hundreds of other HSPs, members of the LGBQITA+ community, and men to embrace their traits so they can live a more empowered and self-actualized life experience.

As a Certified Trauma Professional, I help people move out of the cycle of trauma response (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn) and toward a life of more fulfillment. I use tools like EMDR, somatic work, Internal Family Systems (IFS), nature, ACT, mindfulness-based, and yoga-informed counseling to create an integrative approach to your specific needs. My background as a Medium and energy worker gives me a unique, holistic perspective that welcomes a variety of spiritual beliefs and practices.

Therapeutic connection is vital to accessing your innate self-healing abilities and reaching an optimal state of mental health. My goal is always to meet you where you are and work together to develop goals that align with your needs.

Here are some ways I can help:

  • Do you overthink, overanalyze, or get stuck in your own head? I offer an integrative approach that includes mind, body, and spirit to help you get out of your own way.

  • Are you a Highly Sensitive Person who has been told to “suck it up”? Life as an HSP can be painful, overwhelming, confusing, and lonely. I can help you understand your sensitivity as a strength, not a weakness, and understand your emotions as an important messaging system within your body.

  • Are you a man wanting to have more intimacy and vulnerability in your relationships, find meaning, or simply understand yourself better? Find awareness and practical skills for your growth in a safe and supportive space.

  • Are you ready to transition from coping with your trauma and move into a new phase of growth?

Michael’s Background

I was working as a mechanical engineer in my mid-20’s in the automotive field when my back went out and I started having chest pains at work. Because of my upbringing around the metaphysical world and meditation, I knew that my back didn’t just “go out.” There was something else going on.

I left work one day because my lower back was unbearable. When I collapsed on the floor at home, I went through a spiritual process of surrendering to a greater purpose. My body “kept the score” and had been holding shame, low self-worth, fear, and anxiety. I was stuck in the belief that once you start a career, you stay in it forever. I worried about what other people (especially my family) would think about all the hard work I had put into the path that I was about to let go of. I used the metaphysical insights I learned growing up to reframe my limited belief systems, along with yoga practices, to heal my body from the stress.

In 2007, I left my mechanical engineer job. Over thousands of hours of seat time in vehicles as an NVH development engineer, I learned to refine my skills of tuning into the subtle energies of systems. I have used it ever since, with close to 20 years of helping people with holistic work like yoga, meditation, spiritual counseling & coaching, mediumship, emotional recovery, and reiki.

If one thing I believe is constant in life, it’s change. And I’m here to help people like you embrace that change for a more empowered and fulfilling life.

I completed my master’s degree in Counseling at the humanistic and holistically-focused Saybrook University. When I am not working, you can find me exploring the outdoors, hugging a tree, traveling, spending time with loved ones, finding new local eateries and coffee shops, walking with my dog, enjoying or participating in expressive arts, reading, LGBTQIA2S+ advocacy, and listening to all kinds of music that move me or catching a movie.