Brian Stafford, MD, MPH

Brian Stafford is a guide to the wilderness of nature, wildness, and soul. Called out of academic medicine to serve as a guide to the depths and to serve as an agent of cultural awakening and transformation, he guides with humor, playfulness, fierceness, compassion, discernment, and a deep remembering of the fullness of what each human life can, should, and was meant to be. A native of Colorado and the former holder of an endowed chair and professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, he is currently a guide, Board Member, and Training Director of the Wild Mind Training Program at Animas. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute where he teaches Human Development and directs the Psychedelics and Depth Psychology Certificate programs.  He is an avid outdoorsman, teacher, writer, mentor, partner, and parent. He delights in helping individuals rewild and ensoul their lives by assisting in the dissolution of their current life so that they may discover and live from their deeper life, their soul-life. Brian currently makes his home in Ojai, California.

Upcoming Programs by Brian Stafford, MD, MPH

The Way of Council and the Art of Mirroring – April, 2025

Also With Kent Dobson

April 14 - 18, 2025
In the mirror of another, our eyes are opened to aspects of both our gifts and our challenges that we might not see otherwise.

A Wild Passage - April 2025, South Africa

April 23 - 30, 2025
Our Brand New Program! This is both foundational and adventurous. Remember, life is a wild adventure, and this program is a great starter to rewild one’s life.

Soulcraft Intensive - May 2025, South Africa

May 1 - 5, 2025
This is our popular five-day experiential plunge into the wild depths of Soulcraft TM — a synergistic set of nature-based practices designed to evoke the life-shifting experience of soul encounter.

A Portal To The Imaginal – May 2025, Bulgaria

Also With Sara McFarland

May 22 - 26, 2025
For those longing to take a step toward the journey of soul initiation, this experiential intensive is both a great place to start and an intentional step toward bringing the enchanting imaginal realms back into one’s daily life.

Wild Mind Deep Imagery Training – May 2025, Bulgaria

May 27 - 31, 2025
During the Deep Imagination Training, we will apprentice ourselves to the mystery and wild otherness of images that arise from the unconscious.

An Animas Quest at Beauty Mesa – July, 2025

Also With Gene Dilworth, M.A.

July 7 - 18, 2025
This contemporary enactment of the pancultural vision quest is a dynamic wilderness rite for those seeking greater depth and clarity about life purpose and meaning.

A Wild Passage – August, 2025

Also With John Lynch, Art.D.

August 10 - 16, 2025
Our Brand New Program! This is both foundational and adventurous. Remember, life is a wild adventure, and this program is a great starter to rewild one’s life.

A Portal To The Imaginal - October 2025, South Africa

October 8 - 12, 2025
For those longing to take a step toward the journey of soul initiation, this experiential intensive is both a great place to start and an intentional step toward bringing the enchanting imaginal realms back into one’s daily life.

An Animas Quest in the Cederberg Mountains - October 2025, South Africa

October 13 - 24, 2025
This contemporary enactment of the pancultural vision fast is a dynamic wilderness rite for those seeking greater depth and clarity about life purpose and meaning.

Wild Mind Intensive – November 2025, Australia

November 5 - 9, 2025
Join our nature-based guides in an experiential exploration of our human psyches as unique expressions of the universal forces and patterns of nature.

The Way of Council and the Art of Mirroring – November 2025, Australia

November 10 - 14, 2025
In the mirror of another, our eyes are opened to aspects of both our gifts and our challenges that we might not see otherwise.

Wild Mind Mirror Training – November 2025, Australia

November 15 - 19, 2025
During this training, we practice detecting the greater story that pulses beneath the events of a person’s life.