As a clinical psychologist, I’m interested in helping people transform mental health challenges into personal growth. I’m also interested in promoting optimistic and effective approaches in mental health care. For both ends, I believe we need to consider not only body and mind, but also a soul dimension in life. I have found that experiencing and making sense of synchronicity can be a powerful way of tapping into a soul dimension, which can help people navigate through challenges toward a meaningful and rewarding life path. I think it’s unfortunate that mainstream mental health approaches largely ignore the transformative potential of such transpersonal or mystical experiences. I delight in meeting with other Coincidence Ambassadors who encourage the widespread sharing of synchronicity stories. I believe this will help to reduce stigma around mystical experience and to differentiate potentially meaningful transpersonal experience from psychosis or superstition, with which it is often confused.
BIO: Chris Mackey is a clinical and counselling psychologist and Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society with over 40 years’ psychotherapy experience gained in public and private mental health settings. He is the Principal Psychologist at Chris Mackey and Associates in Geelong.
Chris has presented at numerous national and international scientific conferences over the past 25 years on such topics as psychological therapy for anxiety, depression, and trauma reactions and drawing on synchronicity in psychotherapy. Chris was awarded the 2019 Australian Allied Health Impact Award for his clinical research, supervision of colleagues, media involvement and writing.