I was born in a small town in northern Ontario, grew up in Kingston and moved to Toronto to attend York University in the ’80’s. I never would have guessed I would reside, in Brampton, just outside of such a huge city – life is often like that, we sorta have a plan, yet we never really know where our destination may be.
My outlook on life is generally what I heard behavioural specialist Dr. John DeMartini, say years ago, “Everything is on the way, not in the way.” I tend to think that most of what we experience was not planned by us per-say, but I do believe it is ultimately our choice how we perceive and deal with life’s experiences. That does not mean it is easy – things take time to process and integrate.
I have always been a listener, even at a young age. I come from an era, and family, where the belief was such that children weren’t encouraged to express emotions or share what they were thinking and feeling. That environment gave me the opportunity to create ideas and stories within my own mind and left me with a curiosity regarding ‘Why, and for what reasons, do people think that way?’ which lead me to an interest in psychology and personal growth.
I graduated with an Hons BA in Psychology from York University in 1988. During my final year I had a placement at what was then called, Queen Street Mental Health Hospital, which caused me to question whether I had the constitution for that type of work. I decided to postpone further education and employment in the field for a year while I considered my options. When an opportunity arose to use my artistic ability without formal training, I was delighted. I accepted a job and was pleasantly surprised to realize I could actually earn a living creating designs. That decision lead me to entrepreneurship and a life path distant, yet entwined with my desire to utilize my listening and creative therapeutic instincts and skills.
I spent thirty years as a business owner and serial entrepreneur – a graphic artist, self-defense instructor, real estate investor, coach. speaker, author, referee etc. (see www.debmaybury.com if you would like to read more about that journey including my compilation book Unlock The Door – Beyond Sexual Abuse (UTD), cycling across Canada in the Nation Kids Cancer Ride, my Vulnerable Places music, etc). I certainly have had a busy-full life with a wide spectrum of experiences.
Over the years I pursued many areas of personal growth which led me across Canada, the United States and into Asia. While searching for more meaning in life, I was very fortunate to stumble across many interesting practices and knowledgeable teachers. I was blessed to experience unique ancient healing methods such as sweat lodges, trance dances, rebirthing and shamanic breathing techniques. All of these weave within my current psychotherapy and coaching business.
In 2012 while writing UTD a friend suggested I go to The Gatehouse (where adults go to process their childhood sexual abuse experiences) and interview the founder, Arthur Lockhart. Shortly thereafter, I became a volunteer facilitator. This ultimately lead me back to my original professional aspiration to become a psychotherapist.
After three and a half years of facilitating groups at The Gatehouse, I knew I was being called to hold space with people on their healing journeys. I began researching where to go back to school to become a registered psychotherapist and begin my second go-round of formal education. After considering a Masters program in counselling, I chose to attend The Transformational Arts College (TAC) for a more experiential in-person education – one representing my fundamental spiritual belief that you cannot separate the mind-thoughts from the body-response, from the person’s soul. In 2015, I enrolled in the Spiritual Psychotherapy program and graduated in 2018 thirty years after graduating from York University! Shortly afterward, I was hired by TAC to join the faculty part-time. I am a Registered Psychotherapist with CRPO – due to Covid my private practice, including group therapy, is currently all on-line.