ABOUT ME

Like most of us, I lived 'on autopilot' for most of my life. I had an idea of what the future was supposed to look like and didn't dare ask questions or stray from the course that was charted for me. At a certain point, this life on autopilot was physically not possible anymore: a neurological disorder called dystonia had taken away more and more of the items on the menu of daily life. First running, then walking, then chewing, then talking... and so on. 

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In retrospect, the years I spent mostly in bed, suffering intensely, were the years that allowed me to transform and grow the most. Forced to watch the show of my own pain, emotions and thoughts, I developed the freedom that comes from realizing that these phenomena that appear in our consciousness are not the full extent of who we are. I witnessed up close that our true nature a vast, compassionate presence that can hold the totality of our experience with love. What's more, when we connect to this loving presence, we are able to see the patterns that keep us stuck in pain and dysfunction, and choose different ones instead. Not from a place of self-discipline, but from one of self-compassion. 

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This approach, in a nutshell, is how I rewired my nervous system away from spasms and got my life back. I now share this method on my other website at www.hopefordystonia.com.

Here at federicopetrelli.com, I help others come home to the compassionate presence that is the essence of who we are. As we awaken to our true nature, we gain the freedom to create the growth and change we are looking for; we can turn the mud of our suffering into the lotus of a life lived fully and authentically. Rather than on autopilot, we live out of full coherence and alignment with our values; rather than escaping pain, we learn from it and transform it; rather than distracting ourselves, we meet our challenges with compassion. 

I owe much of what I shared to fantastic teachers, among them Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, who certified me as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, and John Churchill, with whom I am currently apprenticing.

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In the past, I have worked to provide tens of thousands of whole food, plant-based meals to help individuals reverse type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I have also worked at the United Nations advising the Permanent Mission of Israel. I hold a B.A. from Reichman University in Israel, an M.Sc. from Georgetown University in the United States, and a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell. I speak English, Italian, Hebrew, French, Spanish and Arabic... and I'm working on my Mandarin Chinese (using the traditional characters used in Taiwan, of course!).

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I consider myself privileged to be able to share this work with you, and look forward to connecting.