with Andrew Tootell
Dr. Andrew Sono Tootell draws on personal reflections from his work as a Zen teacher and psychotherapist, alongside Lou Nordstrom’s Memoirs of an American Zen Pioneer (2023), to explore the mutual benefits of integrating Zen Buddhism with relational psychotherapy. Nordstrom’s story serves as a cautionary tale, showing that even profound experiences of “kensho” within the Rinzai tradition may not address unresolved relational trauma. In contrast, Andrew highlights how the Soto Zen practice of ‘just sitting,’ when held within a therapeutic relationship that offers empathic recognition of disowned parts of the self, can be deeply transformative for both therapist and client.
Dr. Andrew Sono Tootell is a Zen teacher in the Ordinary Mind Zen School lineage, founded by Joko Beck. He is the dharma heir of Dr. Barry Magid of the Ordinary Mind Zendo in New York, and continues Barry’s project of integrating psychologically attuned Zen practice with relational psychotherapy. With over 30 years of experience as a mental health social worker across child, adolescent, and adult services, Andrew now works full-time in his telehealth private practice from Berry, NSW. He is also the founder of the OzZEN Sangha (2015): https://ordinarymind.com.au/
Date / Time: Wednesday, 2 July, 2025, 7:00-8:30pm AEST
Where: Online (Zoom link shared with attendees after booking)
Book here: https://www.trybooking.com/DBMNW
