Eleos was founded by Dr. Erika Czerwinski, a clinical psychologist, ceremonial guide, and expert in integrating therapeutic practices with ceremony and spiritual healing. With over 20 years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, and groups, Dr. Czerwinski holds certifications in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies from MAPS, the Integrative Psychiatric Institute, and the Living Medicine Institute.

Since 2019, she has facilitated Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) for individuals, couples, and groups, with a special focus on physician well-being.

I have been a rural community physician based in Far Northern California since completing my residency in Internal Medicine in 1996. I have been focused on the care of people with serious illness in our community, am also boarded in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and have fully redirected my attention to psychedelic assisted therapies for the last few years. Having experienced compassion fatigue, moral distress, and the all-too-common difficulties that can be fairly referred to as “burnout” throughout my three decades of practice, I am inspired to explore with my colleagues the value of medicine work for healing. My value to others as a healer has been directly proportional to my personal well-being. Two decades of work with traditional and ceremonial group based medicine work have inspired me to integrate that wisdom to inform my work as a physician and to serve my colleagues as they inform their own.

As a family medicine trained emergency medicine physician and owner of a ketamine assisted therapy clinic, Ben is dedicated to bridging the gaps between biomedicine and more holistic perspectives of health, healing, and wellness. After studying anthropology and environmental science, Ben completed a family medicine residency and fellowships in acute care medicine and point-of-care ultrasound. Although primarily working in the emergency department, Ben works in various healthcare settings including the intensive care units, urgent care, and critical access hospitals. He is also an educator and presenter, teaching procedural medicine and ultrasound nationwide and working with the Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Program at Naropa University.

He has completed Ketamine Assisted Therapy training at The Ketamine Training Center, MDMA Assisted Therapy educational training from the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and has earned a certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy from Naropa University. Currently he is a Primary Care Psychiatry fellow at UC Irvine Medical School and is a certification stage student of Hakomi Therapy.

As the owner and medical director of a ketamine-assisted therapy clinic in Ventura, CA, Ben is committed to the safe, intentional, and therapeutic use of ketamine, empowering individuals to explore their inner healing potential. Outside of his professional life, he finds balance through surfing, hiking, cycling, backpacking, yoga, meditation, and playing music.

JJ is a Clinical Mental Health Counseling intern with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, facilitating community collaborations across the country, including disaster response during Hurricane Helene. For the past decade, she has led monthly groups focused on mental and emotional well-being. As a psychotherapist, JJ works with individuals facing anxiety, depression, PTSD, and parental challenges related to anger and burnout. Her research centers on the neurobiology of trauma, the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences, and how trauma influences parenting. Since 2016, they have also supported individuals in psychedelic-assisted healing, witnessing profound transformations.
Originally from San Francisco, JJ moved to the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina in 2015 to live more closely with the land and its natural cycles. They are a devoted parent, bonus parent, partner, and active community member, committed to fostering healing and connection in both personal and professional spaces.