Michael J. Formica

Michael J. Formica is an internationally recognized social scientist, psychotherapist and educator. He attended Columbia University and, in addition to three advanced degrees in Psychology, holds degrees in both Theology and Philosophy.

Michael is the creator of the Integral Life Skills program® and founder of the Integral Life Institute, a center for holistic health and emotional wellness. The mission of the Institute is to provide an adaptive educational forum for personal exploration, self-realization and psychosocial development.

In addition, Michael has also made notable contributions in the areas of child development and motivational behavior, as well as intelligent media design, and cognitive science. He is an acknowledged voice in the areas of Addiction and Dual Diagnosed Addiction, Marriage and Relationships, Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

As Director of Clinical Services at Boys and Girls Village Day School in Milford Connecticut from 1998-2001, Michael helped to develop a multi-tiered clinical model that was an integral part of a larger therapeutic educational program formally cited by the Connecticut Board of Education as "what should be a model for alternative educational programs throughout the state".

Balancing his private practice and pro bono work, Michael's professional experience also includes faculty positions at a number of colleges and Ivy League universities, program consultation to school districts in both Connecticut and New York, and advisory positions with the American Psychological Association, the National Science Foundation, the National Holocaust Museum, and the Smithsonian Institute.

An Initiate in the Shankya Yoga lineage of H.H. Sri Swami Rama and the Himalayan Masters, Michael has been a devoted teacher and practitioner of Yoga for almost 20 years. He has also studied and taught traditional Eastern martial and medicinal arts for more than 30 years, and is a certified Level 2 Reiki practitioner.

His PT blog is Enlightened Living.