Michael J. Formica, MS, MA, EdM

Michael J. Formica is a psychologist and teacher who writes and lectures extensively on spirituality, psychology and related disciplines. He attended Columbia University, among others, and, in addition to three advanced degrees in psychology, holds degrees in both theology and philosophy. Michael has had training in the Theraveda and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, and is an Initiate in the Shankya Yoga lineage of H.H. Sri Swami Rama and the Himalayan Masters.

Over the past 25 years, Michael has developed a broad clinical focus that centers on compulsive dependency, addiction and relationships, as well as anxiety, depression and a number of personality disorders. As Director of Clinical Services at Boys and Girls Village Day School, he 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".

In addition to his work as a clinician and educator, Michael has made notable contributions in the areas of conflict resolution, child development and motivational behavior, as well as intelligent media design and cognitive science. He has published more than 200 articles on psychology, healthcare, sociology, cultural anthropology, spirituality and related topics, and his work has been featured in a number of national publications including Psychology Today, Rowing News and the bestselling Baby Boomer Bust: How the Generation of Promise Became the Generation of Panic.

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 Institution. Currently, Michael serves as editorial coordinator for a national non-profit organization that provides educational outreach and support to women affected by breast cancer.

Michael has been a devoted teacher and practitioner of yoga for almost 20 years, in addition to having studied and taught traditional Eastern martial and medicinal arts for more than 30 years.