Who We Are
Our Story of Shared Visions
The Institute of Holistic Transformation was born through a cocreative process of deep alignment with the mystery of life.
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In 2007 Marina and Samuel began an expansive journey of exploring the essence of the human being. Through the creative interplay of their spiritual unfolding they felt a clear calling to open a school and center for healing and awakening.
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The Institute of Holistic Transformation is a fruit of their shared vision, professional collaboration, and intimate partnership.
Meet Samuel & Marina
Samuel is a professor of clinical psychology and consciousness studies. He teaches graduate courses and has a private practice in holistic counseling.
The core of his vision is founded upon a holistic understanding of human health that is grounded in the rhythms of nature and the wisdom of the body. A fifth generation Californian who divides his time between California and Spain, he leads courses and seminars in holistic sexuality and transformative education. Becoming a father and homeschooling his two sons, enriches his vision and path on the holistic character of human nature.
He is committed to participating in a renewal of culture through a decolonial praxis that facilitates vibrant health by working with all of who we are as human beings, our lights and shadows, our wholeness and our brokenness, inviting the wisdom of body, vital, heart, mind, and spirit.
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Marina has spent 30 years leading courses in embodiment, sexuality and spiritual transformation, as well as guiding couples and individuals through processes of healing and personal growth. She co-created the work and vision of Holistic Transformation, an integral approach to psycho-spiritual embodied growth and healing that works experientially with the body, sexuality, heart, mind, spirit, and nature. She is the author of many articles and book chapters on transpersonal sexuality, psychospiritual embodied development, and human nature as a holistic experience, as well as co-author of the book, Nacidos de la Tierra: Sexualidad, Origen del Ser Humano (Born of Earth: Sexuality, the Origin of Human Beings).
Originally a passionate student of physics she shifted her attention to exploring the mysteries of human nature and has been leading encounters in Holistic Transformation and Transpersonal and Transcendent Sexuality in Spain since 1987, in California since 2000, and in other countries since 2002. Born in Catalunya, Spain, Marina divides her time between California and Spain. By becoming a mother and deciding to homeschool her two sons, her understanding of our holistic nature as humans is reaching a new level of maturity.
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BackGround & Origins
Holistic Transformation is a vision of human nature that originated in Barcelona, Spain through the collaboration of Ramon V. Alabareda and Marina T. Romero. In 1974 Ramon founded Estel: Centre de Creixement Personal I Escola d’Estudis Integrals (Estel: Center of Personal Growth and School of Integral Studies), which was one of the first humanistic and transpersonal schools of psychology in Europe. Ramon, a psychologist, sexologist, and theologian, was developing a unique vision of human nature based on his work with clients. That vision was realized when Marina, originally a therapist in training at Estel, joined him as codirector in 1988. Since that time the vision and practice of Holistic Transformation has been taught in many countries around the world making its way from Spain to Israel, Peru, Russia, China, Finland, and the United States. It has been applied by psychological practitioners as well as in public workshops, academic conferences, clinical training, religious organizations, primary education, and graduate courses.
In 2006 Samuel Malkemus began working with Marina and Ramon, undergoing an intensive training and certification process in Holistic Transformation. Around that time, Marina left Estel. Later on Samuel and Marina began to evolve the work and gave it the name Holistic Transformation. In 2012 they founded the Institute of Holistic Transformation, in Berkeley CA. This web page is a fruit of their shared vision.