Born on the spectrum, I have always had a curiosity for learning about the universe. I tend to see and think of details no one deems relevant.
My 6th grade teacher told my parents I sounded like a “garggling fish”, and that I was either “a genius or intellectually delayed.” I have been repeatedly judged by these misleading labels my whole life….by peers and mentors, from elementary school all the way through my graduate programs.
As a child, I would over analyze every touch or hug, what it meant, and what the other person was thinking.
Driven by a curiosity of how the world works, I’ve taken over 150 upper division undergraduate courses in bioengineering, physics, astrology, biology, organic chemistry, material science, kinesiology, and data science….plus all the overlapping required lower division courses. My tutoring sessions with my mentors were often filled with discussions of metaphysics, instead of concepts that would help me on tomorrow’s tests.
Often working with patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, I have found a passion in helping those who are often forgotten and neglected—always willing to dive into the details that otherwise are overlooked.
It is in a patient’s ongoing determination through constant painful therapy that I have seen the best parts of our collective human spirit. To people who have a disability, healing represents a dramatically increased standard of living. When positive results are achieved, I see real happiness and joy. Over the course of my life, experiencing these rare moments is what I have found to fill me with meaning and purpose. It took me a while but I found it.
My story is not unique. It’s amazing what we can achieve if we just look deeper, spend more time, and pay more attention to what might actually work instead of treating people like another number or pay check.
My excessive curiosity has directly affected how truHugs developed, even at the cost of its survival. I’m lost exploring hemp fields, textile flea markets, and industrial factories in foreign lands. I’ve spent endless nights in my AirBnB researching every factor that could affect your comfort, constantly consulting university professors over Skype. I fear I am in a rabbit hole, now obsessed about things like how natural fibers curl in space within a thread and trap your body heat…increasing the warmth provided by the threads themselves over time.
Our sphere of influence is small, but even if we just help one person sleep better…that person may go on to help the world. truHugs is a gift from our hearts to yours.
Science has become rigid which is not helpful when developing interventions for transdiagnostic disorders. I help bridge the gap between the disciplines of mental health and physical health when dissecting weighted blanket research for truHugs. I earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and an MD; I trained in Anatomical Pathology at UCLA and am currently a professor at several colleges in the Los Angeles area.
With so much misinformation out there on weighted blankets, it has become my mission to aid in the dissection of weighted blanket research and disseminate the findings on whether weighted blankets work. I have worked with a wide range of clients since obtaining my master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and am passionate about alleviating symptoms of psychopathology holistically. Currently, along with researching weighted blankets for truhugs , I am pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, where I hope to further the progressions of mental health treatment, especially in underserved areas of the world.
I love people and I am here to ensure you are served properly. If you need a shipping label for a return, please let me know!
TruHugs is thankful to Solitude, a special group of people who helped us simplify our ideas to the world