Our Approach
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
At AnnapurnaBlue, we understand the deep connection between mind and body. When the mind is caught in cycles of intense negative emotion—anger, fear, confusion, or self-doubt—it disrupts not only our emotional balance but also our physical health. These emotional patterns affect five major areas of life: family and relationships, career and work performance, finances, home environment, and overall well-being.
If we learn to recognize and transform our reactions to these powerful emotions, we can calm the mind, restore inner peace, and improve our mental, physical, and spiritual health.
At AnnapurnaBlue, this is our work. We help you identify the hidden and obvious emotional triggers that are negatively impacting your life. Then, through time-tested tools and compassionate guidance, we teach you how to shift those emotions into a place of calm, clarity, and strength.
This transformation allows you to rebuild a healthy mind, body, and spirit—one that can respond to life with resilience, balance, and purpose. As your own well-being improves, you also become a source of healing and inspiration to those around you: your family, friends, co-workers, and community.
Blending East and West
Our team is at the heart of what makes AnnapurnaBlue so unique. With more than 30 years of combined experience in Western medicine and over 20 years of deep engagement in Eastern healing and Tibetan spiritual traditions, our approach blends the best of both worlds. We don’t just treat symptoms—we help you build a foundation of functional well-being from the inside out.
Our programs are designed for people of all ages and backgrounds, and our focus is on practical, lasting transformation. We provide the tools to manage negativity, maintain emotional balance, sharpen mental clarity, and sustain resilience in the face of life’s many challenges.
We also recognize that many people today are not just dealing with daily stressors—they are living with unresolved trauma. Whether from a serious illness, grief, or personal upheaval, these life interruptions can leave a lasting impact on emotional and physical health. That’s why our work also supports those healing from medical PTSD and other deep wounds, helping them recover a sense of wholeness, strength, and vitality.
Our workshops and retreats are thoughtfully structured to support this healing journey. By weaving together ancient Tibetan practices, modern therapeutic techniques, and deep inner exploration, we guide our students toward a grounded and empowered life—one filled with peace, clarity, and meaningful purpose.
Our Story
AnnapurnaBlue's founders, met during a healing retreat years ago. Both had extensive studies in healing with Eastern culture and Western modalities. They delved deeply into the healing and meditation practices of an 18,000-year-old Tibetan spiritual tradition, Yungdrung Bon, gaining profound insights from Bon Geshes and monks.
Motivated by their shared vision, they decided to create a health and wellness center to be of service to others. Their research journey took them to Nepal, where they sought guidance from Tibetan Geshes on the practices of healing.
During this trip to Nepal, they felt a strong sense of facing fears and healing through overcoming their fears. They took the trip to Annapurna Base Camp. For Deborah, with all her many adventures, she never felt such a peaceful and humbling experience. She knew then Annapurna would be her paradigm for accepting and overcoming challenges in life
Thus, AnnapurnaBlue Health and Wellness was created, to bring the healing wisdom from both cultures. To help people all around the world realize they can make changes in their lives, face and remove obstacles, live a more balanced life, and thereby find peace, harmony and a balanced wellbeing.
Besides our founder of AnnapurnaBlue, we are humbled to have several professionals join some of our wellness retreats to be able to offer our guests even more wellness tools to help nurture their lives.
Retreat Specialists
Guest Specialists
.jpg)
Dr. Deborah M
Co-Founder, Therapist, Educator
Deborah’s mission in life is to help others thrive! A retired nurse, a Doctor of Psychotherapy, somatic healing and Eastern healing modalities, Deborah brings a powerful, unique skill set to AnnapurnaBlue Health and Wellness, grounded in evidence-based and trauma-informed methods.
Deborah helps clients work with toxic emotional issues that cause internal damage as well as harming relationships with others, in their relationships as well as their personal, family and business lives.
Often we are unaware of these toxic emotional traits. The journey begins with Deborah aiding clients in developing the necessary self-awareness to identify and work with these internal emotional issues.
Deborah creates a gentle, compassionate, supportive space and guides her clients back to emotional wholeness and health.
Deborah also has a background in business wellness, through which she works with entrepreneurs to establish workplace programs that increase compassion, interpersonal relations and wellness within a business environment, improving both the workspace environment and the work outcomes.
Deborah has created a unique program to bring together her knowledge and skills. She offers those who join her a gentle and welcoming environment where they can be seen, held, and supported as they navigate their chosen paths to self-awareness and wellness.
Because you deserve to thrive, Deborah and AnnapurnaBlue’s team will enable you to overcome past constraints and develop a better system for each area of your life.
She is also considered the life of the party. She makes sure everyone attending an AnnapurnaBlue retreat have the best time, as many people are not able to get away a lot.
She is serious, fun, enjoyable. Her wealth of knowledge in the well-being healing is powerful and effective.
Dr. Bernadette C
Dr. Bernadette Clevenger is a board-certified family physician with a holistic approach to her practice of medicine. She has over 30 years of experience and is known for blending science and ancient wisdom to guide others toward true healing. Specializing in functional medicine, mind-body wellness, and women’s health, she integrates allopathic and complementary approaches to uncover root causes and restore balance.
Certified by the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and HeartMath, she strengthens the profound connection between mind and body in her patients. Her deep passion for natural healing is reflected in her certification as a stone medicine practitioner from the Upper Clarity School of Stone Medicine, weaving Earth-based healing into her medical practice.
Bernadette’s commitment to holistic wellness is enriched by her studies in yoga, Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine, and her decade-long devotion to Tibetan Bön spirituality under the guidance of Latri Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche. She empowers women to navigate life transitions with vitality, wisdom, and compassionate care, crafting individualized care plans that nurture the whole person – mind, body, and spirit.
Susan Burnhardt
Even after more than a decade of practicing Tibetan Cranial Therapy, Susan Bernhardt continues to feel awe and gratitude for the opportunity to offer this profound healing art and other holistic therapies to those in need. Raised in suburban New Jersey, Susan's early exposure to health relied solely on modern Western medicine, with little awareness of holistic options or spiritual practices. Her career path initially led her to law, focusing on business-related disputes, but her journey took a transformative turn when her mother’s cancer diagnosis introduced her to complementary and natural healing modalities.
Susan's holistic healing journey began unexpectedly at a yoga class she joined out of curiosity. What started as a physical practice evolved into a deep exploration of classical yoga, Ayurveda, and spiritual thought. Her training in Ayurveda introduced her to marma therapy, where she met Shar Lee, who shared the transformative power of Tibetan Cranial Therapy. Witnessing the incredible results—such as a life-changing recovery for a lawyer with a traumatic brain injury—motivated Susan to commit to Tibetan Cranial training in 2012, completing her apprenticeship in 2014.
Susan is not only a Tibetan Cranial practitioner but also a seasoned expert in holistic healing. She is Board-Certified by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA), a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), a Reiki Master Teacher, and a certified Spinal Flow practitioner. Susan’s diverse expertise reflects her dedication to treating the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—through natural methods that harness the body’s innate healing abilities.
Among the many modalities she practices, Tibetan Cranial Therapy holds a special place in Susan’s heart. She describes it as uniquely transformative, capable of addressing conditions such as concussions, migraines, TMJ dysfunction, and traumatic brain injuries. Beyond its remarkable physical results, Susan values the spiritual component of Tibetan Cranial Therapy, which centers on compassion and meditative prayer during each session. This spiritual focus has not only enhanced her practice but also facilitated her personal evolution from a trial lawyer to a healer.
Susan’s connection to Tibetan Cranial’s Bön roots has deepened through her studies with Latri Khenpo Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche, a senior monk at Menri Monastery and the Spiritual Director of Yeru Bön Center. She is honored to teach Tibetan Cranial work, blending her love for teaching with her passion for healing. As a former President of the Tibetan Cranial Association and an active contributor to its mission, Susan remains committed to preserving and spreading this ancient healing art. For Susan, Tibetan Cranial Therapy represents a powerful intersection of compassion, spirituality, and holistic healing—a gift she is humbled to share with others.
Raven Lee
Dr. B. Raven Lee is a multifaceted healer and spiritual teacher who blends traditional psychological practices with ancient wisdom traditions. Based in Pasadena, CA, she is a transpersonal psychotherapist, shamanic healer, meditation teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, and senior teacher in The Three Doors, a contemplative organization rooted in Tibetan Bon Buddhism.
Her work focuses on mind-body integration, trauma healing, soul fragmentation, and spiritual awakening. With a strong foundation in both science and spirituality, Dr. Lee brings a holistic approach to healing through modalities such as:
-
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
-
Energy Psychology
-
Clinical Hypnotherapy
-
Reiki and Shakti Reiki (a system she founded)
-
Shamanic practices and mysticism
As the founder of Integrative Wisdom Path, Shakti Reiki, and Way of Mystic Shamanism, she offers teachings and workshops globally, guiding others in spiritual growth and healing.
Dr. Lee is also the author of the book Unbinding the Soul: Awakening Through Crisis and Compassion, which explores personal transformation through trauma and spiritual crisis, offering insights into how awakening can emerge from deep suffering.