Dr. William Berk
HI friends! I am an ER doctor, assistant professor of medicine, psychedelic researcher and guide, sound meditation and breathwork facilitator, and spiritual seeker. I’m fascinated by the intersection of community, joy, applied practice and altered states of consciousness as a healing force. In my work, I combine meditative, holistic and scientifically-backed elements and practices to bring forth states of deep resonant connection to the collective human experience.
Affiliations
Dr. William Berk is:
A provider at Nautilus Sanctuary, a New York City-based non-profit center for research, practice and training in psychedelic-assisted therapy
The programing director for The Center for Enlightenment Arts (“CEA”), a Brooklyn, New York, based spirituality sanctuary that hosts transformative experiences in technology, art and mindfulness
An assistant professor and clinical instructor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NYC and has worked for 8 years as an ER doctor in NYC
If you’re interested in working together, please click here.
I do one day retreats, 4 day retreats, 1:1 work and private groups.
I am also taking referrals from mental health providers. If you have a patient you’d like to refer for treatment click.
About my journey
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I was raised as a buddhist and have a longstanding meditation practice. This belief system and routine carried me through to my current career as an overnight ER doctor and assistant professor in Lower Manhattan. Over time, meditation and mindfulness have centered my medical practice in empathy, joy and presence, and I’ve always been interested in combining these two worlds. In 2020, I was exposed to a form of meditation using sound as the focus. I was captivated by how the harmonic tones from singing bowls, gongs, and a cadre of other instruments could be powerfully utilized to reach a deep meditative state. With the help of numerous teachers, I incorporated my own practices of breathwork, visualization, and loving kindness into a unique approach to meditation that I’m so excited to share.
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When COVID came, it took a massive toll on both my patients and my coworkers. I found that after all we’d been through, loving compassion was becoming harder and harder to access and burnout was rampant. I started facilitating small meditations with my residents, nurses, and staff with profoundly positive effect. With the help of the instruments and focused meditation techniques, people who had never meditated before found they could quiet their minds and drop into a mindful state with ease. I witnessed firsthand that when stress melts away, people's inherent goodness is allowed to shine through - causing ripples of goodness in difficult environments. In doing this work I deepened my connection to my role as a caregiver and teacher, both in and out of the hospital.
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My excitement in sharing this work has opened exciting new doors for me as well. I was hired by my hospital system as a wellness consultant to do loving, kindness, and resilience meditations for the staff as a form of burn out prevention. Additionally, I facilitate meditations at health and social clubs in NYC and have a practice guiding small group sessions in my Brooklyn studio. It has been amazing, rewarding work and I feel much closer to my role as a caregiver by helping people connect to their own source of self love and inherent compassion.