Robert grew up in rural Utah on a farm. He earned a Juris Doctor, an M.B.A., an M.S and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Utah. He is also a licensed C.P.A. After a career in business Robert was drawn to teaching. He taught finance at the University of Utah and University of Oregon. As the result of a life changing event Robert began an exploration of spirituality that led him to study shamanism and transpersonal psychology. Robert earned an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from Naropa University and a Ph.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, now Sofia University.
He formerly served as the Chair of Transpersonal Studies at Sofia University, stepping down from that role and retiring in the Fall of 2025. He now is an adjunct faculty member within the psychology program. Robert and his wife, Nora, have been married for 52 years. They have six children and 11 grandchildren.
University Email: robert.wood@sofia.edu
Program: MATP, GPHD, PHDC
Research & Training Interests:
Archetypes, Hero’s Journey, Ecopsychology
Education:
- D. Psychology (Concentration in Transpersonal Psychology) – Sofia University (formerly ITP)
- D. – University of Utah
- A. Transpersonal Psychology – Naropa University MBA – University of Utah
- S. Economics – University of Utah
- A. Economics – University of Utah
Educational Research:
Ph.D. Psychology – Dissertation: Psycho-Spiritual Transformation Experienced by Participants of Modern Wilderness Rites of Passage Quests: An Intuitive Inquiry
M.S. Economics – Thesis: The Impact of Capitalism on Individual Self-Actualization
Licensures & Certifications:
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Publication:
Wood, R. (2007). The archetypal experience of a modern vision quest. East Coast Sandplay Journal, 8(1), 1–9.
Research & Training Interests:
Ecopsychology, transformation through nature, vision quest, shamanism, archetypal psychology, and psychospiritual transformation, intuitive inquiry, and quantitative psychological research.
