David G. Benner once said, “Only suffering and struggle, and all the dark experiences that come with them, will grow a soul big enough to hold out life,” and this is an apt description of the path taken by Devi Ward Erickson.
A world-renowned and certified Tantra sexual healer, Devi is also a Board Certified clinical sexologist and the founder of the first-ever government-accredited Institute for Authentic Tantra Education (IATE). She has helped many people heal from their traumas through lineage-based sexual healing methods. However, not many people know that she comes from a legacy of trauma, or, as she puts it, “I’m lucky to even be alive.” It is perhaps her personal struggles with trauma that inspired her to choose this path of helping others in their quest for healing and inner peace.
In 1974, barely five years after interracial marriage became legal in the United States, Devi Ward was born to a mixed-race American couple. Her parents had to take a gamble when they married because of the cultural differences between them (her father is African American, and her mother is Eastern European). During her childhood, Devi endured racial, emotional, and physical violence. She also fell victim to sexual abuse at a very young age. These terrible events contributed to a lifetime of untreated depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).
From her early teens into her twenties, she struggled with both passive and active suicidal thoughts. This pattern continued until she realized how much she wanted to LIVE and be freed from the pain and suffering. Around this time, Devi Ward ended her career as a stripper in Detroit, Michigan. Determined to break free of the chains of trauma-induced self-defeat, she started her journey toward healing and self-reclamation.
She dedicated herself to learning about various “New Age” practices that were gaining popularity in North America, such as Reiki, massage, reflexology, and others. Her search took her from Hawaii to Sandpoint, Idaho, and other places, before she finally found solace as an Ishaya monk at age 24. This experience profoundly affected her life.
Nine years later, working in Hawaii, Devi Ward encountered Tantra for the first time. She was introduced to the Tibetan Buddhist 5 Element Tantric healing techniques, which transformed her life from the inside out. She was trained in the sexual and non-sexual application of these ancient healing methods under the guidance of Lama Tashi Dundrup of Shangpa and Karma Kagyu lineages. She took formal refuge in the lineage and received her spiritual name, “Palden Llhamo,” which means Glorious Goddess. She began her intensive 5-year training in Tibetan Tantric shamanic healing methods. Through this practice, she learned to channel her sexual energy into spiritual awakening. Soon, Devi Ward Erickson was certified in Tantric healing and became a world-renowned practitioner.
Since then, Devi has dedicated her life to helping people heal from their traumas and find inner peace. She founded the IATE, which offers the only Master’s Degree in Tantra and the only government-accredited Tantra training program in the world. Devi has developed numerous Tantric healing courses designed to empower individuals to discover their own potential for positive change through Tantra and sexual healing.
Devi Ward Erickson is a living example of how it is possible to turn trauma into strength and suffering into inner peace. She has helped thousands of people through her life-changing approach to Tantric healing and continues to share her inspiring journey with the world in hopes that it will inspire others struggling with trauma.
If you are looking for ethical tantric healing methods, visit the Institute of Authentic Tantra Education and begin your journey toward healing and spirituality.
