Dr. Iris M. Steine
Therapy and support for UAP-related experiences and questions, in San Francisco and online across California
A safe, non-pathologizing space to talk about UAP, whether you have had experiences of your own, or have come across information that has raised questions for you.
What brings people here
Perhaps you have seen or experienced something that does not fit anything you believed was possible. You may go back and forth between doubting it and knowing it happened. It may have been stressful or awe-inspiring, or both. It may have shaken you, changed how you see the world, or been one of the most meaningful things in your life.
What comes afterwards can be harder than the experience itself: the questions it leaves you with, and not being able to speak about it openly, because the subject has not yet lost its stigma.
Perhaps you have had no experience of your own, but have followed what has come to light in recent years about UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena, the term now used in place of UFO, to reduce the stigma around the subject and to cover aspects of the phenomena that are not limited to objects in the sky). What you have read and heard, through official reports, the US government document releases, one of the recent official US congress hearings, and the media, may have raised questions about the world as you knew it, and about our place in it. Or perhaps you have known about this for a long time through your work, and have never been free to talk about what that has been like for you. Whatever your situation, you do not have to carry it alone.
Awe and expansion
Some are left with wonder, a sense of meaning, or an expanded sense of themselves and of reality. Awe and fear can go together, sometimes in the same moment.
Isolation and secrecy
Some tell no one, for fear of being laughed at, not believed, or treated as if something is wrong with them. Others are not free to. Either way, it can leave you alone with it.
Revising your worldview
An experience like this, or learning about it, can widen your view of the world and of what is possible. When assumptions you never questioned give way (sometimes called ontological shock), it can be unsettling, awe-inspiring, or both at once.
Stress or unresolved trauma
Some feel afraid or on edge long afterwards, sleep badly, or find that it keeps coming back to them. What happened may never have been worked through, and it can take time to feel steady again.
How UAP experiences can affect you
Changes in relationships
Some find that the people closest to them do not know what to do with it, or do not want to hear it. Relationships can grow distant, while new ones form with people who understand.
Shifting values and priorities
Some describe lasting changes in what matters to them: how they spend their time, what they care about, their sense of purpose, and how connected they feel to others and to the world around them.
Talking it through together
No one fully understands these phenomena yet, and that calls for humility. I do not assume that an unusual experience means something is wrong with you. I will not tell you what your experience was or was not, or push an explanatory framework on you.
Wherever you are starting from, this is a place where you can bring your experiences, thoughts, and emotions, and talk about them with someone who listens and takes them seriously. You decide what you share, and when.
What people want to work on differs a great deal. For some it is fear, or stress or trauma that has not been resolved. For others it is the ontological shock of facing information, or an experience, that does not fit their understanding of the world or of themselves. For others still, it is a feeling of expansion, new perspectives, or the questions it raised. Often it is several of these at once, or one after another, as time goes on.
Some people come having never said any of this to anyone, sometimes decades after the fact. Others have lived with it for years, largely made their peace with it, and still want to think it through with someone.
Here, you can talk about UAP without being dismissed or pathologized.
Therapy with me is about you: how you are doing, and what all of this means for your life.
Finding the
right fit
Finding the right therapist is a personal decision, and a sense of fit matters. If something in my background or way of working resonates with you, you are warmly welcome to reach out. You can book a session directly, or start with a free 15-minute consultation to see how it feels.
I offer online therapy across California and in-person therapy in downtown San Francisco. If you live in the Bay Area, you are welcome to meet in person or online. If you live outside California, I am not able to offer therapy, but I can offer supportive conversations about UAP-related experiences and questions, separate from therapy. Sessions are $220 per hour, and low-fee options are available at $170. Insurance is not accepted, but I can provide a bill that you can send to your insurer to see if it can be covered.
Get in touch
Whether you have had experiences of your own, have come across information that raised questions for you, or have known about this for a long time and never been able to talk about it, you are welcome to reach out. You can book a session directly, or start with a free 15-minute consultation.
You can use the form, send an email, or leave a voicemail.
Email: drirismsteine@gmail.com
Phone: +1 510-545-3111
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Dr. Iris M. Steine
Registered Psychological Associate, registration 94029954
Supervised by Dr. Cheryl Tien, licensed clinical psychologist, PSY 36121
Insurance is not accepted.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
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