About Us

Claire de la Varre, MS, CH

Claire is a consulting hypnotist with a part-time private practice in Chapel Hill and a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists. She is also a full-time graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill, currently working on her Ph.D. dissertation in Educational Psychology. In addition to her studies in education, Claire is n the two-year training program in Redecision Therapy and Transactional Analysis at the Southeast Institute for Marriage and Family Therapy. She has been married to Rene for 21 years and they have two teenage daughters.

Claire says: "I am very excited to be leading this workshop which combines several of my passions. I have been reading tarot cards for almost 30 years and there is always something new to learn. I'm always surprised at the depth of insight and guidance that tarot cards can offer. As an antidote to my studies, I love to create digital artwork, particularly mandalas. The process of creating mandalas is therapeutic, and can tell us a lot about ourselves. I am a member of the Womancraft cooperative of local artists, which has a store in the Eastgate shopping center in Chapel Hill. My work will be featured in Womancraft's Spotlight Gallery for the last two weeks in February so please come in and say hello!"

Peter Metzner, MA, MPA, CLC

Peter incorporates dream work in life and leadership coaching. He also incorporates dreams where he teaches Psychology at Vance-Granville Community College, Leadership and Innovation at Elon University as well as Peace College in Raleigh, NC. He has studied dreams and dream work through organizations and from workshops including the Journey Through Wholeness, Triangle Jung Society, Robert Johnson, Barry Williams, Jeremy Taylor, John Ryan Haule and others. He has written articles on Leadership and Dream work and has given key note Presentations as well as workshops on dreams to organizations such as The National Wellness Institute, The Center For Creative Leadership, and the NC Association of Business Coaches. Prior to creating Dynamic Change, Inc., he has served as Vice President of Client Relations and Program Development for The Leadership Trust and was employed by the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC, where he helped customize executive development and training programs for major businesses and corporations.

Peter studied at the University of Marburg in Germany in conjunction with Widener University, receiving undergraduate degrees in German Literature and Psychology. He earned his MA degree in humanistic psychology from West Georgia University and an MPA from the University of Georgia. He completed coaching training through the Institute of Life Coach Training where he has also facilitated classes on the use of dreamwork in the coaching process

Peter is a certified Peoplemap Trainer and has conducted hundreds of training programs for universities, colleges, schools, non-profits, associations, professional offices, city government, and businesses.

Liz Priestley

I have worked with horses for most of my life. Growing up in England, my earliest memories include rides through our village upon the back of an elderly equine friend. The mystical, healing connection between horse and human has remained at the heart of my work with women seeking to know themselves more deeply and with children who blossom in the presence of the Avalon herd.

As I moved into my mid-thirties I left my hectic career in television. My husband, Peter, and I began a family. Suddenly, we were thrust into the role of caring for my elderly parents as well. A series of crises, including the revelation that our first daughter was born with some challenging learning and motor differences, left my body sick from the stress of my chronic psychic struggle. I had to go through a personal mythic battle and symbolic death before I could breathe into a new consciousness. It was a horse that helped me find my way. As soon as my Arabian mare, Sierra, came into my life she began appearing as the messenger in my dreams. Powerful recurring stories in which Sierra appeared on a nightly basis led me to a Jungian dream analyst, wilderness adventures, vision-quests and energy work. The process of Rebirth is often difficult but my horses remind me in their gentle, empathic way that a fully conscious life rich with meaning and connected to the natural world is the only way I want to live. The presence of horses has also enriched both my children's lives. Many "experts" were convinced that my eldest daughter would be unable, for example, to ever ride a bike. The gentle, empathic wisdom of horses has guided her success. She is now an accomplished equestrian with a deep connection to the natural world. And yes, she can ride a bike and she loves to read.