About

A Calling Rooted in Lived Experience

I’m Rob Patton, the heart behind Heart Man Healing Arts.

My vocation emerged from my own journey of healing shame, unworthiness, and disconnection. There was a time when parts of my heart felt hidden or dimmed — and it was through the steady presence of trusted companions that I began reclaiming those places within myself.

Because of this, I do not approach this work from a distance. I have walked through grief. I have wrestled with doubt. I have known the vulnerability of being seen in the midst of shame — and the relief of being met without someone turning away.

That lived experience shaped not only my healing, but my commitment to stand with others in theirs.

Formation and Training

My path weaves together clinical formation, contemplative practice, and sacred traditions of healing and ritual.

Clinical Chaplaincy Formation

  • Master of Divinity (MDiv), Naropa University, with a Concentration in Contemplative Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care

  • Clinical Pastoral Education, Oregon State Hospital Residency, and Naropa Campus Chaplain

  • Hospice Chaplaincy

  • Training in spiritual assessment, grief care, trauma-informed support, and end-of-life accompaniment

Years of chaplaincy work formed my capacity to remain steady in the presence of suffering, complexity, and profound transition.

Contemplative Foundations

My work is rooted in contemplative practice and the belief in basic human goodness.

  • Study of Buddhist teachings on compassion and inherent worth

  • Engagement with Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects

  • Longstanding meditation and self-compassion practice

These foundations shape my approach: healing is not about fixing what is broken, but remembering what is already whole.

Shamanic & Energetic Practice

  • Initiated in the Hungarian Baksa shamanic tradition

  • Practitioner in the Usui Shiki Ryoho system of Reiki

These foundations deepen my capacity to hold ritual space and listen intuitively to the subtle dimensions of experience — always grounded in consent, ethics, and relational clarity.

Ongoing Commitment

My work continues to evolve through supervision, personal practice, and the wisdom of those I accompany.

Each encounter reminds me of the resilience of the human heart — and the courage it takes to be truly seen.

It is an honor to walk alongside you.