Dez Nichols

My journey into awareness began long before I stepped into the role of a formal healer.

At just eleven years old, I made a conscious, life-defining choice: I decided until I had a clear calling and direction, that I was going to live a life of happiness and joy. I feel that’s really what we are all here for, to love and be loved.

That early commitment to authenticity became the compass for my life.

It guided me away from the restrictive societal structures that disconnect us from our true selves, and led me toward a path of deep presence, awareness, and the exploration of human sexuality as a divine spark.

In 2002, I followed a vision to blend ancient temple arts with modern personal transformation practices, founding the Sedona Temple and in 2007 , The International School of Temple Arts (ISTA) as a non-profit organization in Sedona, Arizona.

The concept that came to fruition was a revolutionary weeklong training to support relationship professionals, psychotherapist, and sexual healers experience a system of breakthrough that would normally require years of sessions and therapy.

Working alongside gifted collaborators, we refined and shaped a curriculum designed to heal deep-seated wounds and integrate the spiritual with the physical.

Starting out as a training for professionals , in 2010 it became the Spiritual Sexual Shamanic Experience for just about everyone to become an empowered and integrated functional adult.

Over the years, I oversaw the expansion of this work into more than 46 countries, reaching over 10,000 participants.

Through these intensive retreats a global network was created dedicated to breaking through the veil of toxic shame and abuse via embodied love and care.

At the core of my teachings is the understanding that sex is life-force energy. It is not just a physical act; it is happening all the time, in everything, as the universe continues to unfold.

It is how things reproduce - from the most basic physical forms to the most esoteric cosmic states.

To harness this energy, I teach "Emotional Mastery". This is the practice of fully embracing the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our humanity.

By stalking our shadows and bringing awareness to our deepest traumas, we can shatter the illusions that hold us back and step into integrated spirituality.

To make these teachings accessible beyond physical retreats, I have authored and co-authored several books that serve as practical guides for spiritual and sexual liberation.

In 2013, alongside Kamala Devi, I co-authored my seminal text, Sacred Sexual Healing: The SHAMAN Method of Sex Magic.

That same year, I also published Sacred Spot Ritual: Heal and Awaken the G-spot, and Polyamory Roadmap: Negotiate Open Relationship Rules with More Pleasure and Less Heartache.

My work and philosophies have been featured in independent documentaries, such as the Baba Dez Nichols - Mini Biography (2019), and discussed on global platforms including the Love, Sex, and Leadership podcast, Mangu.tv, and 100%-podden.

True authentic leadership requires the courage to evolve, and sometimes, the courage to walk away. In 2016, I officially stepped back from the core leadership team of ISTA to allow the organization to grow, and by 2019, I had ceased facilitating trainings and left the Lead Faculty.

In 2024, I formally and completely departed from the Core ISTA organization. As my path has evolved, I have felt a deep responsibility to stand firmly in my truth and advocate for safety, consent, and integrity within spiritual communities.

Today, I continue my journey as a global networker of loving freedom. I invite you to explore my books, listen to my interviews, and join me in the ongoing, beautiful work of human integration.

I am now forming the Integration School - a vehicle for bringing real education to adults of every age, teaching people how to navigate life in a happier, healthier, more masterful way.

The vision is a school where people learn to integrate the different aspects of their being: coming to know and understand their own inner system, and communicating in ways that cultivate healthier, more nurtured, more fertile relationships.

At its heart, it’s a program of reconnecting to the authentic self - a path home to one’s own core being. My hope is that it becomes an experience so alive that everyone who moves through it feels called to invite others in, until together we shift the consciousness, the awareness, and the skill with which human beings are able to live a full and well life together in peace on this planet.