Ilana Sharaun is the founder of DeepBow Zen Church and a guide in the work of awakening, healing, and authentic connection. Her path brings together decades of meditation practice, clinical experience, and service in places where suffering and transformation meet.

Her early career began in science and innovation, working at MIT Draper Labs on space shuttle navigation systems, followed by studies at Stanford Business School and work in early-stage technology companies. Over time, her focus shifted toward inner life and the question of how people heal, connect, and come into wholeness.

For over 35 years, Ilana has worked as a licensed psychotherapist, supporting individuals, couples, and families in navigating trauma, relationships, and professional development. She has guided individuals and groups in sacred practices that open into direct experience of awareness, compassion, and presence.

She is trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy through CIIS and guides both individuals and groups in sacred ceremony, with a strong emphasis on integration, safety, ethics, and grounded embodiment.

Through DeepBow, Ilana has developed offerings that bring compassionate presence into spaces of isolation, including ongoing work with incarcerated individuals across California prisons. She also guides gatherings focused on end-of-life awareness, creating spaces where people can meet death with openness and truth.

Ilana supports mission-driven organizations such as Zendo Project as a facilitator and strategic advisor, helping individuals and teams move toward clarity, alignment, and deeper relational integrity.