About Me
“Crossing borders has been a recurring theme of my life.”
Deb describes herself as a life-long border-crosser when it comes to culture, language, religion, ethnicity, and worldview. From the physical borders of US/Mexico or Palestine/Israel, to the spiritual “borders” of different religious traditions, to the lines we create in the sand with our personal biases, ingrained racism, or personal traumatic experiences, Deb has a long history of bridging the gap between people and creating connections based in compassion and peace. She’s endlessly fascinated by the process of transformation that allows life to renew itself.
In private practice, Deb offers soul work and continues to explore the field of collective trauma healing. Having been part of a multi-faith delegation to Palestine – Israel in the fall of 2024, she is increasingly drawn to the work of peace, relationship, repair, and reconciliation.
Deb Hansen is a first-time author. Borderlands: Stories from an El Paso Shelter is a memoir of her first three winters volunteering at the U.S./Mexico border. She recently completed her fifth winter offering hospitality and practical support to people seeking refuge from violence, poverty, and political and climate instability.
“I would call myself religiously fluid, because I feel at home in a number of wisdom traditions and am committed to building bridges of friendship and understanding between traditions.”
Deb’s path has had a number of purposeful twists and turns. She imagined herself teaching French in higher education, but instead, did creative work with IBM for many years in marketing and communications that included a stint in Paris at IBM’s Headquarters for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. After leaving the business world, her path eventually led to a creative Interfaith seminary and hospital chaplaincy/spiritual care in Detroit, where her work with people deepened and she found more spiritual grounding and community. As a hospice volunteer, she’s offered Reiki and spiritual guidance to patients and family members. She’s offered soul work remotely and in person for many years.
She has a deep connection to the land and waters of the Great Lakes Region, and to the people who call them home. In mid-life, she became more involved in the African American and activist communities in Detroit, as well as the communities of Indigenous peoples in what we now call Michigan. She has a strong connection to the seasons and cycles of life in northern Michigan where she spends half the year before returning to El Paso, Texas for her seasonal work at the border.
