Dr. Rebecca Ann Martin

Beloved Daughter, Sister, Mother, Teacher, Counselor and Friend

Born Rebecca Ann Van Slyke on April 13, 1938, in Flint, Michigan, to parents Dorothy Loreen Burr and Wayne William Van Slyke. Died January 5, 2025 in Sedona, Arizona.

She married Richard Ernest Martin in September 1957 and moved to San Diego, California in late 1958. There they raised 6 children: Christina Marie, Laura Ann, David Richard, Gregory Paul, Matthew Patrick and Susannah Rose. In September 1971, Rebecca & Richard Martin agreed to become legal guardians for the Lieb Family, whose parents had both died tragically. With 6 children of their own, they modified their home to accommodate this other family and helped to raise them. Eventually, the Lieb family grew up and left the Martin’s home and in 1977, Rebecca left as well, having suffered numerous bouts of pneumonia due to exhaustion. In 1979, she had a heart attack and a near death experience where she left her body for 14 minutes.

DANCING CAREER: Rebecca’s mother, Dorothy Van Slyke (Burr), was a dance instructor for Arthur Murray Dance Studios and enrolled Rebecca in Ballet, Tap and other Social Dancing classes. Rebecca was a gifted dancer and performed professionally as a prima ballerina in Michigan prior to her marriage. She later taught ballet in her home in San Diego, California and staged performances for her students.

COUNSELING CAREER: Rebecca received her Doctor of Philosophy, Holistic Psychology, from the University for Humanistic Studies- San Diego, CA. She was a Certified Counselor and Clinical Hypnotherapist and studied numerous healing modalities including Reiki. She was also a Tai Chi Instructor. She worked as a Psychotherapist in California, Oregon and Kentucky. In her 40s, she served as Director of Pain Management at the Moss Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla, CA. She moved to Kentucky in the mid 1980’s and in the early 2000’s she founded Atmaram Ashram in Louisville, Kentucky where she taught and facilitated seminars, workshops, retreats, for academic, business, and medical professionals as well as the general public. She also organized pilgrimages to international "Sacred Sites" in India, Tibet, Nepal, Peru, Ireland and the US.

She authored and developed the psycho-physiological training and certification program known as REGENESIS. As a counselor and teacher, Dr. Martin's philosophy was based on the principles of mindfulness, compassion, and self-mastery. Over her 40+ years of counseling and teaching, she has helped countless people and will be remembered for her compassionate heart, her nurturing spirit and her wise counsel.