Dr. Swan Dao is the founder of the Institute of Devotional Arts, dedicated to designing, learning, and healing experiences through the expressive arts.

Swan studied and taught philosophy, theology, psychology, and theatre across Oxford, Melbourne, and Paris. He holds an MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, where his research focused on self-transformation and systems change.

A certified psychotherapist, expressive arts educator, and experience designer, Swan has worked with Fortune 500 companies and spoken at leading conferences across 20 countries.

He collaborates with educational and artistic institutions, including the Alef Trust, the Roy Hart Centre, and Arthaus Berlin. He has designed experiences for the World Economic Forum, the Arts & Peace Encounter at the Caux Palace, and Europe’s premier trauma conference at the University of Oxford.

Blending social science, embodiment, and theatre, his work revives the original spirit of both art and psychotherapy: tending to the soul with depth, creativity, and care.