The Birth of Darshan
From the time Melinda’s daughter Saachi was born, Melinda was aware of Saachi’s beautiful, sensitive spirit, and how deeply connected she is to Source/God/Love. At 16 months of age, Saachi was diagnosed with autism. Early on, Melinda realized there was much more to autism than the symptoms and the autism disease paradigm. Over time, she became aware of many others who are coming into this world with similar diagnoses who are also deeply spiritual beings. Melinda recognized that they are here to teach us, not through formal teaching methods, but guiding the way by their very spirits. Just as Saachi guides Melinda through her beautiful, open heart, her purity and her innocence, so do these beings offer us the opportunity to sense into that purity of Being—and to awaken our own hearts and spirits in the process.
In 2017, Melinda was hospitalized with influenza and pneumonia. She had always planned for Saachi’s future, but this brought her face to face with the possibility that Saachi may not have anyone to care for her when Melinda was gone. Darshan was born out of Melinda’s vision of a world where Saachi’s spirit and the spirits of others would be truly seen.
Melinda and Victoria first met when Melinda was on a spiritual retreat in Reno, NV. They developed a deep friendship born out of their spiritual resonance and their spiritual journeys. Victoria saw Saachi’s depth of spirit from the beginning and recognized her role and the role of other individuals with autism as guides who can support us in coming back to our very essence.
Melinda and Victoria’s recognition of the role of individuals with autism as part of the transformation of human consciousness expanded into the vision and creation of Darshan.
Board of Directors
Melinda Edwards, MD
Founder and President
MELINDA EDWARDS, MD is a mother, writer and physician in Charleston, South Carolina. She attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency in psychiatry at Stanford Medical Center. She has studied complementary and alternative medicine with Andrew Weil, MD, researched the effects of MDMA on PTSD with Michael Mithoefer, MD, and is a columnist for Autism Parenting Magazine. Dr. Edwards is the author of the amazon best-seller Psyche & Spirit: How a Psychiatrist Found Divinity Through Her Lifelong Quest for Truth and Her Daughter’s Autism.
As a child of medical missionaries, Dr. Edwards grew up in a Mayan Indian village in Guatemala, Central America. Early in life she experienced an inner pull to a deeper truth. Her journey has taken her through various spiritual practices, including meditation retreats, guidance from spiritual teachers, travel to India, and living in spiritual communities. Her quest led to the ongoing discovery of the sacred in all.
Inspired by her journey with her daughter Saachi, Dr. Edwards founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization Living Darshan to foster a deeper understanding of autism in the world.
Rebecca Doolittle McFalls, OT
Treasurer
Becky Doolittle McFalls' passion for working with children and families with special needs started in high school, when her father introduced her to the powerful impact that the families in his local disabilities organization provided to the community. She followed this passion in her years at Indiana University working as a caregiver in a group home for medically fragile children and on to the Medical University of South Carolina to become a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. Becky has practiced OT with families for over twenty years where the spirit and love the children bring to her life have been as impactful as the care she provides to them.
Becky is thrilled to be a part of Darshan and hopes to spread all she has learned in the organization’s education and fundraising efforts.
Victoria Palladino
Co-Founder and Secretary
Victoria is the author of Emotional Freedom, a real estate professional and a meditation guide. Victoria was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and resides in Reno, NV. In 2003, she embarked on a spiritual journey to India where she lived in an ashram for 10 years. She attributes her understanding of the emotional body and her own transformation to her inner exploration during her years in India. She now shares with others the tools she discovered to support them in their spiritual transformation and emotional freedom. She has two daughters and three adorable grandsons.
Shelly Ackley, SLP
Board Member
Shelly is a pediatric Speech Language Pathologist in Charleston, SC. She is originally from upstate New York where she studied at SUNY Plattsburgh and received her master’s degree from the College of Saint Rose. Shelly and her husband moved to Charleston in 2006 where she followed her heart and started her pediatric career in speech and language pathology. She has always had a special connection with the children she works with on the autism spectrum. Learning from these children and their families has been a gift. In 2015, she started her own company Say it with a Smile and provides speech therapy in the home and clinic environments. She has been involved with Surfer’s Healing for the past 12 years and feels immeasurable joy to share in the love, acceptance and inclusion of “one perfect day”. In her free time, she enjoys relaxing at the beach and traveling with her husband and two beautiful children.