Eleanor Criswell Library

About the Library

Located at Meridian University's Los Angeles Campus, the Eleanor Criswell Library is named in honor of Dr. Eleanor Criswell, a pioneering psychologist and somatics educator whose work shaped the fields of psychotherapy, education, and body–mind integration. Dr. Criswell was a Meridian faculty member for over 30 years and served on the University’s Board of Trustees as Vice Chair.

The library offers an extensive collection of books and resources in psychology, leadership, and related fields, supporting the learning and research of Meridian’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Located in the Olympic Building of the Los Angeles Campus, it provides a welcoming environment for graduate study, collaboration, and connection, complete with Wi-Fi, study tables, and reservable collaboration spaces.

About Eleanor Criswell, EdD

In Memoriam, 1938 - 2024

Eleanor Criswell, EdD, was a core faculty member at Meridian University for over 30 years and served on the University's Board of Trustees as Vice Chair. She was also the editor of Somatics Magazine and Director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training. An Emeritus Professor of Psychology and former Chair of the Psychology Department at Sonoma State University, Eleanor was the founding director of the Humanistic Psychology Institute (now Saybrook University), where she was a Distinguished Consulting Faculty member for many years.

Eleanor's books include Biofeedback and Somatics: Toward Personal Evolution; How Yoga Works: An Introduction to Somatic Yoga, and she was editor of Cram's Introduction to Surface Electromyography. Criswell was a past president of Division 32 — Society of Humanistic Psychology of the American Psychological Association, and as well was president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology Association, the Biofeedback Society of California, and the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She was also president of the Somatics Society. A licensed psychologist, certified biofeedback practitioner, and somatic educator, Eleanor's somatics discipline was rooted in Hanna Somatics. She taught yoga beginning in 1967 and was the creator of Somatic Yoga and Equine Hanna Somatics.