What have been the major influences on your own psycho-spiritual development?

​At the age of six, I had my first close encounter with Source energy, a term I use to refer to the energy that is greater than the resources of the intellect.  I immediately felt revitalized as this energy surged throughout my body (which I would come to know as unconditional love). This energy was accompanied by reassuring statements (such as I was not alone in the universe and that I was deeply loved). This close encounter with Source energy left an indelible impression upon my mind.  It was after this close encounter that I realized:

(1) Source energy was real;
(2) that it was a benevolent force; and
(3) that I could have a personal relationship with this power.

From an early age I experienced indifference which bordered on overt rejection from the males in my family. Also, I found many people’s behaviors and interactions as harsh and abrasive to my sensibilities.  As a way to cope, I realized that I needed to be my own best friend and ally- to individuate and to live authentically. An integral aspect of my journey was becoming process oriented.  Becoming process oriented necessitated that I validate everything that was happening in my life in ways that my mind could understand and accept.  As far back as I can remember this skill helped me to make sense of people and their behaviors in a world where I felt like a fish out of water.
  
Other important influences upon my psycho-spiritual development were: my involvement in the countercultural movement of the 60’s, the back-to-the-land movement, stonewall, the feminist and civil rights movements, my first career as a body-centered therapist, my undergraduate studies in behavioral sciences and my graduate studies in counseling psychology. My counseling background included trainings in a whole person model to viewing and working with people, Transpersonal, Humanistic, Gestalt, brief and Solution-Focused modalities; trauma resolution, addiction recovery.
To learn more about the LIA approach, please visit my website www.darcyclarke.us