Professionally, we don’t fit only with the field of psychology, although that is our training. We both currently hold “real” jobs in the field, Stephen as a Licensed Psychologist, and Linda as a Licensed School Psychologist. Although our traditional jobs keep us busy and pay the bills, the primary identity that we nourish most deeply within ourselves is that of individuals who strive to make direct connection with a reality larger than our physical world. In our work, we have experienced increasing numbers of people who are searching for more than what they can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. We know there is much more to the universe than that. Although our collective and personal experiences have substantiated this observation, science is now discovering we are essentially “hard wired” to know there is more than what we experience in the physical world. We believe that the information we hope to share through Free Spirit is deeply embedded in every human being, and we believe that this is what Jesus meant when he said, “the Kingdom of God is within you”. Some people seem to have easy access to it, but for other it appears largely covered up. Many people for various reasons feel cut off from their true inner nature.

What we are striving to offer the community is another way to understand this reality, the reality that goes beyond what we were taught during our university training. We believe that human nature (body, mind, and spirit) is complex and can’t be easily defined or neatly put into a box called “normal”. We would like very much to offer classes, experiential group work, and community outreach programs that teach and support individuals embarking on their own spiritual journeys. As we travel deeper into our true selves, we come into contact a profound connection with God, the universe, spiritual consciousness, (however you want to describe it), and we find the ability to access our true spiritual nature.

This involves a transformation of consciousness that we believe strikes a universal chord for our time. It is our belief that human nature can be greatly expanded and that this may challenge the existing definitions of mental health and mental illness. We all must begin to acknowledge an ultimate intelligence that goes beyond our own, as did the great Chinese spiritual teacher Lao-Tzu when he said, “There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born. It is serene, empty, solitary, unchanging, infinite, eternally present. It is the mother of the universe.” We believe that accessing, integrating, and acting upon the meaning of this intelligence will empower us each to transform ourselves and our world.