Meet Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dr. Kirsten Viola , we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?

I’ve been blessed to have parents who have risen to the occasion multiple times on behalf of others. They instilled in me from a young age, through voracious reading of literature focused on survival and resilience, empathy, tolerance and compassion, that our core values as a fmily included giving voice and resources to those who had been marginalized. Resources included time, energy and love for those who might not have had the aforementioned in ample supply. When my parents tragically lost my brother at 20 years old, my parents channeled their grief into providing support for humanitarian causes worldwide. Their generosity knows no bounds and it has been a wellspring from which our family has nurtured and nourished countless individuals in their quest to create fortuitous pathways be it in establishing education centers, refugee assistance, medical foundations and supporting creative expressions in the arts and music, which we can all appreciate for their transformative healing attributes.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have been a trauma psychologist specializing in PTSD, Dissociative Disorders and Near-death Experiences for 35 years. it has been my supreme honor to compassionately witness the incredible and transcendent journeys from surviving to post-traumatic thriving. The unfathomable struggles that some of my clients have transmuted into loving understanding for themselves and their place in the world has been profoundly moving. I have seen them fight for their joy and find the light in myriad, wholeheartedly inspiring ways and have grown to hear echos of spiritual growth and the soul’s deep calling in each and every story. I have grown to appreciate and trust the synchronicities all around me which have repeatedly illuminated the next step on the path and it is through this energetic exchange that I became acquainted with the subject of our book together, the incredible and resilient Sean/a. She had slept outside on cardboard for eight years when I first met her and ten years later she has been continuously housed through our friendship and the help of the community and we have just finished a three week tour of Europe-her first time out of the country at 59-representing Intersex at the Pride parades in Lisbon, Paris and London. Our book titled I, Sean/a, the Story of a Homeless, Intersex Woman who Inspired a Community was released in May of this year and her instagram and TikToks ( Soulwise Team) have taken her voice from obscurity to over a million views. Her perseverance and optimism throughout her life has always been borne of a deep faith and trust in god’s plan for her life. growing up Intersex and suffering through Schizophrenia has made her story even more unforgettably resonant with those who believe life can turn on a dime…in a good way! Her storty is presented more in depth on my website www.soulwisesolutions.com.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Openess: I’ve always been very accepting and open to the stories and hearts of our fellow humans and developing the capacity to hold space for those whose lives may lie outside the margins or one’s zone of comfort can yield exceedingly enriching experiences
2. Curiosity: It has become an essential therapeutic skill involving constinuously wanting to know more, learn more, understand more and to challenge myself more in client interactions and outside of the therapy. The ability to take different perspectives and challenge the status quo is often uncomfortable at first, and eventually insight-laden growth expands exponentially. Streching the boundaries of my own understanding by attending conferences and workshops and deep diving into sub-cultures that had so much to teach…and then translating these truths for myself and others was deeply fulfilling.
3. NDE Bibliotherapy: Healing through books was a lifeline for me in the days before the internet when I was processing my brother’s tragic death and when I was dealing with very traumatized individuals whose experiences were beyond my understanding. Reading voraciously everything I could find on near-death experiences framed my journey and those of my clients with purpose and imbued within all of us a sense of life’s fragility, preciousness and meaning. This has by far been the most impactful aspect of my education and I am so heartened that it is finally becominh mainstream to talk about these deep knowings and truths.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Life After Life by Raymond Moody started me on the healing trajectory which instantly calmed my mind and validated that our soul’s do indeed have a mission which we have a hand in planning before our current incarnations on Earth. Taking the stories of first-hand witnesses into account that have gleaned unique wisdom from another realm and placing this in the context of current struggles allows one to attune to the teachings which tie our life’s obstacles into one golden cord of healing and truth. Combining many years of study and client hours into a much greater narrative which draws from and highlights the life review and renewed purpose and vigor of those who have gone on to survive through the unthinkable has imbued my own life with a deepened purpose and feeds the quintessential HOPE that every trial and tribulation we endure has an ultimate resolution and impactful soul message, As we help one another along we heal the collective and move humanity forward in quantum leaps, literally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://soulwisesolutions.com
• Instagram: Soul Wise Team
• Other: Insta: Soulwiseteam

Image Credits

Kirsten harrison