

…Her drive, enthusiasm, conscientiousness, knowledge base and refreshing outlook on a healthy lifestyle, one may rest assured she will be successful.
A LOVING TESTIMONIAL FROM DR. ALISON’S FATHER
Dedicated to the service and good health of others, a prospective client would naturally have the desire to know what Alison brings to the table, or stated another way, “why Alison to help me get better?” Well, to me, her father, the answer is quite straightforward. Above all else, Alison has a genuine motivation to help people, and is utterly ecstatic when she sees positive results. Add to that her drive, enthusiasm, conscientiousness, knowledge base and refreshing outlook on a healthy lifestyle, one may rest assured she will be successful.
Perhaps most impressive to me is her perspective on approaching the problem. Rather than just narrowing her focus on a particular area of pain as most western physicians typically do, Alison looks at the entire, holistic backdrop of the person and what needs to be done across the board to restore or create a healthy lifestyle. So, yes, let’s fix that back pain, but let’s also not only address today’s pain, but look at what has lead to it so that it doesn’t return, by doing all of “those other good things” to prevent that one problem and its associated issues from being future health problems. Whether its nutrition, lifestyle, daily pressures or a myriad of other influences, Alison will find a way to bring one to the next level.
Finally, having this intense and talented professional address your problems will be the best move you can make to improve your place in life. And guess what, when all is said and done, there will be a smile on your face, and hers.”
Came Through Difficult Times by Applying Tools & Attuning To The Possibilities
No Pain During Cancer & Published As an Author Through Flow of Ease
Struggled With LOA Until Learning About The Missing Links While in MMM
Trauma To a Healed Heart & Became More Calm, Self-Accepting & Trusting Herself – And a Better, Easier, Higher Paying Job
Financial Success With Ease After Worrying About Non-Prosperous Business
Unexpected Gain After Shifts Which Resulted in 30% Increase in Pay
Felt Depressed & Stuck To Feeling Lightened & Open & Able to Manifest
Focuses On The Positive & Joys in Life After Always Being in A Negative Spiral
From Depressed & Downwards to Passion & Upwards!
Business Expansion & Ease from a Stressful Foreclosure
Starting to Live The Life of My Dreams
What I didn’t know about, when I signed up for Magic Manifestation, & Money Flow and her Vibrational UPgrade Mastermind, is Dr. Alison’s wide practical knowledge of spiritual principles, and how all of this can be brought to bear on my daily life. When she says that abundance is an easy one to solve, she isn’t kidding. I have personally experienced a rebirth of sorts in my personal and professional lives as a result of being in the program. I am starting to live the life of my dreams as a spiritual reader, inspired social enterprise entrepreneur, and meditation teacher. All things that I had longed to do but never before had the wherewithal or know-how, or energy to bring it all together.
I am a long-time spiritual student as well as a long-time successful business person, and from both of these perspectives I have nothing but high recommendation to anyone who wants more in their life on any level. I have studied with high lamas, siddha masters, and spent time with millionaires on their estates and in temples across Asia. From my four decades of close-up exposure to such business and spiritual leaders I can speak to the authenticity of Dr. Alison’s energy skills and spiritual motivation. Time and again I have seen her climb the spiritual heights and turn around to shower the blessings she finds there on everyone she touches in her programs. She has a very pure lineage, and an extraordinary discipline and motivation to help the world at this awakening time. And when we work with her she succeeds in making it possible for us to touch our own highest and best life, and also, to put the grounding in place to make our progress last and last. She is really one in a million, the real deal. She is super practical, and skilled at explaining all of this due to years of teaching – but don’t let all that fool yah – she is also a real magician. And an amazing being”
Suicidal to Lighthearted

Everything Shifted; Work, Love, Money and Physical Health
My dating life has improved dramatically. I’ve been the ‘one date wonder’ for way too many years (I’m embarrassed to say how long). Over time that went to two dates, then four dates, one month, then two months, you get my drift. I’m now currently in a relationship.
With money, I’ve never had enough. Every extra cent went to some sort of house or car or pet emergency. That’s changed to having enough without emergencies. Recently I was gifted a very large gift, and opportunities to make more money (which I jumped on!).
When I first started seeing Alison, I wasn’t able to lose weight. I’ve been dieting for years, and I’d gain, but never lose. I’ve since lost 35 lbs (and counting).
Also I was diagnosed with a nerve disorder in my brain about 11 years ago, and a few months ago I made the move to come off the debilitating medicine with success so far! Even my massage therapist sees a drastic difference, which she credits the energy work I do with Alison. It’s been an experience like no other.”
From Angry & Depressed to More Active Then She’s Been In Years!
“After 1 Session I Released the Past… It’s Kinda Like a Miracle!”
Anxious and Controlling to at Peace and Balanced
Physically, I feel like I can breathe more; both like there is more space in my rib-cage to breathe and also that there is less weighing on me. The tightness in my stomach and diaphragm is not there anymore (which i didn’t really notice was so constant until it was gone!). Additionally, this past month I have exercised 20 times – I actually wanted to AND I enjoyed it! Usually I exercise only like 3 to 4 times a month (while hating every minute of it and having to force myself to exercise). That alone has been huge – it’s so nice to have the desire and energy to move my body. I am loving it! I’m trying out new exercise options that in the past I would have been too embarrassed to attempt – it’s so fun!
Financially, things have really been going up too! Two years ago we tried to sell our condo and couldn’t (even when trying to sell it at a huge loss), and 3 weeks ago we put our condo on the market. We got 8 offers (!) over the weekend, accepted an offer for above asking price and closed this past week. The whole sale of the condo was easy and stress-free! I can’t wait to see where our next sessions take us. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. Alison! I am so happy and grateful for you and your work.”
Made me feel safe…
Felt the vibrations all through my body…
Wonderful Energy Work Eliminated His Sinus Headaches
Internal Trauma Became A Pain-Free Lifestyle
A Very Good And Ethical Energy Healer
Once Afraid to Use His Voice; Now He is & He’s Laughing Like Never Before!
Found Happiness & Clarity After a Divorce and Uncertain Financials …
Alison is the REAL DEAL, Authentic & Fabulous…
I’ve Learned to Trust My Intuition… Experienced More Energy Levels!
Releasing Negative & Stuck Emotions with Alison
She Left Me Speechless!
You Have Turned What Was Once Sadness to Joy!
Thank you so much for putting so much love on top of all of your incredible knowledge into my sweet mommy! I am not looking for a response I just really wanted to give you my deep gratitude and tell you I love you and I’m thankful beyond words for what you’re doing! I cant WAIT to finish your book! You are an incredible soul! I look forward to energetically meeting you! my love and appreciation for ALL you are giving and doing!!”
During Difficult Divorce, Alison Helped Julie in Her Healing Process
Finally found JOY & came off anti-depressants after seeking happiness
I have found my bliss through this work… & make money doing it!
I Have Found Myself Again After Working with Alison
I have found my real self again by working with Alison on clearing my chakras. Thank you, Alison!”
A Hopeless Cycle Birthed a Spiritual Awakening
I have seen many therapists and each one has brought me closer to where I am today.- experiencing a deep sense of self-realization. Through Alison’s deep, joyful and total commitment to her belief that something new and very exciting and wonderful is happening to/in our universe, she has created the space in her life, in her relationships, in her healing room for this energy to be manifested. Darkness, fear looms all around us yet she is able to bring forth the hidden true me by helping me to access my unconscious self and let go of the false numbing past messages. A sense of self-worth, joy, love, and creativity is emerging and the wonderful spin-off from this is that my husband is also experiencing relief.
I have noticed a new awareness emerging in his demeanor. I saw this in his face the first time Alison gave him a 20 minute special at a health fair where we met her. He seems more attentive to me, more willing to do his share of some of the menial household duties. Definitely, he is not absorbing my rage, which erupts and is gone. He too is feeling more able to be himself. Neither of us realized the dark baggage he was holding on to these many, many years. As I said it really is quite magical and only can be understood by experiencing it. I love and admire Alison and as I read the testimonies written by her students years ago, I am ever more reminded of her so very special gifts of awakening the very special, unique SELF in each of us – so desperately needed in our awakening universe.”
“This Has Been a Miracle for Me!”
One day at First Unity, I went to a lecture of Dr. Alison J. Kay. I was very interested in her techniques, etc. I was spiritually drawn to what she was doing and decided to give her ways a try. I told her I couldn’t lay down for very long, and she helped me down on the table. When she talked with me I felt like I was floating on air. She did her treatments on me and guess what? She had me laying on the table for over an hour and I felt great! I was so excited and happy! To this day, I can sleep in my bed. Sometimes I have to get up and go to the recliner but we are working on that. I feel like this has been a miracle for me! Thank you Dr. Alison!”
“I Felt as Though I Was Plugged in to Source Energy!”
I’ve written a couple articles (on my WordPress blog and for Examiner.com) in an attempt to detail my observations and I’ve personally shared my experience with Alison and several of her clients… but still today, months after the session, as I wave my hand in front of my body to illustrate how the energy flowed, I realize the power and importance of the experience and observe my hand resonating, slightly shaking, while I speak.
Since listening to several chakra clearing audios, weekly ThetaHealing calls, and experiencing another in-person session with Dr. Kay, I’ve landed a new exciting job! The new role places me in an environment where I can continue to advance my technical and writing expertise while showering me with wonderful happy synchronicities. How does it get any better? What else is possible?”
Making Healthier, More Positive Decisions & Letting Emotions Inform Me
Lo and behold, the Chakra Healing audio series became available at a time when I could afford to invest in it. I was curious to see if, and how, it would help. It was easy to download onto my phone, and I made a commitment to listen to one session a week, and as the weeks continued, I could feel so many changes in myself and how I perceived the world around me.
I made a commitment to be mindful of the changes and notice when I was acting in ways that I’d always wanted (making healthier, more positive decisions, finally noticing emotions and letting that inform me, being more honest with myself… ) I also felt part of the community Alison creates through the sessions, like time and distance didn’t matter in this realm of Theta healing, and that by joining with this group, my progress was greater than if I’d tried to do something alone.
Then, after the initial weeks, I would listen to whichever Chakra was ‘calling me’. Alison was right, too, that the more you listen, the more healing you receive; I’d find myself noticing different things each time I’d listen, or having different memories come up and be cleared.
If I could describe to you what the series is like, it’s like listening to a comforting story of how your self-talk should sound; and the more you listen to the story, the more the story becomes your life, and the easier it is to move through your day with the confidence you were born to have.
Love! Trina
p.s. (emailed Dr. Kay 6 days later) After a few weeks of not knowing what to do next and having faith and sitting through the uncomfortableness and exhilaration of waiting and watching, a breakthrough happened last night!
I found a home in VT in an intentional community that has everything my partner and I have been talking about wanting, and suddenly I saw myself trying out a bed and breakfast business and making our dreams come true! It’s amazing how many blessings the universe brings when we have the courage to say what we desire and hold the space for it to happen. Wow. I’m amazed and so grateful to you for guiding us through this process.
Manifested Two New Clients…
Sincerely, Bonnie Dye Tampa Bay, Fl
This PS from Bonnie was added in two days after her second session done “just for fun” at my suggestion using ThetaHealing to increase the ease with her clients flowing to her without hard work of usual output through speaking events, hosting events, conducting workshops etc:
“Hi Alison, Just wanted to let you know that since our session two days ago, two people have contacted me to do work for them! I had been creating an ad, but I haven’t even been able to put it up yet because so much else has been happening! It’s hilarious. I soooooooooo know how the universe works, and it’s so easy to forget! Thanks so much for the clearing work!”
Hugs! Bonnie
“There Is Nothing Holding Me Back From Following My Bliss Now…”
My Whole Attitude & Perspective of Life Has TRANSFORMED
From Fighting PTSD To Completely Clear…
You are one POWERFUL WOMAN Alison!!!
I had a block of my life to clear but listened to your weekly call and WOAH! Never been that hyper! Then did my own clearings and didn’t come close to what I felt after your downloads. Later I felt like barfing and could not sleep! Don’t know if that was part of it, but still so energized I can’t figure out why other people were so lacking energy while I was out doing errands. So well done Alison. Thank you. What an amazing knowing woman you are! Never would have found on my own.
I woke up feeling clear and…well like I can do anything! Still great! I think and feel it in the PTSD downloads that was what held it all in place. What an eye opening journey Alison! I’ve been fighting all this off for so long and now feel whole and complete. Oh yeah, much more to work on and always will, but …never once in my life have I felt so clear.
Thanks Alison. I so love and cherish your downloads and the way you do them, and I can feel your connection to Creator!”
Released TONS Creating a Feeling of Lightness & Flow
Alison Has a Gift & Her Healing Is Powerful Beyond Words
Alison has a gift, and her healing is powerful beyond words. I have done some group healing sessions in the past, and find that the energy that comes from being in the same space within a group is far more powerful than simply working one on one with Alison. She normally charges $100 per hour to do just one of these sessions, and that’s without the recording. The offer she came up with for this ongoing program is so generous, and gives you the same access to her that I’ve had at a fraction of the cost. I hope you will join me. What do you have to gain? Perhaps your best life ever!”
Sense of Balance and Relief In Neck
Detachment Of The Mind
Enhanced By Dr. Alison’s Knowledge Even Though I Am Well Versed In Meditation…
Removed Invaded Energies & Released What Kept Me From Shifting Forward
As nothing else before, her method reached down to the very core. Using her special blend of the energy medicines she uses like Reiki and the Tibetan Adamantine Healing System, crystal therapy, aromatherapy, music and the incorporation of high masters into the healing session she was able to stir up lots of blocked energy, remove invading energies, channel divine energy and important messages into my body and mind. All this finally helped me after only three sessions to release what had kept me from shifting forward. Since enjoying her therapy my condition rapidly improved and my life started to turn in the right direction. Things are starting to fall into place and instead of constantly trying to recover I can use my energy to grow. All in all I can say, Thank You so much Alison, your treatments changed my life!”
Improves Quality of Life
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your workshop “Eating for Empowerment.” Your holistic approach goes so much further than the typical eat less and get more exercise approach. The amount of information that was presented in the short time allotted was incredible, I highly recommend your workshops to anyone that would like to improve their quality of life.”
True Freedom & Fearlessness
…I finally have the tools to get the power going in the right direction.
…Our work together really has transformed my relationship with my parents. It is really peaceful like never before. All our work has paid off.”
Healed Asthma Naturally
Alison is a ‘Western’ woman in every way with an ‘Eastern’ soul. Her undergraduate, masters and doctorate in America and her life experience and training in China (Taiwan), with her additional personal experience throughout other parts of Asia and the Middle East, have broadened her insights and enabled her to quickly grasp the needs of her Western counterparts.
I began my healing with Alison at a time when my struggle was with a situation that had been impacting my life for several years. My bronchial asthma was a physical manifestation of this prolonged negativity. Despite 2 months and over $1000.00 of western medical treatments, my bronchial dilator wasn’t even working. Alison was able to quiet my lungs. Beyond my sessions with her, I was then able to quiet and open my own lungs so I could breathe using what she had explained to me about healing. I can’t explain exactly how this was accomplished other than to say that I learned from a ‘master’ how to shift my energy into the metaphysical realm of healing myself.
The situation causing much distress has been slowly resolving itself, as well. Such is the way of the universe!”
Transformed My Life, Not Just My Body
Supported Through Her Detox & Massive Energetic Expansion
Superb Connection Right Out The Gate!
Skeptical and Disbeliveing Turned Into Receiving the Light
Dr. Alison Has Helped Me to Shift My Energy, Mind & All…
Also, I’ve done some studying with Siddha Yoga (Muktananda & Gurumayi)…and I understand that the “Guru” has a level of energy that helps to transform those that come into their presence. Alison is such an amazing person…but today we just don’t need to be a ‘Guru’ anymore to do it – and that system doesn’t really work that well in the U.S. culture anyway. Being the Teacher/Coach/Healer that she is, is totally appropriate for here, now, and not only what Alison does but who she is.”
Weight Loss; From Obese to Normal Size and Still Sustaining it!
Alison manages to keep one on track through gentle, but consistent pressure-this helped me to internalize the discipline I needed to stick with the program.”

FREE POTENT CLEARINGS & ACTIVATIONS
TO RELEASE YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS BLOCKS TO SUCCESS


DR. ALISON’S STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
(Note: this student of mine discussed with his mom how to pay me for the energy medicine sessions, and they agreed to split the payments 50%/50%, with JT saving his allowance for his portion. Amazing person/teenager.)
‘Teachers teach more by what they are than what they say.’ Ms. Kay can be known for the essential oils she puts on, or for her refusal to look like a ‘boring teacher’ in her clothing. However, her most defining characteristic is her patient, loving personality. Seven years ago when I first met Ms. Kay I was still the kid who was always ‘behind’ in class. Teachers before her all knew me as the ‘hopeless‘ case. They decided if I wasn’t deprived intellectually, I lacked the motivation to learn and improve. Then Ms. Kay came into my life. I may have now forgotten what she said to me but I will never forget how she made me feel. At first, I hated how she hid the classroom clock on me because I kept staring at it. I hated how she got stern with me whenever I tuned her out. I hated how she made me listen to her. Later, however, I realized how much this showed she loved and cared for me. Whereas other teachers concentrated on teaching students they felt had obvious potential, Ms. Kay stopped and pulled up people, like me, who needed support. Despite my scornful glares and annoyed tones I inflicted upon her, through her patience and love, Ms. Kay helped to raise my self-esteem.
As an opener for our AP Psychology class my senior year, Ms. Kay spoke about the limits of Western Psychology. ‘Some things such as consciousness can not be explained by what we have in the West,‘ she stated. Now typically, most of us are heading back to the West from Taiwan for college. We look at the West as our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if we’re more ‘Taiwanified‘ or as home, if we’re still connected more to there. So this was interesting, to say the least, to hear such a critique of Western culture, that seemed to favor my own culture’s heritage over the modern, technological, wealthy West.
Yet eventually I saw why Ms. Kay said that. Instead of merely discussing concepts such as neurotransmitters and classical conditioning, Ms. Kay incorporated the Eastern perspective of psychology, which comes from Buddhism. Meditation became a big part of our class. At first I was repelled by the concept of meditating. Wasn’t that what monks did in the temples all around us? Why would that have anything to do with me? I’m not connected to that.
The beginning stages of meditation were indeed distressing for me. I had a hard time keeping myself disciplined: my back hurt, my legs were strained and my head nodded as I fell asleep. However, with practice I was finally able to lose my awareness of the environment and concentrate on the thoughts which passed through my mind.
Ms. Kay had once opened my eyes to a new me. Now she opened my eyes to a new perspective of the world around me. Just as you must cure a tree from its roots, meditation touched my core. I was able to observe my thoughts and understand how those harmful ideas affected me and undermined my confidence. It is not an exaggeration to say that meditation is one of the biggest assets I’ve gained in my high school career. I will be forever grateful for the teacher, Ms. Kay, who brought it into my life.”
There were “a few” steps that she took to teach us this Universal Truth. The first things she did probably could be best explained as “yoga for the brain.” Our brains were lumps of cement that needed intense mixing; the brain needed to be flexible to process and absorb ideas, perceive accurately and think creatively, so that we could be more than robots. If we wanted to be alive, and not slaves to habitual ways of thinking, then we needed this flexibility.
The next was probably the toughest stage, yet also the most important part of her teachings, the shattering of our ego minds. Our ego minds prevent us from learning, with it in the way. My ego mind was especially strong in classifying everything and everybody, and tuning out any form of control whatsoever. I was probably the most egotistical person in the class; however, I was probably also the one who wanted to learn the most. I was tired of my ego mind without truly knowing what it really is and what it does to my overall state of mind, and how I perceive life. Ms. Kay, through outside material, and brain-wrecking homework introduced the simplified explanation of what the ego mind truly was. After doing so she cracked our ego minds by have deep conversations with us, and also questioning us.
The third step, was the teaching of unifying our minds with our soul. Because of the success in teaching us how to stop listening to our incessant ego minds, Ms Kay was able to go farther with us on the matter of embracing our true identities. This was the easiest to grasp due to the teachings on the ego mind.
In conclusion, she taught us more about our minds and in the end, let us loose on an expedition to explore ourselves. We will probably journey on forever to fully understand our Inner Being, but I believe it will be a worthwhile journey. The three categorizes above are just simplified and broad summaries on each stage. However I hope they can present the idea that Ms Kay has been a greater mentor/teacher and has taught me many things about myself and the world.”
In a general sense, I felt that the learning environment in Ms. Kay’s class was significantly more rigorous than all my other courses, and the reason for this, I think, is because of the awareness of the teacher. She was aware of our abilities and potentials,, and she was able to ask for our full effort; and we typically gave it. This awareness helped tremendously in learning during sophomore year with Ms. Kay learning about psychology. She was not just tossing assignments at us and expecting us to learn by ourselves, but rather, there was a sense that she was completely with the student when teaching. It is quite easy to see if a teacher, or anyone for that matter, is in auto-pilot mode. This kind of teacher would come in the classroom and say what they need to say and expect the students to absorb it all. it was completely different with Ms. Kay’s class, and this was the case in both 6th grade and sophomore year psychology.
During the psychology course, we learned about both Eastern and Western psychology, and the course included meditation. This training in meditation had significant impact on me with my ability to focus in class and it gave me a better view of how my mind works. I am able to distinguish between the harmful thoughts from my ego mind from my own thoughts that are more pristine. It had also given me a new perspective on parts of my mind, such as the subconscious, during a project to record our dreams.
Learning with Ms. Kay and learning meditation has left an imprint on me as a person, because her teaching not only taught me knowledge, but also some wisdom, by means of meditation.”
Meditating has had a lot of positive effects on me, which is why I practice it even after I have graduated. It has allowed me to calm down. Before I had learned how to meditate, I considered myself a pretty uptight and hyperactive person, I never really slowed down, and that got me into a lot of trouble. However, after I had learned how to meditate, I found myself more relaxed, and taking my time more often. I did not rush things over, and that helped me a lot, especially with writing my college application essays. I found that I could really just sit down and think through what I wanted to write, where as before I would have just wrote the first thing on my mind.
Meditation has really helped me lead a healthier and overall a better lifestyle. I has affected me not only in school, but outside my school as well. It goes without saying that meditation should be incorporated in most modern day school curriculum, for it would really help the students work efficiently and live well.
There is a certain atmosphere to every single classroom depending on the teacher. To me, unexpected pervaded Ms. Kay’s classroom, but after having a few classes, that vibe transformed into “out of the ordinary.” Ms. Kay’s enthusiasm is able to keep the class upbeat and vibrant at almost all times, andn not srprisingly, she is not the usual lecture-homework-test type of teacher. Ms. Kay does more than that to keep our brains activated, to really think about the subject matter and not just pure memorization for the tests.
What makes Ms. Kay’s class even more distinct from the other classes that I have is the freedom to speak out. She encourages students to voice their opinions, thoughts and ideas, even if those may not align with the “correct” answers. Ms. Kay tries to see their reasoning. This is especially evident when we have pop quizzes and the answer is incorrect. Ms. Kay would say, “I can see where you’re coming from, but in this case…” directing me to think in the more accurate concept instead of just crossing out my answer.
I don’t know about the other (psychology) classes, but what makes Ms. Kay a unique psychology teacher is her introduction of meditation to the class. At the very start of the academic year, Ms. Kay presented to us the limitations of the Western psychology contained within the AP Psychology course, especially topics involving the controversial mind-brain relationship. Telling us that Western Psychology is incomplete in its focus on the physical and its lack of focus on consciousness and the role the spirit plays in a human’s psyche, and because she wanted us to be able to view AP Psychology’s material from the beginning with a critical thinking view going beyond the textbook to understand the concepts psychologists work with, she reasoned that the students should bear in mind what lies beyond the textbooks, such as the viewpoint of Eastern psychology, and in order for us to remain unconfined, Ms. Kay brought in meditation. Now mind you, we’re in Asia, in an international school, the majority of us (like 99%) are ethnic Chinese, a culture known to have meditation as a part of it, and here is this Westerner teaching a Western course for us Westernized, or American or Canadian or British Chinese, most of whom are going back to America for college next year, and we’re getting taught meditation this way. The irony needs to be noted. It’s interesting.
As a student who is about to graduate from high school, having the opportunity to have learned to meditate was definitely an unforgettable experience. During the college application process, having the time to just sit there and rest was pure luxury, and meditating was just that luxury (of course, this is not the sole purpose of meditation; so I guess I mean just having the time to sit and just be without having to achieve something was the luxury.)
In the beginning, I simply sat crossed-legged on the floor leaving my head clear of thoughts. Furthermore, when my thoughts crossed my mind, Ms. Kay told us to just “watch” them as if watching a movie rather than pushing the thoughts away – a distinction I am very grateful for, because this leads one from within to calm awareness and a healthy mind. I have been able to always feel refreshed after each meditation during class, which was definitely a boost as the process alleviated an immense amount of stress building up from everyday life. I came to control some of my thoughts effectively without succumbing to the self-deprecating ones. Although as a nearly non-experienced beginner, I believe that the opportunity to have learned to meditate holds a beneficial value with no doubt. From sensation to perception, Freud to psychoanalysis to different types of psychological disorders, Ms. Kay and her bringing in of meditation thoroughly enriched the class of AP Psychology.
Here at our school, what we learn is mainly knowledge, or how to analyze this knowledge. Every student, including myself, is trained well by our teachers to take two pieces of knowledge and analyze them. But we often forget that there is more to the knowledge than what’s in front of us. We forget that every piece of knowledge is actually intertwined in one way or another because every one of us is. Every person who we meet will influence us and every person who meets us will also be influenced. There’s a chain of influence in this world. That was something I was never aware of, and never really cared about, until my second time as Ms. Kay’s student. I had her as my 6th grade Humanities teacher and then as my 10th grade American Literature teacher. This second time I was in 10th grade and was sort of going through my rebellious stage, and was skeptical of everything. I highly doubted that some beggar at the other end of the world was connected to me in any way. I was also highly suspicious that one person could even make a slight change in this world.
I remember once in class I had a mini-debate with Ms. Kay about human beings’ intention to help others. I was sure that human nature was selfish and detached from the rest of the world’s care and concerns. My theory was that any creature in this world would only help others if they would benefit in some way. But Ms. Kay laughed and told me that people help others because they are all connected. We are one, like Emerson said, and by helping others, we are helping ourselves as well. We are one expanding world of people intertwined with each other, and that’s the tendency of expansion that creatures of nature have. But of course, I was too skeptical and rebellious to believe her.
When Ms. Kay first showed our class a clip of The Secret while we were studying Emerson – he’s quoted in it – we defied it strongly. It was a ridiculous thought to think that keeping our mind fixed on something could lead to the physical being of it. But then, through my study of Psychology (Ms. Kay was not the teacher yet), I learned about the mind overpowering the body. I learned about cases such as women who actually had baby bumps, without babies, because they truly thought they were pregnant. I learned about the power of thinking, especially positive thinking; and how positive thinking was a stronger force than anything else. The ideas that Ms. Kay presented made more sense after I learned through psychology. And so at the end of the year, I asked Ms. Kay to supervise my psychology club when I decided to create one. She agreed, and so we began the first psychology club our school has ever had, and its focus was mostly the mind and what power thoughts have.
In my club, I showed my members optical illusions that showed my members how the mind could fool the eyes. That was what Ms. Kay was trying to let us know with The Secret. But I never understood it until studying psychology. And so I transcended, I felt, because I was able to turn around and teach this knowledge (or wisdom?) to my members who had never taken Ms. Kay’s class. Ms. Kay highly prizes meditation, but I was unfamiliar with that. But in psychology, I encountered hypnosis. I always thought hypnosis was about stage stunts that made people act like chickens or fall asleep suddenly. But it was actually just relaxing by forcing the mind to focus on something, and that was a lot like meditation. During one of my psychology club meetings, my officers and I attempted to hypnotize our members to help them relax. It was right before our midterm exams, so it helped my members and I take our minds off of our school work and stress.
As a 10th grader, I believed the outer world affected the inner world. Peer pressure was an issue, and appearance meant a lot to teens at that age. When we were studying Transcendentalism with Ms. Kay, I thought the concepts Emerson had were simply absurd. They were interesting, but I still believed that the power, beauty and wealth people had in the outer world would make them happier and more content inside. Ms. Kay gave us an article about a company that has a built in gym and well-conducted mental health facilities (Google) in their building. Their concept behind that was if their employees were healthy on the inside, they would be more productive on the outside. These were also ideas that I could not believe in until my study of psychology. The concepts Ms. Kay presented to me were not something that I understood and appreciated immediately. And I didn’t have to. With other teachers, the concepts they presented were things I had to understand immediately, because they directly affected my grades. But with Ms. Kay, the exploration of these ideas was not for grades’ sake, but for my own sake. These ideas that I now appreciate, and have helped me through the college application process.
There are so many things that separate Ms. Kay from my other teachers, but the most apparent one was the different dynamic in our class. Ms. Kay was our educator, but at the same time she was more than that. Ms. Kay has an aura that other teachers, even the equally respectable ones, lack. She may have given us homework every single day, but that work wasn’t for the sake of grades, but for the sake of keeping our minds sharp. Ms. Kay understands something that other teachers don’t. Many pleasant teachers come and go, but they fail to realize that the lack of impact they had on us will lead to the lack of impact we may have on someone else. Ms. Kay focused on things that were more than just grades, and made us realize we were more than just numbers on transcripts. She focused on the inner world, and that focus has changed me.”
Another part of Ms. Kay’s teaching style is that everything she teaches connects with some other concept, and thus all the tests we take are somewhat like review tests as well as assessment tests. Speaking of test taking, her class was the first ever where I did not have to study for the tests. This may sound bad but it is not, because the reason why I didn’t have to study is that in class Ms. Kay connects previous and current concepts so that whilst we are learning new concepts, we are also reviewing old concepts and so we are constantly building while reviewing. It’s like scaffolding.
My favorite thing about Ms. Kay as a person herself is her openness to the opinions of others, unlike some teachers who are ‘bent’ on teaching one side of a concept in a certain way, Ms. Kay is flexible in her teaching style so that students may put their own input into what they think about something and we are able to discuss it as a class. I’ve always been a discussion based learner, and thus I feel that the amount of class based discussions we had was very important to my academic success. Some people think that a teacher who develops a more intimate relationship with students is not that good, but I think the friendlier connection with Ms. Kay in her class has really helped me a lot and has actually motivated me to work harder.
So what I take out of Ms. Kay’s class is a new way to look at life. All of the things I have learned from her class have been applicable in my life and in some places have even helped to solve problems. One of my favorite tools I learned is free-writing, an unrestrained writing which has really helped me to get to know myself better, but also has helped me organize my thoughts, sometimes even discovering mind blasting ideas that I would never have gotten to otherwise. Academics is and should be applicable to life, and Ms. Kay made it possible for me to realize that. The ultimate purpose of ‘learning’ is to help us in the real world, and I feel that what Ms. Kay has to offer goes beyond school life, but can be useful in everyday life. Thus, I conclude by saying if I had to describe Ms. Kay’s class and what I’ve taken from it, it would be that thoughts create reality and thus by living in the present, we are creating a better future for ourselves. I must say that if it comes down to it, an interview would be much better for me to give my opinion on Ms. Kay’s class.”
My two years in Ms. Kay’s classes have definitely stood out to me. Besides switching up seating arrangements once in a while and emitting screams to playfully emphasize certain points, Ms. Kay also, more importantly, devotes a lot of time to preparing her curriculum and bringing in information from various outside sources to help her students not only understand what is being taught better, but also to give them a broader view of how the material they’re learning applies to themselves and their communities. That is what stands out to me the most; the fact that Ms. Kay puts in effort to teach us to make connections with what we’re learning to our lives. Learning about Benjamin Franklin, for example, didn’t just stop with analyzing his aphorisms; our class started personal projects modeled after Franklin’s attempt to perfect himself. We began tracking how we could right certain bad habits or characteristics that we didn’t really like about ourselves.
From that project, I grew more and more aware of my reactions to certain situations and became more skilled at preventing myself from worrying too much or procrastinating. For an entire year, we were trained to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate; we became adept at forming connections between what could seem like disparate situations or content, and at thinking critically and for ourselves.
Ms. Kay values developing relationships with her students. She will get to know her students better and then tailor how she plans on teaching a lesson to the needs and quirks of her students. She calls teaching my tenth grade American Literature class, for example, ‘visiting.’ However, that term by no means implies that the class was a breeze. Ms. Kay’s classes are rigorous and challenging; one needs to fully apply him/herself and participate actively. Ms. Kay is famous for her pop-quizzes; she will suddenly pause – usually after saying something very important – and say, ‘Pop quiz! Here’s the scrap paper!‘ She then proceeds to ask a question related to what she was talking about and gives us about five minutes to answer it. Pop-quizzes are, while quite unnerving, very effective at keeping the class on its toes and a good way to measure how well a class has digested the information.
For my senior year, I plan on taking a third course with Ms. Kay: AP Psychology. I know what to expect: challenges, new connections, insights, and, from what I’ve heard from people who have already taken the course, meditation. I look forward to each and every one of those things.”
I know for a fact that Ms. Kay has dedicated her life to self-actualization as well as helping others to self-actualize. From a social psychology perspective, Ms. Kay’s life has been an adventure of finding herself in a word that tries to impose conformity. Ms. Kay to me has always been a free spirit and I know for a fact that she is the type of person who is strong enough and brave enough to break the walls of conformity. I think she, through her personal life and engagement in different schools of rather progressive thought, has developed an attitude towards life that allows her to break through the prejudices and stereotypes of the culture she lives in. Coming to Taiwan has been a huge battle for her, or it sounds like it has been a huge battle because Taiwan is not so welcoming to a “wai guo ren” (Mandarin Chinese for foreigner; literally translated – “outsider”). Seeing as she is what Taiwanese and Asian people think of white people, the blonde hair blue eyed type of woman, she has had to face even more stereotypes than most other people. But what is important to take out of her ‘adventures’ here in Taiwan is that it has allowed her to realize just how strong of a person she is, that no matter if she is sometimes discriminated upon by the people or if she is just one person in a very small group, she has nonetheless made up for that by being the best person that she can be and in turn inspiring those around her.”