“Working with Dr. Alison for the past three months has made an enormous healing possible for me. Between her healing products, special clearings and intuitively guided coaching recommendations, I have experienced a dramatic reduction in PTSD symptoms such as hyper-vigilance, sleepless-ness, poor digestion and general distrust. Dr. Alison’s skill as an energy healer –combined with her joyful and uplifting demeanor and extensive knowledge, means there really hasn’t been anything coming up in my process that she can’t handle. I feel so much better each day and am getting my life back and am moving forward.

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”

“I am so glad I found Dr.Alison J. Kay when I was suicidal & homeless! I only listened to her free call & it’s recording a few times & have made an incredible transition! My family cannot believe how much healthier & lighthearted I am!!!  I am now enrolling in the weekly calls so I can be invincible in all ways!! Dr. Kay is the very best thing that has ever happened to me!!! Your free audios have upgraded me to a high-quality apartment & I’m paying a reasonable amount for it! Thanks for saving my life! I am so honored. This is so philanthropic of you!.”

“I’ve been working with Alison for over a year and a half. I attend her small group theta healing sessions and monthly workshops at Enchanted Earth in Dunedin, as well as one-on-one sessions about once a month.  My life has shifted to more positive everything; work, love, money, relationships, physical health. I got a more desirable position at work. And I started loving my career again.

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.”

“I have been working with Dr. Alison for about 6 one-on-one sessions now (as well as the Tuesday night weekly group calls) and my life has shifted in such profound ways!  I sought out Dr. Alison to help with clearing a node in my neck; working with her has opened up and healed far more than just working on my node.  Emotionally and mentally, I have felt so much more at peace and balanced – I am not triggered as much or really at all by my kids, other family members, or events. There is just an overall sense of calm that I feel.  The coaching she does on our calls as well has helped me to become aware of my old patterns and to help me move through them. I used to be so anxious and controlling with how things went in my life, and I don’t feel the pull to react like that any more. 

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.”

“Dear Alison,  I am a USAF veteran that had a severe car accident 32 years ago. I was in a coma for 19 days and once I awoke I didn’t recognize my Mom or anyone else. My injuries that I am now able to handle and deal with because of Wendy, who introduced me to you and your wonderful energy work.  Thanks before I explain further some of the benefits I’ve experienced over the four years that I’ve been attending your Wednesday night Class at Wendyfit Yoga/Pilates Studio in Oldsmar, FL.  For nearly everyday since my car accident in 1986 I would have serious bad headaches which were debilitating, as well as serious Sinusitis which nearly killed me 3 times, but due to Good care at Bay Pines VA hospital, I survived. After I had been studying and practicing Yoga with Wendy O’lenic for 11 years I met you and began these weekly sessions with you and within a month to a month and a half after we started to work together, I began to tune into you monthly free clearing calls from which I learned ways to managed and eliminate my Sinus Headaches and other bad symptoms. That is my success over four years with Dr Alison J. Kay.”

“Back in October I was hospitalized for the first time in my life was a very sensitive condition that resulted into very sensitive surgeries. It’s been a long time of healing I have had a lot of soreness tenderness and internal trauma. I’ve known Allison out for a couple years and right after coming out of the hospital I received a second chakra clearing from her I woke up the next day feeling 75% better finally able to move around a little with ease with minimal pain. A month later I received a second chakra clearing and healing from Allison resulting in waking up the next morning finally pain-free. She is truly a gifted healer and I saw immediate results within less than 24 hours! Please please please inquire with her about her techniques, her intuitiveness, and her art – she is truly a blasted healer (able to blast the light, or chi, or life force energy) and I am blessed to have her in my life.”

“I want to send you a quick ‘thank you’ for all you did for me (and us) over the weekend.  You talk so much exactly how I think in discussions with the other practitioners, and you do it indeed non-judgmental. Very well done!  I am so impressed about your teaching skills in addition to being a very good and ethical energy healer! Balancing so many things at the same time and deal with the unexpected.”

“Thank you for your continued distance healing of myself & Grandma Joan Smith, the oldest COVID survivor I know at 83! The summer I have started sun gazing as part of my earthing & nature has been good to me in my healing Journey. I turned 36 this month & wanted to thank you all as I couldn’t have done it without energy healers as I was dying last year.”

“I always feel that my world gets better when I’m around you!”

I’m happy for the work and the notes, especially about the throat chakra. Yay !! Because my understanding is that something is shifting within. Indeed, this week I had an awareness of countless situations of my past where I did not feel safe to use my voice to express anything important to me. Not speaking (loud) was a way of hiding as well. I’m on my (high)way to freedom thanks to you. Thanks. Thanks. By the way, I want to let you know that my kids told me that I was happy, laughing like never before. What else is possible?”

“When I came out of the room after our session last Thursday and you were waiting for me your head was an orb of glowing warm golden light. I was so surprised that I was speechless. So beautiful…….. It lasted for a minute or so. Had to tell you.”

“Hello Dr Alison,  I am so grateful for the work you have done with my mother.  You have turned what was sadness into joy and I believe deeply that my mother will do great in this journey! Not last week but the week before I was in town that entire week and after your appointment, my mother was so physically unbelievably different! No drool, talking was easier (we did make her stop per your request), she had energy and just had a bright healing white light surrounding her! After that session, it has given me personally an extra skip in my step, hope, excitement and believing in this journey to be successful and all my mother (and all of us) want for her! There are no words to thank you for gifting my parents and all of us girls that hope by your magic showing so quickly!! We are also grateful that you are part of this process! You are magic and you are beautiful and you are exactly the love and light my mother and father need for this journey! Its PERFECT!

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!!”

“When I started with Alison, I was deep in the process of a difficult divorce. After 23 years of marriage, I had lost my home, my income, and my strength. I had two children who depended on me and were struggling with losing all that they knew. My dear friend recommended Alison to me so that I could start the healing process and find my inner strength. After a few sessions, my clarity began to improve. I started to trust my instincts again. After a few more sessions, I started to understand why my life had come to this point and that, from this moment on, my life would be completely different. I realized that I was in the driver’s seat. My life could be whatever I designed, without limits. I had to ask the questions so that the answers would come. It has now been over a year since my divorce was final. I am in love with the most wonderful man who is good to me, my children and himself. My children are strong, independent, smart( too smart sometimes:) and healthy. We have grown so close during this process. We laugh every day. I had the strength to close my business I worked so hard to establish because I realized the energy surrounding it was not healthy for me. I have now started a new business and I am thriving. My life is now grounded in generosity and giving to others. I am living in the question. With some hard work and Alison’s expertise and guidance, I am happy and whole. Thank you, Alison. I couldn’t have done it without you. Namaste, dear friend.”

”I worked for 18 months with a very good acupuncturist on my high blood pressure with good results.  But my blood pressure was still 10-15 points too high and I felt we made no further progress.  Then I scheduled a couple of sessions with Alison (after regularly taking her Meditation & Chakra Yoga Class) and the results were amazing! My blood pressure is back to normal.  I feel I have control over my life and health again after years of handing over the responsibility to doctors and acupuncturists.

I have found my real self again by working with Alison on clearing my chakras.  Thank you, Alison!”

“My husband of 61 years and I are in the process of creating a joyful new life style for our selves. This could never have happened without the magical clearing sessions we have had with Alison for the past nine months.  Our marriage has been hinged together by deep emotional disturbances I have experienced since marrying him and blamed him in the process. He then would absorb my anger filling me with remorse. This hopeless cycle has continued through the birth of our four children, and on into our 8th decade.

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.”

“I worked my whole life – almost 30 years in the medical field and OOPS! LIFE HAPPENED! I was in a car accident! I was off work for nine months. I did the usual physical therapies, surgeries, etc. I was ready to go back to work, so I did. But two days later, life happened again! I had another car accident! This was worse than the other! So again, surgeries, physical therapy, etc. This time my doctors said I did everything right. I did all I could. “We can’t help you anymore”, the (doctors) said. So, I left the medical profession and came over to the holistic, energy / spiritual way. I did Reiki, acupuncture, and meditation. Still, my back was so bad I could not lay in a bed for more than fifteen or twenty minutes. I slept many nights in my recliner, which led to circulation problems and also RSD.

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!”

“When I met Dr. Kay, heard her lecture and had an in-person energy session with her I experienced such a tangible sensation in my body that I still haven’t found one exact best way to describe it! While in the session I felt what I call “God bumps”… sort of similar to “goose bumps” but on the inside. The feelings could also be labeled as: “chill bumps”, “thrill bumps”, tingles, ripples, or energetic waves. I definitely agree with how others describe their sessions with Dr. Kay – that she’s a “lightning bolt”! 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?”

“Hi Alison, I’d been to a few group Theta Healing sessions with Alison and found them relaxing, meditative and a lovely way to clear my head of negative self-talk, but moved out of the area and figured that was it!

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.

“Hi Alison,  I just wanted to thank you for the most amazing energy session I have ever experienced. Your skills are beyond any I have ever known. I’ve met a lot of people who claim to have great abilities but the treatment ends up being just okay. Yours was way beyond what I expected… and that was a wonderful surprise!  Can’t wait for my next session!”

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

“I don’t have access to the negative thinking anymore. It’s like I’ve been reprogrammed,”

“Dr. Alison Kay provides a unique and safe healing space and is able to channel some of the purest energy that I have ever felt from a Reiki practitioner. Within one week, I felt dramatic shifts and after two sessions, my life has gone from stagnant and stuck to stimulated, shimmering, moving and balanced. I feel like the doorway has finally opened for the strong, focused warrior within to emerge. Thank you Alison!”

I attended Alison’s Thetahealing™ workshop in January 2012. It was a healing for the blocks with Prosperity, Joy, and Abundance. My whole attitude and perspective of life has transformed since this healing.  In the end of January, I started working at my dream job as a chelation IV therapy nurse.  I now see the economy, too, and my life as prosperous and abundant.”

“I used to look out into the world like I was in a prison, thinking I’d not be able to come out and play.  After the first 5 sessions with Alison, when I then chose to place myself into a social gathering – me taking a risk! – and I had those same old thoughts come up that used to torment me about social interactions, I was able to just ignore them. They had not hold on me, like I wasn’t attached to them anymore. I can’t go back to the past energies, now that I’ve had this taste of freedom. There’s nothing holding me back from following my bliss now!”

“I attended Alison’s Thetahealing workshop for healing blocks with prosperity, joy and abundance. My whole attitude and perspective of life has transformed since this healing. Within a month I started working at my dream job as a chelation IV therapy nurse. I now see the economy, too, and my life as prosperous and abundant.”

“So I want to let you know how much your Theta Work has done for me.  Week 8-7 were exactly the ones I do… in fact, sounded like my own words toward the end, except this time I felt the c##p leave.  Thank you!  Week 8-15 was absolutely incredible!  More stuff left!  Lots more! I am so grateful to you for having helped me all this time.  Pretty sure no one else could have!

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!”

“When I first listened to this audio, I could really feel a ton of energy moving, however, I also thought to myself “Alison mumbles”…..well, let me start by saying that Alison speaks very clearly….she does NOT mumble! The truth is, there were many layers that had to be cleared before I could hear her properly….it’s been several weeks of listening before I go to sleep and last night I had to laugh at myself because there was a whole section I had never heard before….literally, specific words that my consciousness was not ready to receive. I am very grateful to Alison for this clearing audio, it has released a ton of stuff, creating a feeling of lightness, ease and flow that I didn’t have before. Thank you Alison!”

“Dear Friends, I have been working one on one with Alison for several months and have experienced such profound changes. I had chronic hip pain for over 16 years that could not be relieved even with a regular yoga practice and medical treatment. After two months of working with Alison, my hip pain vanished. My business is taking off faster now than I was prepared for, and my marriage is much more fun and rewarding. But that’s not the best part… I feel lighter than air and I am having more fun than I could ever have imagined.

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!”

“I walked in that door & didn’t think I could do what it is I really want to. Now I do. I feel like I can do that and anything I choose. Wow, that stuff is cool!”

“Wow!  My ear just popped!  It’s been blocked for over a month and just from standing here and talking with you for the past 10 minutes it popped open!  Totally cool!”

“I have truly enjoyed your class!  I find that your precision in the poses and explanations on how to fine tune my poses have refined my Yoga practice and have allowed me to see amazing results!  In just three weeks, I have seen more definition in my arms and legs; lost stomach fat and strengthened my arms and legs!  Two added benefits have been a sense of balance and the relief of an unknown squeaking noise in my neck!  After just two sessions, it was gone!  I’ve had that noise in my neck for over a year!  Nothing has helped it!  After one week of missing sessions, the noise returned and after one session back it is gone!  THANK YOU!!!!”

“I had taken several classes on meditation before but Alison’s class was the first one I’ve taken that taught specific methods and examples on detachment from the mind.  It was different in that regard and it allowed me to go deeper down the path of mind training and spiritual discipline.”

“Even though I’ve been a meditator and student of Eastern Philosophy for many years, Alison was able to impart to me information and knowledge that has enhanced my meditation experiences and practice.  She is a gifted teacher and shining example of how meditation can enrich a person’s life.”

“After years of trying to free myself from physical and mental imbalances, I crossed Alison´s path.

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!”

“Dear Alison,

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.”

“I feel like I can face myself more directly now.  There’s a certain fearlessness that I have in showing the world who I am now.  It’s truly freedom.

…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.”

“I met my Reiki Master, purely by accident, she was cleansing her lymphatic system on the rebounder when I approached her at the gym.  My intention was not about anything other than an inquiry into her using the rebounder.

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!”

“Alison has shown a personal attention to my needs as a client that is truly extraordinary.  We have been able to fine-tune a program that engages my mind, body, and spirit fully on the journey toward wellness and health.  What is amazing about her program is that I am given just the right mix of encouragement and discipline, tailored to my exact needs.  This method has enabled me to persevere in a weight loss/exercise/life change program for the first time in my life knowing that I am transforming my life, not just my body.”

“Alison’s knowledge and support helped me with a fasting and detox program, and then with making subsequent lifestyle changes.  Her experience told me that everybody and situation is different, yet she let me know what to expect with the program, nonetheless.  That left me feeling less vulnerable, and more able to handle what came up during the detox program, which was a relief!  She was a great listener, and cheerleader when I needed it most.  As I was going through the detox, she helped me through the accompanying psychological releases.  Towards the end of the fast, she gave me some tips on how to move on and away from what I had cleansed myself from during the fast, so I could feel more confident about the future.  The program gave me more benefits than I had even anticipated.  She is a friend, and I will continue to consult her when I need help pushing myself to get through the unexpected to get to the positive.”

“When I first got the idea to get into Reiki as a practitioner and work with animals with Reiki, I was given 2 different peoples’ numbers. Both of whom referred me to the next one until finally I was given Alison’s email. Our connection was superb right out of the gate. We then agreed upon a time and place to start this process; I had no idea what to expect from it. Alison started the Reiki Level I training and 4 attunements with me by explaining the history of Reiki and then her history with Reiki and energy work. It was all so very interesting and impressive to me. The comfortable and connected feeling I received from the process was wonderful. Plus, not to mention, I had sprained my ankle about 1 week before that and was in discomfort while walking and after leaving Alison I had no pain at all…….amazing. After I received the 2 days of attuning I was a little off balance emotionally. I emailed Alison and she promptly replied reassuring me that it was normal and it will pass. And it did. I can not wait to continue on this journey with Alison.”

“I don’t know what it is.  I don’t understand it.  And if you asked me years ago about this energy stuff I’d be one of the ones skeptical and disbelieving.  But something is happening and I feel good and others are noticing too.  And this I know.  There is something going on here.”

“Alison, or as I call her ‘my high-powered energy girl,’ well a couple of things come to mind right now about her.  One, I think her energy alone, not even during a treatment, was/is trying to re-wire my brain.  I used to have thinking and memory issues (might come partly from my father who’s had to deal with dyslexia all his life), which is one reason I never did too well in school.  But fortunately, even at it’s worst, I always knew deep inside that it wasn’t who I really was…so my inner/higher self has been saving me all my life ~ and now Alison has been helping me shift my energy and mind and all…both through the energy medicine sessions, and just from talking with her.  BTW, I’ve been getting lots of comments from people who say I look great – and not just about what I’m wearing – but the bright sparkle in my eyes, and the way my face seems to be lit up.  I’ve apparently changed so much that others are noticing it – kinda before me; the outside changes, anyways.  And I’ve really only just begun this work with Alison!  (1.5 months, 1 time a week).

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.”

“Alison combines such a depth of awareness of my personal needs and knowledge of her field as she fine-tunes my routines–this attention to detail led to results!

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.”

“As I walked into the classroom for that first time after school for an energy healing session, Ms. Kay was sitting in her usual blue chair waiting for me. We talked about how I had injured myself several times playing basketball. It was time to change everything. Ms. Kay talked about it was not only a physical problem, but also a mental factor. She pressed her hand gently on my leg as we both closed our eyes. Ms. Kay wanted me to picture myself as high as I used to jump and as fast as I used to run. Day in day out, three weeks passed. During the three sessions we had each week, we not only talked about problems regarding my leg injury, we also talked about life in general: how I was maintaining my composure during junior year (I had Ms. Kay as a classroom teacher the year before, but no longer was her student) as well as my status with Steph (my girlfriend, who had Ms. Kay in our English class, and in her fitness and nutrition activity before I met Ms. Kay). Right now, I play basketball as if I weren’t injured. Sometimes I imagine myself getting hurt again and feeling pity for myself; however Ms. Kay’s reassuring voice brings me back to the present telling myself that this injury will bother me no further. Surely, Ms. Kay not only changed me physically but mentally as a basketball player. She was not only a teacher, but also one of my dearest friends.”

(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.)

“I am Ann Chen and I will be graduating this year from …. I have known Ms. Alison J. Kay for seven years and have taken most, if not all of her classes.  Humanities in sixth grade, American Literature in 10th, Fitness and Nutrition in 11th, and AP Psychology in twelfth grade.  As my teacher, my supporter and my friend, Ms. Kay has helped me blossom throughout the years. She has enabled me to develop from the little child whose feet couldn’t touch the ground into the girl today who chooses proudly to walk her own path.

‘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.”

“From Ms. Kay I learned the process of helping one become more mature and happy. There are many ways to make one’s self falsely happy, but there is only one way true way to achieve true happiness. True happiness is achieved by embracing yourself, connecting your mind and your soul together. The embracing of self allows one to realize who one truly is, and what each of our ultimate purpose in life is.  That is what Ms Kay taught me, the process of unifying my soul with my mind to obtain peaceful happiness

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.”

“My name is Samuel Wang and I was in Ms. Kay’s class for two years, once in 6th grade for Humanities and once in sophomore year for ”Global Psychology” of high school.  I felt a difference in the process of learning in her classes.

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.”

“Over the past year, with the guidance of Ms. Kay, I have been experimenting with meditation in my AP Psychology class.  Meditation has benefited me in many ways.  Senior year would have been extremely stressful, with AP’s and college applications, but I believe that meditating helped me manage my time well, and helped me succeed in my senior year of high school. I had Ms. Kay as an English teacher in 10th grade English.  This was what motivated me to take AP Psychology with her this year, because I knew I would learn things that not only pertained to psychology, but would also pertain to my life.  With the discovery of meditation, I have not been disappointed.  Ms. Kay has thoroughly guided us on learning meditation, insisting that we write journal entries of what we experience, and to analyze them.  From these journals, we were then instructed to assess an overall tone to our meditation, to get to know our minds’ typical mood, so that we could then become more aware of this moodiness tendency in our lives.  With the journals, we have also been able to examine what we did “wrong” and what we did “right,” in regards to how much we were able to bring our attention off of our thoughts and back to our breath, if we were fighting sleep, what we got caught in thinking about, so we could talk to Ms. Kay about our progress, and therefore be able to correct ourselves and improve our meditation technique the next time.  That really helped me stay on track with the progress of learning how to train my attention and focus back on the breath in my body instead of whatever random story my mind was creating.

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.

“It is not everyday that you walk into class and the teacher tells you to start meditating – well that was exactly what Ms. kay did for our AP Psychology class.  Even before I entered senior year, which is my second year in this school, “Ms. Kay” has been reiterated to me multiple times, based not on the everyday complaints but how unique she is.

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.

“The teachers at our International School … are all unquestionably outstanding.  But among these teachers, the most memorable one I’ve had is definitely Ms. Kay.  And that’s not just because she gave us homework every single day.  I know Ms. Kay would credit her strong impression amongst students to her practice of meditation.

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.”

“There are a lot of things that can be said that describe how Ms. Kay’s class is different from other teachers’ classes.  Ms. Kay herself is an extraordinary teacher who teaches quite differently from other teachers.  Her teaching style is all about integration of the academic world with the ‘real’ world.  I can honestly say that for every concept that we’ve learned in her class, she has brought in some sort of outside material whether it be in newspaper articles, music, or just personal anecdotes to help us understand the concepts on a more personal level.  Beyond that, she also pushes us to make our own judgments on how we see things around us; she stimulates us to try to look at things from a ‘beginner’s mind’ perspective.  Or in other words, to try to look at things with an unbiased eye, particularly something new.

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 name is Hannah Yung and I am currently a junior.  I have been taught Humanities and American Literature by Ms. Kay in 6th grade and 10th grade, respectively.  Ms. Kay was also my homeroom teacher in 6th grade.  Thus, I would say that I have had sufficient exposure to Ms. Kay’s teaching style and what the environment is like insider her classroom.

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.”

“What I learned from Ms. Kay was how to evaluate my own personality, and learn how to self-actualize.  Before I met Ms. Kay, I had never thought about my inner self or the fact that perhaps everyone is part of a collective consciousness.  But now that I’ve met her, my eyes have been opened to a world of both conscious and unconscious exploration.

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.”