Richard Harvey
connecting psychotherapy and spiritual growth for human awakening
the great challenge of a human life
It is the potential of every person to grow into a whole human being. The great challenge of a human life is to discover all that is within the human heart.
My work bridges personal therapy and inner work with spiritual growth.
Personal exploration is qualitatively different from spiritual development: the former requires self-absorption, the latter requires self surrender. In the first we discover ourselves, in the second we liberate ourselves.
The difference has confused many seekers. To my knowledge no one has clearly explained how these two processes are really one single connected process.
We can pass from one to the other through the bridge of authenticity, a bridge that we cross when we experience personal transformation.
In personal work we change, but authenticity is only reached through transformation. This is the ultimate goal of personal inner work. On the spiritual level our attainment is surrendered in service to our divine nature.
Today the secrets are known, so there is no mystery about the modern mystic path. But merely knowing the secret does not reflect our need to live it and to follow the path. The essential secret is that we are consciousness and consciousness is eternal. Freedom from separation and attachments involves living into this secret until it becomes our central reality… beyond fear and desire.
My life-long search has been to realize this freedom. My enduring work with others has been to share what I have found openly and accessibly, to guide others on the inner journey, and to enable and empower them to awaken to consciousness and realize their true nature.
There are three levels of awakening—personal, authentic and spiritual. I call these three levels:
They form the foundation of my work.
Our small sense of self, which we experience as character, is a reflection of our deeper self. But when we become attached to the small self we deny ourselves freedom. We partly do this through clinging to the small sense of self and living in a prison of emotional and behavioral patterns which effectively have us going round in circles without any memory that we have repeated life experiences which are dictated by our conditioning. To conceal this from ourselves we use our character as a defense. Our character has to be brought consistently to awareness until it becomes transparent to us and we understand it for what it is, live with it in a positive way and become empowered to make new choices. This is the work of personal therapy and the aim is to resolve the unfinished business of our early life experiences.
When we have recognized and shed our attachment to our small sense of self, we are faced with the fact that, since we are not our character, we don’t really know who we are. There follows a great adventure in authenticity. We confront our fears and desires in a radical way and ask, “If I am not willing to be who I really am, then what is the meaning of my life?” Thus we cross a threshold of truth and sincerity to fundamental change. No longer are we driven by the compulsions of our habitual emotional and behavioral drives and living in a prison of our own making. We become genuine, real and our relationships to life and to others are transformed by this new understanding. This is the work of depth psychotherapy and the aim is to become self-responsible and authentic.
The true Self is the state of perfect freedom in which we transcend the human conditions of fear and desire. We reach a deep understanding of the body-mind and soul as incarnate spirit and practice living out of emptiness and not-knowing. This is how we learn to truly be, beyond separation and attachment. It is the state of non-ordinary ordinariness, wisdom and unity. It is experienced by many temporarily but it requires great courage and determination to remain in it.
This is the work of psycho-spiritual psychotherapy and the aim is to live in the present moment beyond memory of the past or fear of the future, centered in the spiritual realms beyond the personal, being entirely natural and living from our true nature.
Make the time to learn from Richard’s unique approach to the human and spiritual-development wisdom education philosophy which he teaches…. Jansenius T. Lange Jnr., modern philosopher, author/writer, keynote public speaker, Founder/President of Self-Development Wisdom Institutes.
I experience my encounter with Richard as a gift of life and as the answer to a deep, if unconscious, longing or need for a guide at this stage of my life—Richard embodies his true human nature. As a therapist, he is non-dogmatic, aware of the pitfalls of his position and attuned to the present reality and needs of his clients. H.C.
Thank you dearest Richard, my life is more and more falling apart! But the deep fear that was scaring me when I came to therapy has completely ceased and been replaced by a deep inner feeling of love towards existence as it is and an ability to embrace and welcome whatever is experienced, even when life still does not present itself from the rosy/cosy side. I realise the choicelessness in life and am more able to flow with what is, as I dive deeply into the unknown. This is the first time in my life that I have experienced such a state of not knowing anything at all. My visions, dreams, desires and beliefs have disappeared almost totally. They have become so transparent that, as soon as I want to hold on to them, they explode like soap-bubbles. Sometimes the thought of being completely lost appears, but it’s just this unknown and new way of dealing with life that I am getting used to. While I feel I have no security at all in the outside, my inner security grows day by day. I found my new home, my heart, my inner Self, the only real Reality from where this whole outside world is merely a reflection. Once again, I love expressing my gratitude for your guidance. You gave me a push in the right direction when I so much needed it. Thank you!!!! All love. Bodhi Asta Fallschessel