Community Highlights: Meet Liat Alon of The Wild and Authentic Path (Therapy and Coaching)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liat Alon.

Hi Liat, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Once upon a time, I was in the darkness. We’re talking devastating breakup, clinical depression, basically everything as I knew it crumbling to dust. I was working as a psychotherapist at the time and felt like a fraud. I quit my job, surrendered to the unknown, and sought ways to heal myself. The traditional mental health system introduced me to overpriced experts who prescribed pills to numb me from my pain. Numbness isn’t life. Functionality isn’t aliveness. I flushed my pills down the toilet and told the experts that their services were no longer required. I found myself alone in the Wilderness for weeks at a time. I felt Mamma Earth beneath me and She held me and healed me and WHOLEd me. Alone in Wilderness, I was happy. When I returned to civilization, my depression returned. I moved back and forth from civilization to Wilderness- from sickness to aliveness. I learned that I was not sick, rather the society to which I belonged was sick. Depression was my body’s wisdom letting me know that something was wrong with the way we are living.

While civilization demands the mental slavery of, “Go! Do! Accomplish! Succeed!” the natural rhythm sings, “seasons, cycles- time to work, time to rest, time to heal, time to play…” Today, as I practice living in alignment with that natural rhythm, I embody parts of me that are empowered, clear headed, joyful and ALIVE. Nature Therapy has become the heartbeat of my practice. And I have the painful process of facing my darkness to thank. From destruction comes new creation.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The struggles I face are similar in theme to the struggles we all face. We all face our wounded programming. This includes the negative thoughts we sometimes have about ourselves. Thoughts like: I’m not loveable, I’m not enough, I don’t belong, I’m unattractive, I’m a failure, etc. Our wounded programming can include habits that we form in reaction to these negative thoughts: different types of addictions, overeating, drinking, binge-watching television, workaholism, etc. Our wounded programming can include the discomfort of anxiety, sadness, anger, or fear. All humans experience some version of this- the details will be different for each individual, but the experience is universal. In my own continued personal and spiritual growth process, as I uncover more ways to embody the woman I want to become (wise, wild, authentic)- from time to time, I also encounter the older, wounded parts of me. When the wounded or uncomfortable thought, feeling, and behavior patterns reemerge, first I notice that it is happening. And second, I ask myself: how can I relate to this wounded aspect of myself differently this time around?

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Wild and Authentic Path (Therapy and Coaching)?
The Wild and Authentic Path is an integrative approach to personal growth work that combines ancient and modern wisdom traditions, talk therapy, nature therapy, art therapy, magick, and coaching. I’m most excited about the 3-day backpacking pilgrimages and day hikes in hidden trails of the Santa Monica Mountains. In these workshops and retreats, we hike, meditate, journal, make art, and connect with the natural world. We share our personal growth processes and cultivate conscious community. It is a truly moving experience to share the parts of the land that once healed me with other people. And not just any people, but with people who are engaged in inner work, aka the great work. I also offer weekly groups, private sessions and write a blog.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Many of us know what we want. We can imagine it, think about it, fantasize about it, but when it comes down to making that vision a reality- fear, doubt, distractions, logic, mundane responsibilities, etc., get in the way. My success is deeply rooted in disciplined devotion to a vision rooted in purpose. Disciplined devotion means I keep my vision at the forefront of consciousness and take aligned action every moment to move that vision from the realm of the mind to the realm of physical material reality. Disciplined devotion means I can recognize when “noise” wants to distract me. Noise comes in many forms. Noise can be familial judgments, needs, expectations. Noise can be the phone dinging and pinging and demanding attention. Noise can be my own wounded thoughts and fears reemerging. With disciplined devotion to my vision, I can notice the noise (rather than getting sucked in by it) and say, “thanks, but no thanks.” I can redirect my energy and attention onto that which I am capitol C Creating in my life. The vision, the sense of purpose, gives me a point of focus and acts as a guiding north star. It is a place that guides my decisions and a place to come back to when I have veered off course. The process I am attempting to capture is best described by a quote I once cut out of a magazine and glued into my sketchbook. I don’t know who wrote it. It says, “Purpose frames attention. In a world of plenty, a world of unlimited choice, we can wander towards sensory oblivion or, with effort, towards purpose.”

Contact Info:

• Email: Liat@wildandauthentic.com
• Website: www.wildandauthentic.com

Image Credits:
Illustrations by Amalia Restrepo