What does it actually mean to be client-led? And how do we ensure we’re not subtly leading our clients away from themselves—even when we have good intentions?
In this solo teaching episode, Harmony explores the foundational principle of honoring a client’s sovereign will—the unconditioned inner authority that guides deep healing. Drawing from transpersonal and gestalt therapy, she defines what sovereignty is, how it differs from trauma-based desire, and why any meaningful and lasting change must arise from within the client.
You’ll hear how sovereignty gets disrupted when therapists try to shift perception, insert insight, or follow the client’s conditioned mind. Harmony names the difference between a therapeutic desire and an agenda, and explains how real transformation happens through awake awareness, deep presence, and attunement to the client’s own longing.
This episode also includes a recap of a live demo session (Season 3 | Episode 7), where a client’s return to their sovereign voice—“I have choice”—becomes the gateway to profound integration and repair.
To hear the full, unedited session from Episode 7, join us on Patreon.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, supervision, or professional consultation.
Harmony Kwiker, MA, is a psychotherapist, author, and founder of the Institute for Spiritual Alignment. She teaches Transpersonal Gestalt Therapy at Naropa University and trains therapists, coaches, and healers in holistic, client-led approaches to transformation. With over two decades of experience, Harmony bridges modern psychology with spiritual wisdom, guiding practitioners to honor the sovereign will of the client and work from awake awareness. She is the author of The Awakened Therapist, Holistic Co-Regulation, Align, and Reveal.
Learn more at: awakentherapist.com