This diamond remains imprisoned as long as we ignore it, distract ourselves from it, pretend it isn’t there, and try to make of it something that it’s not. The diamond will never be seen by us or others as long as we hide behind false and hollow images of a self we wish we were, pretend we are, or convince ourselves we are. We show to the world a lie, a fake story, a shadow of lost dreams, visions, and hopes.
ASAT™ C.O.R.E. Counseling is not about helping others make a lie a truth; it’s not about making the rock more comfortable to carry.
ASAT™ C.O.R.E. Counseling is not about painting it to make it more presentable; it’s not about hanging tiny sparkly baubles or colored strips of paper to help the rock become more attractive.
ASAT™ C.O.R.E. Counseling is not about assisting others in making a bad thing better or a make-believe story real. ASAT™ C.O.R.E. is about awakening the truth in each of us and responding to the tiny, silent voices yearning to be expressed.
ASAT™ C.O.R.E. counselors, step by step, challenge the rock’s existence, and inch by inch, strip away its illusionary substance. Like Michelangelo, we chip away at false beliefs, diminishing attitudes, and weak and limiting thinking. We remove those painful and imprisoned feelings and chisel away those errant choices and decisions. We sharpen our sculpting tools by lifting our desires, honoring and awakening our imagination, and strengthening our weak and faulty expectations. We elevate our skills in crafting through the daily practice of love, gratitude, hope, discipline, courage, and self-trust. And, most of all, we dream futures and prioritize their awakening.
ASAT™ C.O.R.E. counselors are sculptors. No, we don’t make works of art; we reveal diamonds. And no, we’re not renovators. We listen for the faint voices yearning to be heard, we search amid the many make-believe stories to find the more real story glistening deep within, and we chip away, shard by shard, the rock that hides a diamond. We do this for our clients, and most of all, we do this for ourselves.
We are sculptors of futures, glorious futures, and artisans of dreams and visions yet to be.
Dr. Hart is the founder and president of the American Society of Alternative Therapists (ASAT™) and creator of the ASAT C.O.R.E. Counseling program. He has been in private counseling and alternative health education for more than forty years. Martin’s courses and seminars have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The London Sunday Telegraph, and other publications.