Our Philosophy and Mission

    The Whole Self Center’s philosophy suggests that every human being is more than a body with a brain. When caring for a child – a whole person - we are experiencing the creative spirit present in that child & in ourselves.

    • As we remain interested in exploring creative possibilities for the individual in the moment, we are more open to experiencing something new, such as developing a valuable skill we never knew or thought was possible.
    • In this way, we are less likely to stay stuck in repeating our old, inhibiting habits & behaviors.
    • By living this understanding with individuals with autism, we continue to become better able to respect & support children for who they already are, deserving of love & attention simply for being.

Your Hard-Wired Well-Being

Your Whole Self consists of (1) your PHYSICAL body, (2) your MENTAL/EMOTIONAL capacities, AND (3) the "ENERGY" that is using your physical body and mental/emotional capacities.

You can call the "energy" by any name, but perhaps it's easiest for all of us to agree that the "energy" can be consisted of "LIFE". Without LIFE, there is no way that a body and mind can exist as we know it. A body without breath is a shell.


LIFE has a mysterious way of taking care of itself. Our brains will never completely "figure out" the mystery. We might know that the body can digest food; and we might know how molecules break down the food we eat, but it is not likely that we will ever truly understand with our human brains HOW the energy of LIFE appeared in the first place to digest our food ,,, and how LIFE animates everything. All we can say for sure is that LIFE IS.

LIFE is animating every single living creature, including the human body. Even still, our brains have the uncanny ability to "think" we are animating our own bodies. Instead of working WITH the LIFE energy that animates us, our brains seek all sorts of external ideas (from other brains) for answers about how to animate our bodies "better". We can come to believe that other brains know what's best for us. Believing solely in the validity - even sanctity - of the external, we can easily get into the habit of thinking something "outside of us" controls how we feel and therefore what we do. In fact, we are taught that this is so, and we continue to believe that others "make us feel certain feelings and make us do certain actions".

The less we are aware that we are "caught up" in the beliefs of our brains, the more we will stay stuck repeating the conditioned patterns of our brain's neurological wiring that we unknowingly and innocently thought to be real and true and that are not in the best interest of maintaining our natural well-being / health. We forget that there is something BEYOND our brain's neurological wiring that USES our brain and can create NEW wiring...

It is true that the brain can "use" life ... but it is also true that LIFE uses the brain. The only question is: what are you paying attention to: the stories and beliefs contained in the wiring of your brain OR the freshness of each moment that LIFE has to offer each of us that can help us gain new perspectives concerning any situation we are experiencing?

The First premise of Whole Self Understanding is that none of us can ever be "separate from" the force of LIFE. We can "think" we are, and in doing so, not trust that LIFE and its guidance is available to us. Every one of us, even people with autism are in the natural process of becoming more aware often by trial and error of what is in our best interest and how LIFE is specifically expressing through us. We are all being given the opportunity to determine "what truly works to build our health and what doesn't". The first premise involves CHOICE and the truth that we indeed have one ... regardless of what our brain and other brains may tell us. Furthermore, it is important for those of us who care for people in need (such as a person with autism) to trust that LIFE will TEACH us what that person wants and needs so that we can support the person to slowly become more aware that they are not forever destined to be controlled by the compulsions, obsessions, and seemingly uncontrollable patterns of their brain's wiring. If we don't think it's possible, how will they?

The same LIFE force that is animating "you" is the same LIFE force that is animating "me" and every "other" person. As you come to trust more deeply and more fully in the LIFE that is "you", you naturally trust and affirm the LIFE that is in the "other", and working WITH / creating WITH / being WITH LIFE instead of against it amplifies the Hard-Wired Well-Being within us all.