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Higher Purpose of Relationships

Posted on: December 29, 2009by Dr Kim Dr Hil

Relationship Mirror

Relationships constantly challenge and call you to create, express and experience higher aspects of yourself. This ultimately allows you to step into grander and grander visions of yourself.

Given this perspective, without relationships you cannot completely fulfill your purpose in life, express your authentic potential or contribute to the world around you.

Relationships are a powerful tool for personal growth as they provide a constant mirror reflecting your light and shadow. There is no other place where your buttons are pushed and you are thus stretched to grow and move beyond who you think you are then through the mirror of another.

Realize Your Authentic Self

In the Highest sense relationships serve to help you construct who you are. Through relationships you are able to realize your Self. By Self with a capital S we mean your Authentic Self, Higher Self or Spiritual Self.

It is through your daily encounters with your environment including the people in it and the contrast they offer that you expand yourself on greater levels. Without these encounters and experiences you would be bored, with nothing to bump up against to reflect your choicesâ€¦ nothing to make a difference inâ€¦. nothing to call you toward a greater sense of achieving your potential.

Every human encounter matters in your personal evolution and growth. What if you were to bless every encounter and relationship for whatever opportunity it serves in allowing you to experience yourself? When you allow personal relationships to guide you to choose your highest vision of yourself, you open doors of personal transformation and move mountains of growth.

Coaching and Counseling

Hilary Stokes Ph.D. and Kim Ward Ph.D. have been a team for 20 years, specializing in mind, body, spirit psychology. They are the authors of the bestselling books The Happy Map: Your roadmap to the habit of happiness and Manifesting Mindset: The 6-step formula for attracting your goals and dreams and founders of Authenticity Associates Coaching and Counseling. They are passionate about combining the best of holistic and traditional approaches to health and happiness. If you are interested in learning the answers to the most frequently asked questions on how to decrease stress and increase happiness sign up for their free video series.

About the Authors

Hilary Stokes Phd

HIlary Stokes, Ph.D., LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist in California with more than 25 years of clinical experience, specializing in trauma therapy, PTSD treatment, anxiety, depression, and nervous system healing. She holds Master's degrees in Clinical Social Work and Kinesiology and Sports Psychology and a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology. Dr. Stokes is extensively trained and certified in brainspotting, EMDR, somatic therapy and other mind body approaches. Her integrative work bridges neuroscience, mindfulness, and holistic psychology to help clients process unresolved trauma, rewire stress patterns, and build emotional resilience.

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Dr. Stokes’ clinical approach is informed by advanced professional training and her own healing journey from complex trauma, which shaped her commitment to therapies that go beyond traditional talk therapy. She has worked in psychiatric hospitals, addiction and PTSD treatment centers, universities, integrative medical facilities, and private practice. As co-developer of the psychology and wellness programming at Sanoviv Medical Institute, she witnessed firsthand the power of integrating mind and body for lasting transformation. Today she helps individuals heal trauma, strengthen emotional regulation and reclaim purpose through brainspotting, EMDR, somatic therapy and mindfulness interventions.

Kim Ward Phd

Kim Ward, Ph.D. holds both a masters and a doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Tibetan Buddhist Psychology. She brings more than 25 years of experience in trauma recovery, Brainspotting and mind-body transformation. She is extensively trained and certified in Brainspotting, somatic therapy, and trauma-informed approaches. Dr. Ward integrates neuroscience, nervous system regulation and consciousness-based psychology to help individuals process unresolved trauma, shift limiting beliefs, and access greater emotional resilience. Her work focuses on healing at the root, beyond symptom management, through brain-body therapies that create lasting change.

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As co-developer of the psychology and wellness programs at Sanoviv Medical Institute, Dr. Ward brings a uniquely holistic perspective to trauma therapy and personal growth. Her path from corporate leadership into psychology shaped her commitment to helping clients move beyond external success toward embodied fulfillment and emotional freedom. Dr. Ward's expertise combines Brainspotting, emotional intelligence, contemplative psychology and purpose-driven coaching. Drawing from both advanced academic training and lived experience navigating complex family mental health dynamics, she supports clients in transforming stress patterns, reclaiming vitality, and aligning with authentic purpose.