Karen Carlson’s ‘Out of the Box’ Bio   My most outrageous holistic health practice is winter polar bear plunges in the Atlantic from Cape Henlopen Park near Lewes, DE.  It requires great commitment, courage, and a huge attitude upgrade for me to brave the wintry elements every month for a payoff that’s multidimensional and truly holistically expansive.  My greatest gift is being highly sensitive to people and nature.  This fosters a rich inner life as well as the ability to perceive life from other vantage points.  My vehicle of choice—I haul stuff in my ’88 full size Bronco, but when the sun’s out and the temperature is above 50 you’ll see me on my '92 Harley 1200 Sportster. In the romance department, I’ve been in love a couple of times, had some wonderful boyfriends, was engaged, and I’m looking forward to discovering the next intimate relationship with a special man. A delightful part of growing up was country style Halloween forays—always a major enterprise that netted me enough chocolate to last until Easter. Crummiest part of childhood was living amidst alcoholism, violence, and abuse, clueless about the extreme nature of these circumstances.  Present life passage is blending yin and yang~shaping a foundation for more physical expression like cutting firewood, climbing trees, ecstatic dancing as well as exploring more avenues for artistic expression. Education and life experience that shaped my mentor/healer expertise goes back more than a half century to the grammar school playground because some girls couldn’t twirl a baton.  Then there was teaching the younger Sunday school kids.       Every car trip to the beach or mountains, I tutored my family from two tiny pocket books—one on trees and the other birds.       The summer of ’61, I  mentored a neighbor boy in math so he could matriculate into the third grade.  He’d gotten behind on his work because of severe asthma.  I intuitively used holistic methods.  His grades shot up and his asthma cleared up 60%.       Majoring in journalism at UConn inspired me to work in Europe for a couple years. That led to my  doctorate in Naturopathy.       In 1977, I established one of the longest operating schools of massage and healing on the east coast—Dr. Karen Carlson International  Academy of Holistic Massage & Science.       I’ve personally certified >600 massage and healing practitioners, with the 50th course to begin in July 2007, limiting enrollment to 6 or 7 students so I can provide more personal mentoring.       I was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in 1983, and a silver medal by the 1986 International Naturopathic Congress in Paris. My resume cites hundreds of classes, courses and certifications—a continually growing list as I cultivate a beginner’s mind.  I've been featured on TV and radio programs, and published dozens of articles in magazines and newspapers. All of the above was a very rocky, tempest-tossed saga of human endurance and spiritual growth. Mentors to whom I’m indebted include Annette Frink, William Clark,Jr., Sufi Sage Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Moshe Feldenkrais, J. Krishnamurti, Ram Dass, Ida Rolf, Eunice Ingham-Stoppfel, John Thie, May Post, Anna Kaye, Dana Ullman, Jack Soltanoff,  Albert Schatz, Albert Ellis, Deepak Chopra, Bernie Siegal, Betty Lou Bettner. My life purpose is to express genuine joy in being my authentic self providing value in the world aligned with practical demonstration of love and light. My ideal student or client is a person who feels a strong calling to discover and grow and integrate all aspects of who s/he is in order to make a positive contribution to the community. I’d like to be your mentor.  Call me Karen.