News & Story Ideas

Walking Through Trauma: How ‘Mood Walks’ Are Redefining Mental Health and Resilience

Explore how long-distance walking has become a therapeutic and spiritual practice for Sean/a Smith, an intersex woman navigating homelessness, schizophrenia, and profound transformation — guided by Dr. Kirsten Harrison’s trauma-informed approach.

Born Both: Why It’s Time to Talk About Intersex Rights — and End Non-Consensual Surgery

With recent headlines stirring debate about gender identity, examine what it really means to be intersex, why so few people understand it, and what Sean/a Smith and Dr. Kirsten Harrison want the world to know about letting children grow into their truth.

Beyond the Diagnosis: Why One Doctor Became an Activist for Those in Society’s Margins

Dr. Kirsten Harrison walked away from conventional clinical practice to serve trauma survivors, dissociative identity patients, and those on society’s margins. Her radical, soul-centered model is changing lives — and stirring conversation in the mental health world.

Faith, Fluidity & the Fight to Be Seen: One Intersex Woman’s Journey from Homelessness to Hope

A deeply human profile of Sean/a Smith, who has lived as both man and woman, battled schizophrenia, and found healing through walking, prayer, and the unconditional support of a chosen family.

Soul Wise Healing: The New Model for Trauma Recovery That Puts Humanity First

From dissociative identity disorder to near-death experiences, Dr. Harrison’s Soul Wise method invites clients to reframe their “symptoms” as soul signals — and includes spirituality and lived experience as clinical data.

Can a Walk Save a Life? The Spiritual Science Behind Movement, Memory, & Mood

A science-meets-spirit piece that looks at why walking is one of the most effective tools for processing trauma — featuring insights from Dr. Harrison and real-life stories from Sean/a’s 10 years of walking toward freedom. (Sean/a walks a half a marathon a day and has been dubbed the “Walker of Palm Springs.”)

Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison

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Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison is a trauma psychologist, spiritual integration expert, and founder of Soul Wise Solutions. For over 25 years, she has helped individuals navigate profound psychological and spiritual transitions — including those living with complex PTSD (C-PTSD), dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, and near-death experiences. Her integrative approach blends clinical expertise with compassionate soul work to support true, lasting healing.

She is the co-author of “I, Sean/a: The Story of a Homeless Intersex Woman Who Inspired a Community,” the true account of Sean/a Smith, an intersex woman with schizophrenia whose life defies stigma and inspires change. Together, they advocate for an end to outdated medical practices and a future rooted in dignity and inclusion.

Whether she’s speaking, writing, or working with clients, Dr. Harrison brings insight, depth, and humanity to conversations about trauma, identity, and transformation.

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Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison is the co-author of “I, Sean/a: The Story of a Homeless Intersex Woman Who Inspired a Community.“ The book tells the remarkable true story of Sean/a Smith, an intersex woman living with schizophrenia, whose life challenges medical stigma and inspires a movement toward dignity, inclusion, and soul-deep healing.

Whether she’s working with clients, writing, or speaking, Dr. Harrison brings clarity, hope, and humanity to every conversation. So how did a chance meeting with a homeless woman change the course of your life and work, Dr. Harrison?

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Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison is a trauma psychologist, spiritual integration expert, and the founder of Soul Wise Solutions. For over 25 years, she has worked with individuals facing deep psychological and spiritual transformation — including those with dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, and near-death experiences. Her passion lies in helping people navigate life’s most complex transitions with compassion and clinical insight.

Her groundbreaking new book, “I, Sean/a: The Story of a Homeless Intersex Woman Who Inspired a Community,” co-authored with Sean/a Smith, tells the riveting true story of an intersex woman living with schizophrenia who defied all odds. Together, they challenge outdated medical practices and advocate for dignity, inclusion, and soul-deep healing.

Dr. Harrison has spent her professional career as a psychologist studying and treating trauma disorders and their consequences. She has had the opportunity to conduct research on PTSD at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, as well as study at Georgetown University, Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Barry University, and Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Her continuing education has included summers at Harvard Medical School and conferences and training in Europe, supplementing her master’s degree in biomedical sciences. By far the most instrumental and informative in shaping her philosophy has been her direct work with trauma survivors, including near-death experiencers and those struggling with complex DID and PTSD. The creativity, passion, and will to survive the unthinkable that her clients have endured on their healing journeys have combined to give her life’s work meaning and purpose beyond any professional training program. It is in honor of these courageous souls that Kirsten proudly and steadfastly continues to offer her knowledge, experience, and clinical skills, in the hope that the greater good can be best served.

Whether discussing trauma, identity, or the power of spiritual insight, Dr. Harrison brings honesty, depth, and humanity to every conversation.

Sean/a Smith is an intersex woman, artist, athlete, and activist who spent nearly two decades navigating homelessness while managing severe mental distress — and never lost her hope. Born intersex and assigned male at birth, Sean/a’s journey has defied every binary placed on her: gender, housing, mental health, and spiritual identity. Her story is one of radical resilience, marked by what she calls “mood walks” — daily long-distance walks that serve as both therapy and meditation.

A deeply spiritual voice with roots in both street survival and scriptural faith, Sean/a brings raw wisdom and compassion to every conversation she enters. She is the co-author of the powerful memoir “I, Sean/a: The Story of a Homeless Intersex Woman Who Inspired a Community,” alongside trauma expert Dr. Kirsten Viola Harrison. Through this book and her speaking, Sean/a advocates for ending non-consensual intersex surgery, breaking stigma around schizophrenia, and affirming every person’s right to simply be.

Suggested Interview Questions

1. What brought the two of you together, and what made you decide this story had to be told?
2. How does your personal or professional background help you understand and honor this story on a deeper level?
3. The book explores homelessness, intersex identity, schizophrenia, and spirituality. How do all those layers intersect in your journey?
4. What do you want people to know about living outside the system — whether by choice or by circumstance?
5. How do you explain the difference between intersex and transgender identities — and why is that distinction important?
6. There’s a strong theme of faith and resilience throughout the book. Where does your hope come from?
7. What outdated practices — medical, spiritual, or social — are you hoping this book challenges?
8. Why is ending non-consensual intersex surgery such a crucial part of your advocacy?
9. How has storytelling — yours or others’ — helped in your healing or activism?
10. You talk about “mood walks.” Can you describe what those are and why they’re important?
11. What do you hope this book will offer to others who’ve felt misunderstood, silenced, or left behind?
12. If you could speak directly to doctors, lawmakers, or spiritual leaders, what’s one thing you’d want them to take away from your story?