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Article by Mary L. Holden

BethAnne Kapansky-Wright, Psy.D. knows this truth. She bridged it through a lot of “airing” and “grounding” in her career as a psychologist…and as a natural intuitive, psychic, and a channeler of information from unseen worlds. Having earned a doctorate in psychology from The Minnesota School of Professional Psychology by age 26, she spent 15 years running a private practice where she dedicated time, talent, and energy to allow clients to understand their unique psyches, find pathways of healing, and craft authentic lives. She monitored her own growth during those years—and admits to learning a lot more about psychology in real life than she did in school. How? “By being a compassionate, active witness for myself and others of how healings occur.”

In 2016, BethAnne’s beloved brother Brent transitioned out of human life. And she transitioned into the realms of grief, which she describes as “shattering, breaking, and awakening.” Having traveled a significant grief journey, she realized a deep truth—her own desire to live more intuitively, creatively, and spiritually. Through her private practice, the books she’s written, the courses she teaches, speaking at events, and presenting workshops, Dr. BethAnne shows others how she trusts her soul’s purpose.

She trusts yours, too. That’s why you’ll want to know BethAnne: the doctor, the intuitive, the person.

ITL: Were you always intuitive, or did grief open the door?

Dr. BethAnne: I was very empathic and emotionally intelligent as a child. Those qualities expanded as I grew into adulthood. It wasn’t until I went through a spiritual awakening in 2011 that I consciously began to work with my intuition and seek to understand and expand my intuitive nature. Grief opened the door even wider in 2016; it was the catalyst that catapulted me to the next level of expansion. My grief journey, and the subsequent spiritual experiences I had, allowed me to access my gifts at an accelerated rate. ITL: You are intuitive, psychic, and in tune with information that is generally not seen, heard, or sensed in usual, physical ways. Do those qualities confuse your clients? Who—and what—are you, and when are you what?

Dr. BethAnne: I’ll answer with another question: What does it mean to be anyone? I think everyone has their own unique layers of personality and talent! The key for anyone answering this loaded question is to begin with acknowledging that humans are taught to interpret reality based on what they can see, measure, and understand. So, when information begins to show up in unusual ways—through senses, perceptions, resonance in the body, flashes of sudden knowing, messages from nature, signs and synchronicities, and the sensations of other energetic forms deliver, a person might feel like they’re crazy or they’ll dismiss the experience because it doesn’t fit their idea of the dominant reality.

Years ago, I felt like the world was incomplete. I just knew there was so much more to ‘reality’ than my eyes could see. I genuinely wanted to deepen my relationship with the invisible, loving intelligence that I could feel rippling and pulsing through everything. I learned to choose to make space for my experiences to see where they led me.

So, to be me is to put stock into my internal experience of self. The things I sense, perceive, intuit, and feel means as much to me as the things I see in the material world.

Everyone can learn how to tune into their heart’s wisdom. Heart—the emotional energy around the actual organ that pumps blood—is the gateway to your intuitive self. You grow into an understanding of how your own heart speaks. Just be open and accept extrasensory information when it shows up for you. Be curious about what you’re being presented with until a fuller picture presents itself and a knowing occurs. The ‘universe’ and ‘the spirit world’ speak through a multiplicity of information flows. You learn to work with those flows when you tune in, listen, and agree to receive.

ITL: How does this understanding of your own intuitive/psychic abilities affect the ways in which you communicate with your clients? Dr. BethAnne: I used to have a couple of clients who called me “the oracle” because of my ability to say the right thing and channel an insight or a bit of helpful wisdom for them. I’m able to put things into perspective at other levels. At first, I didn’t understand that my ability to offer precise insights was also my intuitive and psychic senses being at work, helping me dip into the multidimensional fields and flows of healing information that surround my clients.

I also have an ability—a gift—that allows me to create word pictures and metaphors to reflect what somebody is experiencing. My capacity to hold space for someone’s experiences and feel what they were experiencing is also amplified by my innate extrasensory abilities.

Once I understood the fuller scope of my intuitive capabilities, it allowed me to communicate intuitive perceptions and psychic flashes to my clients with confidence and clarity. It also allowed me to have more conversations with my clients about spirituality, and I began to attract spiritually curious clients who were seeking to understand their own soulful natures, and their relationships to the mysteries.

ITL: Have you encountered any surprises in your practice?

Dr. BethAnne: I’ve found that spiritually curious people come from all walks of life. And, all my clients know that I might give them information that surprises both of us! When parents cite concerns about navigating their children’s states of mind, choices, and abilities; when people going into or coming out of romantic partnerships ask me to show them ways to work with their conscious and unconscious attitudes and beliefs regarding intimacy, the inevitability of heartbreak, and creation of new or preservation of old friendships; or when high-level business executives hire me for advice on how to move their businesses into the future with integrity and clarity…all have to trust that what I’m giving is from skill, training, and…for lack of a better description, “the energies of spirit.”

ITL: Which do you prefer: A one-on-one private practice or teaching, speaking, or leading workshops?

Dr. BethAnne: When I left Alaska and moved to Hawaii, I felt I had accomplished my goal of running a successful practice. I didn’t feel like my soul was calling me to re-create that same experience in Kauai. At the time, the desire of my heart was to make a collage of my work and service out of a variety of creative mediums. As much as I am grateful for the gifts my private practice afforded, I had so many other aspects of my “self” that I wanted to bring into a fuller expression. These days, I am incredibly happy and satisfied to balance a limited amount of one-on-one clientele with writing and illustrating books, and working with groups of people through speaking, teaching, and leading workshops.

ITL: You offer for free some goods you’ve created and services you perform. How does this generosity benefit your business?

Dr. BethAnne: I believe in giving back. My business model is to treat others the way I like to be treated—with generosity, authenticity, respect, and equity. When people align with the energies they’d like to cultivate and see more of in their own lives, they create space for those attributes to flow to others in greater magnitude. My free offerings serve individuals a sample of my work so they can experience my energy and what I have to offer. When they feel called to pursue further connection with me through a class or session, they can do so with confidence. Whether people choose to work with me one-on-one, buy my books, or just enjoy a free offer, knowing that they can engage with my work and may find something that illuminates their heart and their path, is what gives me a sense of passion and purpose. ITL: Describe an ideal client, an ideal problem, and an ideal solution to that problem.

Dr. BethAnne: An ideal client is somebody who is sensitive, spiritually curious, and is seeking clarity about their soul path and purpose so they can feel they are truly thriving. They might be at a crossroads in life that manifests as a decision or choice they must make in their material reality. The choice might not make logical sense, but something inside of them is compelling them to shake things up and move in a new direction.

When clients don’t yet understand that their heart is speaking to them and helping them grow as a soul to expand beyond their current space of self—that’s where I come in to assist in finding a successful solution to their problem.

Teaching clients how to give credence to what’s in their heart and take a leap of faith by following its guidance requires me to be a compassionate witness. That is what I am when I offer insights on options to discover, to align with, to test, and to navigate. I trust the wisdom and guidance for others that comes through me for them. Sometimes, what comes through may not seem obvious to them in the moment, but it is usually revealed to them at some point in time. Those “aha!” moments are ideal.

ITL: Will you discuss your personal philosophy regarding what seems to be a great divide between science and spirit?

Dr. BethAnne: Each discipline has an entirely different operating system! The crux of science is based on the logical mind and what can be measured and evidenced. Spirituality is based on the intuitive mind and what can be perceived and experienced. These are two radically different paradigms for understanding reality, so it’s easy to understand why a divide exists for many people.

From my perspective, science and spirit are utterly compatible. The astounding intricacies and intelligent design that science reveals echoes and amplifies the truths in spirituality. What are those truths? They are simply that humans are not alone (even when it seems so), and there are many mysteries among us.

I feel where one field seems to contradict or conflict with the other is simply an indication that information in that respective field—whether science or spirit—just hasn’t caught up yet. Both fields have ways to examine and describe the same thing from completely different vantage points. Not everything needs to be discovered as fact before a belief can be put into it! We will soon see more scientific discoveries and knowledge emerge that substantiates many spiritual concepts. Where a divide existed—in the old paradigm—humanity can now build a bridge to unify the two “fields.” ITL: We know that grief was an enormous and difficult “problem” you navigated. How did that experience teach you to handle life’s smaller problems? Dr. BethAnne: Grief does have a way of putting things in perspective. For me, it acts as a touchstone to return to whenever I’m giving too much of my power away to life’s smaller problems.

For example, whenever I have a personal challenge (such as setting a boundary, needing to have a difficult conversation, or facing a problem head-on), my mind always flashes back to the day of my brother’s memorial service. I gave a eulogy in his honor to a roomful of people, and my knees were shaking as I stood behind the podium. I held back tears because I was determined to give him a beautiful send off, to speak words of truth and light that honored his life. Moments like those become defining moments. Whenever I’m tempted to underestimate my ability to solve a problem or step up to a challenge, I remember that moment and say, “If you can find the courage of heart to do that, then you can do anything.”

I think the biggest lesson grief taught me is that life is beautiful, unpredictable, and fleeting. There are moments of gratitude that shine through grief. The more time you spend worrying about problems and things you cannot control, the less time you have for tapping into the gift of a moment to find joys in your midst (for they are always there).

Grief and joy. Pain and pleasure. Believing and knowing. Humans must learn to be bridge builders and join concepts that seem to be far apart. When you’re having difficulty bridging the span between your problem and a solution, assistance from a psychic psychologist will give you the best from both worlds—science, and spirit.