Jason Kniola, NCC, LMHC, LCAC

08/28/2026

My tiny voice in the noise of technology and the rise of AI…

CAN "AI" BE MY THERAPIST??

Recently the question of where AI fits with therapy has arisen quite often. I have had clients bring in information they have gained through conversations with AI regarding personal issues such as grief, relational struggles, panic, etc. A few clients have asked, "what do you think? Is this right?" I didn't know how to answer. I just let the question sit awhile.

A few weeks ago I was on a personal retreat in Arizona. I went to spend time with myself and give space to some deep feelings related to my father's death earlier this year. In line with this intention I went to several powerfully beautiful sites to hike, meditate, pray, and just BE.

At one of the sites I spent a long time in formal meditation posture, perfectly still. I had open eyes at times, taking in the stunning view, and closed eyes at times, feeling into the sensations of my body. As I sat I felt some tensions, physical pain, resistance, and emotional struggle. I applied what I have learned from many teachers and sat, noticing the sensations, softening where I could, aware of thoughts related to certain tensions...just BEING with loving awareness with what was present. I'm familiar with this process after some years of practice. For me, it is seeing who is home within, meeting what is present, meeting the relationship with what is present. Sometimes it is peaceful. Sometimes is is just slowing down to see how much fighting, numbing, or disconnection is within. The intention is not to "fix" what is, but to be with what is, as it is, with compassion. This can be quite challenging. One of my teachers used to say when we practice, "Can you just relax 13% more?"

When I finished my session at that site and I was walking back to my car when I heard the thought, "would you want AI to raise your baby?" At first I thought, "WHAT!? What does that have to do with being here, processing my grief, and spending time on this retreat?" It took a few days for that insight to make sense.

If we ask AI what is needed to raise a healthy baby what would we get? Assuming we get good and accurate answers we would get a huge amount of helpful information. We could check. One by one with the points listed whether the information was accurate and evidence-based or not. Ok, great! We can apply the same logic to asking AI about therapy issues. Great! All available information at our fingertips! However, would we want that AI to raise our baby? Most of us would say very strongly, "NO!" Why? What is THAT?

Information is useful. Information leads to wonderful improvements in quality of life. With AI we are now in an information age on super steroids. Where are the limits? I argue that the limits are these fleshy bodies we live in. Our bodies do not need information. They need a specific relationship to this physical reality. Food. Sunlight. Fresh air. Clean water. Movement. Rest. And...Human relationship. If these are in balance it leads to health, out of balance it leads to illness.

So, looking at that last component, Human Relationship...what do we mean about that? Well, that is a very nuanced question. What we know about human development so far is that a developing child thrives when it is seen by a caregiver, the caregiver tracks accurately what is going on (hungry, cold, sleepy, angry, scared, etc.), loves what is being presented, and responds in nurturing ways. Of course, I am not saying this has to all be perfect! What research shows is that if those components are present often enough it produces resilient, emotionally intelligent, industrious children. Can AI do that? Who knows, maybe someday. But not now! What is required to be met by another human are so many qualities, some we don't even understand. Eye contact, body language, touch, vocal tone, reflecting, appropriate words, and other ineffable energetic and spiritual qualities we cannot yet meaure.

It occurred later to me that my insight after that meditation session at that beautiful site was that I was doing just THAT. I was attending to myself...body, thought, emotion, sensation, spirit with loving attention. I cannot get the ANSWER to how to "be with grief" from information...or any other human experience. I can only BE WITH GRIEF...or anger, or fear, or conflict, etc. It is a living relationship.

There is great information. Some of it is on how to do this very thing...being mindfully present. In the Zen tradition this is called, "The finger pointing at the moon." Information is the finger. But the moon is just THE MOON. The experience.

Now more than ever we need points of touching down in embodied presence with life. The AI age is like a swirling hurricane of information...everything one click away. At the center is the completely calm eye of the storm...the loving awareness of what is, moment by moment.

Are we identified as information beings, barely aware of our somatic now-experience?

Or are we somatic spiritual beings with access to information?

The choice is NOW.

08/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DASZsfhdF/?mibextid=wwXIfr

𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 | 𝟑-𝟔 𝐏𝐌 𝐂𝐒𝐓

This experiential workshop explores the foundations of mindfulness, including what mindfulness is, how it supports emotional and physical well-being, and why present-moment awareness is essential for living with greater clarity, balance, and purpose. Participants will learn how mindfulness can reduce stress, improve focus, strengthen emotional regulation, and foster a deeper connection with themselves and others.

More importantly, participants will experience mindfulness directly through a series of guided practices designed to cultivate presence through the body, breath, and senses. The workshop includes 3–4 experiential exercises, such as:

✿ Mindfulness of Breath: Discover how mindful attention to the breath can anchor awareness in the present moment, calm the nervous system, and create space between stimulus and response.

✿ Mindful Movement: Engage in gentle, accessible movement practices that promote grounding, embodiment, and a deeper connection to present-moment experience.

✿ Sound Meditation and Sound Bath: Experience sound and vibration, naturally quieting the mind and relaxing the body with singing bowls, drums, and gongs.

✿ Breathwork and Chanting: Experience simple, gentle, yet profoundly effective practices that guide the breath through the body while immersing yourself in the rhythmic sound and vibration of mantra and vocal toning. These practices promote relaxation, nervous system regulation, and present-moment awareness.

Throughout the workshop, participants will be invited to explore mindfulness not as another task to accomplish, but as a way of returning home to themselves. By strengthening the capacity to be present with what is happening here and now, participants will leave with practical tools to navigate stress, increase resilience, and cultivate a greater sense of choice, freedom, and well-being in their daily lives.

register today through the MINDBODY app or through our website

08/18/2026

Humans are wired for the pursuit of safety and connection. Evolutionarily these were much more direct experiences. Our group was clearly defined. Belief systems directed by stories connected us to the purpose of our existence. Ceremonial practices were outward displays of belief systems and vehicles for expression and connection to our physiology, the community, and the cosmos. Survival was a relationship with the environment with immediate feedback. There was a clear vulnerability of humans - the unpredictability of available wild game and other food sources. This vulnerability created an intimate, direct relationship with life, living, and death.

Modernity created technology and systems that ensured more consistent sources of food, transportation, communication, medicine, and shelter. The benefits are undeniable. Our way of life is safer, more comfortable, and immeasurably more convenient. And yet...we have lost some things along the way.

We are still wired biologically for the same things...safety and connection. However, these have become indirect and unclear.

What does safety mean now? How do we feel this experience in our bodies? Even with relatively little actual threat most days to most of us in the first world many of us feel more unsafe than ever. Anxiety and unease plague many of us. What are these anxieties? Not the same direct fears of the past - fear of the environment, weather, disease. They are more nebulous. Something BAD might happen…and we WON’T be able to handle it! We don't even know what that bad means most times. Our minds create monsters in the dark that we project onto the world.

We are plugged into worldwide information that feeds this demon of fear. At any moment we can get fed fears of economic collapse, global climate change, AI takeover, WWIII...and Aliens! It’s difficult to even know what is real. So, we just fear...fear the unknown threats. The survival mechanisms in our brains just say… “Better to just get scared now, just in case! Pump up the cortisol! Send the Adrenaline!”

As for connection...what does that mean? Who is our tribe? What is our collective belief system about what this all means? Why are we here? What is our purpose? We suffer from TOO MUCH freedom to make our own meaning. We have the freedom to pursue our own meaning. We fought long and hard to have this freedom to choose. And now...we swim in a marketplace of belief systems. It is overwhelming and untethered. Where do we belong?

Is our purpose to be financially successful? Have status in our line of work? Be famous? To optimize our physical fitness? To be super spiritual? It depends on which podcast you listen to today!

In this overwhelming, ungrounded, overstimulating world we are required to face these questions consciously and find our own answers. Our tribe will not deliver them to us. Elders will not show us the way. That is, unless we consciously find our tribe, seek our elders. We cannot be passive about this any longer. We must take responsibility for our consciousness. This requires weeding out a lot of CRAP and mal-intentioned online gurus, cultural misappropriation, and magical thinking. It takes a discerning mind and attentive heart to sort out what information actually resonates with our highest good. This is not easy.

This age is requiring that we no longer be adolescents, relying on corporations, religious groups, news outlets, or interest groups to think for us. We need to take a stand, sort through all the noise to make conscious choice. It doesn’t mean that we DON’T work for a corporation, join a church or spiritual group, read the news, or join some other group…it just means we must be awake to watch the motives of these groups and the results of their mission and vision.

We are here in this time. Our responsibility begins with our own mind, body, spirit…and radiates out from there…to our families, friends, community, workplaces, politics, and more.

Conscious living begins with ourselves…always right NOW. Maybe we stumble? Maybe we shut down? Maybe we want to hide! Yes, we are Human. Then…we start again. Each and every breath is a new opportunity to start over.

08/14/2026

Here in northwest Indiana we experienced a derecho. A storm with extremely high winds. Caused widespread destruction. Trees down everywhere. Power down. Homes damaged. A few associated deaths. It all happened in minutes.

The aftermath has created ongoing stressors, trauma, and difficult inconveniences. These range from disruption of our normal comforts and routines to food, water, and other resource problems for people with health needs. All levels of suffering and stress are real. This is a fact of being human…one that has always been with us. Our ancestral DNA remembers. Countless others have been through this with earthquakes, fires, storms, tsunamis, and more. Something in us is wired to know that these dangers are part of this life on Earth…no matter how insulated we think we are with technology.

After the storm we had two very large sections of a tree fall down in our yard. One of the sections fell and nearly hit our house. We were spared from serious damage…barely. Many fared worse. When we were in the yard, sawing with a hand saw, a neighbor showed up with a chainsaw. Another with a battery powered sawzaw. The trees were cleared in just a couple hours. This was happening all over the area…it still is. Other cities are donating equipment and resources. National guard is at work. The power company employees are working day and night. People are stepping up, helping. This is what humans do.

Even with that heartening fact, the stress weighs on the community. Businesses are affected. The disruption of routine and comfort is a hum of suffering constant in the minds and hearts of everyone. Deep inside we are reminded of how fragile this all is. And yet, we persevere.

What I can tell you regarding the practice of mindfulness is that I am no different in my reactions to this all. I feel stress. I lose my s**t. BUT. I know there is a quality of mind that is indestructible…free from external circumstance. And it is Real. We may not have access to it for periods of time but that does not make it less true.

After a couple days of adapting I sat for my first meditation and connected briefly to equanimity. A refuge within…one breath at a time…the truth is…we are ok. This is true always. Sometimes it is far away. When my son was very ill years ago I could not find it. When my father was sick and dying I could not find it. But…eventually…when the stress and trauma settled, it was accessible again. This is how it always is. When we are activated for stress and danger we are separated, in fear. The more we learn to connect to our deepest selves and regulate our nervous system, the more often and more quickly we can reconnect. It is not easy sometimes. We need to practice when things are going well, when we feel safe, for times that are challenging. For ourselves. For everyone.

Stay safe. Take care of yourselves. Now.

07/31/2026

Last chance...tomorrow evening.

This experiential workshop explores the foundations of mindfulness.

07/31/2026

Reflections on Whole Heartedness

I recently had a deeply moving experience of joy, gratitude, and celebration within only a few months of experiencing deep suffering, trauma, and grief. The contrast was vibrantly clear within the space of my open heart.

Just a few months ago my sister and I stood vigil as my father had an extremely difficult 3 week illness followed by his death. I’ve written about that experience elsewhere. During that time and in the months that followed I have worked to be as present as I can with myself and loved ones. The experience has brought me into deeper intimacy with my heart in the sorrow, grief, gratitude, and connection with life and loss. There have been moments of touching on the unconditional love and indestructible truth of open-hearted living. And, of course, the contrast — the closing down, resisting, and sometimes full-on fight with impermanence.

Recently my beautiful niece married her wonderful partner. The ceremony and following reception was one of the most moving experiences of my life. No doubt due in part to the stark contrast of difficulties just a few months ago.

The lead up to the wedding was spent in reunion with extended family, some visiting from far away. The presence of the realization of impermanence kept my attention firmly awake moment by moment, seeing and feeling the truth of aging in all of us. It seemed just yesterday I was a boy connecting with cousins, aunts, uncles, my sister, parents, and various in laws. Now, with grey hairs and oceans of life experience between this moment and childhood memories, we connected once again. My children, nieces, and nephew present, holding the space of the next generation. My heart was filled with gratitude for the connection of the family lines.

The day of the ceremony was perfectly beautiful. My niece and her partner shined brightly with love and hope. My other niece and nephew held the roles of maid of honor and best man — and shone with their own light as they performed their roles impeccably. The love and respect of my sister’s family was heart-breakingly awesome to witness. I was proud, grateful, and deeply hopeful for their lives ahead of them.

Following the ceremony and toasts we all danced, laughed, and celebrated together. The joy filled the space, as bright a light as I have ever experienced.

Later, when we returned home and the joy began to ground, I wept. Seeing my sister radiating with love and gratitude, as well as all the family — along with my own open, loving heart was just too much to contain. This family, my heart — journeyed to the underworld of loss together just a few short months ago. And here were — Living, Loving, Celebrating.

This is the Way of the Heart. The full spectrum of this human experience. If we are to fully open to the joys we must just as equally open to the sorrows. The measure of what we allow is the measure of what we can live and love. Not one or the other. ALL OF IT.

Each birth is a miracle of possibility. We, as a family, held space for the next generation of miracles to step forward. All the phases of life are a gift. Aging is a gift. And then one day — it will be our turn to leave the stage.

Can this heart embrace it all? Sometimes, no. There is no shame in that. It can be frightening, overwhelming, and painful. And — the heart is resilient — eager to break open again and again and again…if we allow it.

Being human is no mistake. Life, living, loving, grief, sorrow — is no mistake. Life is a mysterious, vulnerable, impermanent, precious miracle.

Life is like the day…the sun rises in the East, rises to peak of noon, fades into afternoon, and sets in the West.

As the Hawaiians say — E ale E!

07/29/2026

I have taught mindfulness meditation for many years—to clients, therapists, and workshop participants. I often talk about what mindfulness is, how it benefits the mind and body, and the many ways we can cultivate present-moment awareness. I have also facilitated sound therapy experiences in workshops, sometimes alongside mindfulness teachings and sometimes as a stand-alone practice. While I frequently discuss the benefits of sound meditation during these workshops, to the best of my recollection I have never written about it. That has been a deliberate choice.

For years, I intentionally kept sound therapy separate from my identity as a licensed mental health therapist. Today, I find myself questioning that separation—not because I have abandoned scientific rigor, but because I believe our understanding of healing is expanding to include forms of experience that are deeply restorative, even if we do not yet fully understand why they work.

When I first learned mindfulness-based therapy over twenty years ago, mindfulness was far from mainstream. As I began teaching it, I encountered considerable skepticism and resistance from people who believed the practices conflicted with their religious beliefs. I quickly learned to present mindfulness as a practical skill, carefully separating it from its historical roots in spiritual traditions, particularly Buddhism. If someone asked a question about Buddhism, Yoga, or Taoism, I would first ask the group whether everyone was comfortable discussing those topics. Sometimes they were not.

That early skepticism shaped my professional identity. A clear boundary emerged between my role as a therapist and anything that might be perceived as even mildly esoteric. Recently, however, I have found that boundary softening. I continue to adhere to the ethical standards of my profession. I do not impose my beliefs on clients, nor do I practice outside my scope of competence. At the same time, when clients express curiosity about spiritual traditions or philosophical perspectives, I am comfortable following their interests and offering appropriate resources.

Part of that boundary also meant avoiding discussions of sound therapy in clinical settings. When gong baths—sessions in which large gongs are played rhythmically while participants lie on yoga mats and relax into altered states of consciousness—first became popular in yoga studios across the country, many people embraced them enthusiastically. Others, however, viewed them as simply too "woo-woo." Fair enough—I understand the reaction. Watching someone strike large gongs and singing bowls while people drift into dreamlike states naturally raises the question: What exactly is happening here?

So, when I began facilitating sound therapy workshops in 2012, I intentionally kept that work separate from my more mainstream clinical practice. Today, I believe it is time to have more thoughtful conversations about these experiences, conduct rigorous research similar to what has been done with mindfulness, and continue integrating experiential approaches into mental health care.

When I introduce sound therapy sessions, I often begin with language similar to my mindfulness teachings. I also explain that sound therapy is not the same as mindfulness, although the two share some important qualities. Mindfulness is commonly defined as paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, with nonjudgmental awareness.

To understand how sound therapy differs, it helps to understand how I facilitate these sessions.

Participants lie comfortably on yoga mats. I encourage them to cover their ears if the volume becomes overwhelming and to step out of the room at any time if needed. During the session, I play two large gongs (36 and 40 inches), a large drum, and a singing bowl for anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes. The sound and vibration ebb and flow throughout the experience, occasionally reaching moments of considerable intensity. At the conclusion, I gently invite participants to return gradually to ordinary waking awareness.

While the instruments are playing, some participants remain mindfully present with the sounds, intentionally focusing their attention and observing their experience without judgment. At other times, however, people drift into sleep or dreamlike states. Participants often describe altered perceptions of their bodies, sensations of energy moving through them, vivid imagery, or experiences resembling dreams.

Very few people report that the experience is unpleasant or unhelpful. When they do, we explore grounding strategies that help them feel safe and regulated afterward. More often, participants describe these altered states as deeply relaxing, restorative, and even healing.

Strictly speaking, however, this is not mindfulness. Rather, it is an altered state of consciousness entered with the intention of promoting mental calm, emotional well-being, and physical relaxation.

The sound experience can be understood in many ways. It can feel like a massage of sound and vibration, relaxing the muscles and calming the nervous system. It can resemble a captivating meditation that gently occupies the mind. For others, it feels like a cleansing wave of vibration that helps release emotional, physical, or spiritual burdens. In many ways, it is all of these things. Ultimately, it becomes what we bring to it.

At its most basic level, pleasant sounds and vibrations are experienced over an extended period of time. Those frequencies interact with the body and nervous system. If we enter the room expecting nothing more than annoying noise, that is likely to shape our experience. If we enter with the intention of releasing tension, letting go of emotional burdens, or connecting with something sacred, those intentions often become part of the experience.

I have come to believe that intention matters. Energy follows intention.

For that reason, I sometimes invite participants to think of these gatherings as a Sound Ceremony -- a personal ceremony in which they create sacred space within themselves and allow whatever needs to unfold to unfold. In my experience, approaching the experience in this way often deepens its benefits.

Today, I find the boundaries between experiential practices like these and clinical work to be more open than they once were. Each has its own place, and each should be guided by the needs and preferences of the client. Sometimes my work is grounded in structured, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy. Sometimes it draws on mindfulness-based interventions. At other times, it involves creating safe, restorative spaces where people can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and heal in community.

07/27/2026

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reclaiming-ourselves-through-mindful-presence-tickets-1995457480039

This experiential workshop explores the foundations of mindfulness.

07/23/2026

Ken Wilber’s Integral theory outlines stages of human development in a unique way—with developmental stages common in other psychological theories as well as stages beyond the full development of the adult ego. The integral theory stages of transpersonal development can also be found in some spiritual traditions such as Buddhism and Vedanta. These stages are trans-personal, meaning direct experience with states of oneness with a larger consciousness.

Integral theory also introduces the concepts of waking up and growing up that I believe shed some important light on self-exploration and healing. The term waking up refers to process of awakening beyond the egoic state of development. There are several stages beyond egoic consciousness described in this theory. Growing up refers to healthy development in each psychological stage. What is unique to this theory is that it outlines that one can wake up to have a transcendental insight and yet have psychological components that have not grown up. This theory is tremendously helpful to anyone working on self-exploration and healing.

Each of us goes through the stages of psychological development. Each of us also, to some degree, have aspects of each stage that were met with neglect, abuse, or some level of trauma. These psychological wounds have left us with developmental parts that are not fully and wholly formed. These wounds are what often bring us to begin to explore ourselves and begin to seek wholeness. A few examples might be:

• A fear of being fully industrious and effective in the world. This could be based in an early life experience that inhibited us from being independent. Since this was not fully developed, we find we do not believe in ourselves enough to pursue a career we dream of.

• Anxious attachment issues related to inconsistent or unavailable caregivers. We find that intimate relationships are difficult because of a deep fear of abandonment.

• Control issues or obsession and compulsion following a chaotic or abusive family of origin household that was deeply disempowering. Control, obsession, or compulsion may give short term empowered feelings that help cope with a deep fear of loss of personal agency.

These are just a few examples of how we may have developed through psychological stages, but aspects of development have been left behind. There are countless other ways development can be stunted. Some theories (such as internal family systems) identify these unfinished, frozen-in-time, or wounded aspects of consciousness, “parts”. In this light we could say parts of us have grown up, parts of us have not. I believe this aspect of integral theory can help us have deeper compassion for ourselves.

We may find we are highly functional in some aspects of our lives, but some parts hold us back. Perhaps we are very successful in our career but just can’t seem to be emotionally available for a partner. Or the opposite may be true—we show up well emotionally but find we cannot operate confidently or effectively in the career world. Integral theory would point to the fact that in our stages of development part of the growing up was derailed. We have aged in many aspects, but parts have not. The only way to resolve this is to address the undeveloped, wounded, or traumatized parts. They cannot be bypassed. Only when these parts’ needs have been met will we be able to show up to life in wholeness.

Another compassionate lesson in this is that we may do some healing work and see some real progress--only to regress once again. This can feel as if we have made no progress at all! It can be frustrating or disheartening. Here I am again! I thought I addressed this!? Integral theory again provides a view that is compassionate. The work we have done was truly healing for parts of ourselves. However, this regressed part(s) is/are revealing unfinished business—remaining aspects of our consciousness that need our help growing up. Transpersonal psychology defines this as regression in the service of transcendence. We must go back, integrate the unfinished business, then we can progress once again.

One more important lesson integral theory can provide is in the experiences we often face when practicing mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, or even psychedelic therapies. Some of these techniques may lead to transcendent experiences. In these experiences we can move beyond whatever level of consciousness we are in and experience a new, larger view. The danger here is that we can identify with these experiences, thinking that we are transcended or beyond where we actually are. The truth is there are always aspects of our consciousness that can grow and learn. Integral theory points to the need for grounded humility. We are the transcendent whole and the wounded 5-year-old part. We are the miracle of consciousness capable of experiencing unconditional love and the fearful defended jerk. One of my teachers cleverly quips that we are both Holy and Assholy. It is a good reminder.

How do we know where we are? What stage we are in? How spiritually or psychologically developed we are? We don’t. Those questions are best left unanswered. A more grounded, humble, human question is…what in my life needs attention TODAY? A relationship? Something being avoided? A feeling asking to be felt? Or, if we are lucky…just a moment to be enjoyed. If we show up as fully as we can, as honestly as we can, moment by moment—the rest will take care of itself.