ARYA’s Backstory

“ARYA: ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY!”

If you look around the U.S., and what is known as the Bible Belt in particular, you will see a large gap in what is needed and what is available when it comes to certain populations and mental health counseling.

As a young adult it became very clear to me that a bridge was needed between spiritually sensitive frameworks and neuroscience, and quite honestly I couldn’t get enough of either subject!

For example, in church settings I often worked with women who were in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s who had NEVER had an orgasm!  It simply wasn’t talked about.  I heard from others that they felt fear and shame in performing certain sexual acts their husbands asked for because pastors told them the Bible said they were “off-limits.”  To me, God and sex have never been opposing forces and I was excited to try and “prove” it.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say however that I was nervous how such a thing would be received in both the worlds of psychology and also religious followers.

Some of my fears have proven to be spot on as I encounter resistance by well-intentioned yet either misguided or uninformed critics.  My clients, on the other hand, have overwhelmingly expressed gratitude and celebration for the type of counseling we now offer.

Why ARYA?

I chose the word ARYA to encapsulate my passions because it has been translated to mean: “not ordinary; noble; valuable; precious; or pure.”  What a wonderful word!  I cannot think of a better description for how I see humanity. Each and every client is thus “ARYA” to us.

The Bible puts it this way:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

This bears a striking parallel to the concept of Namaste.

My soul honors your soul.

I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides.

I honor the light, love, truth, beauty and peace within you,

Because it is also within me.

In sharing these things we are united,

We are the same,

We are one.

No matter the worldview our clients hold sacred (to include atheism), we honor you and want you to feel at home in our presence working towards your goals.  I promise that your experience with us will be anything but ordinary.

Tamara Powell, LMHC owns Arya Therapy Services, a Pensacola counseling and coaching practice. Specializing in love, sex, and identity issues, she works with clients across the globe to achieve the highest satisfaction in life.  As a self-proclaimed purple sheep, rebel, and visionary, Tamara loves working outside the box so to speak.  If you’d like to work with her online or in person, you may reach her at tamara@aryatherapy.com.