On July 30, 1991, Corky Larsen's twenty-year-old son Kurt was killed by a drunk driver. During the five years that followed, Corky sought comfort in the numbing effects of drugs and alcohol until finally, this downward spiral came to an awakening halt. One day, after drinking, he climbed into his truck, and as he pulled out of the parking lot, he nearly hit a boy on a bicycle. Sitting in the idling truck, Corky heard these words from out of nowhere: “You have a decision to make. Don't move the truck until you have decided. Either keep going the way you're going and kill yourself, or take another path.” Corky vowed right then to change his life, to take a path of personal growth supported by deep spirituality. The path has led him to support others encountering major life transitions through his work as a certified hypnotherapist, spiritual teacher and healer.

After a year of therapy, Corky finally knew what he wanted to do with his life – and that was to help others, especially men, heal their lives. A multitude of opportunities, challenges and blessings manifested. Corky poignantly expresses, “It has been seven years, and my life continues to unfold, bringing me many wonderful blessings. I look at life very differently now. I have been able to forgive the person who killed my son.” Corky now supports his clients through one-on-one sessions and grief workshops. He understands that grief is not a “thing” to get over – it is an ongoing process that is unique to each person.

Corky's work with men includes individual counseling sessions, body work, drum circles and volunteer work with Vietnam Veterans at the Veterans Administration Hospital. He empathizes with men who were taught to suppress their feelings, and he does not pass judgment. He shares his own struggles and vulnerabilities and encourages his clients to feel comfortable expressing themselves. His journey into self-discovery required him to take a deep look at himself and the myriad ways his family, his church and his culture influenced his perception of what it means to be a man. Corky shares, “I know what being “macho” means. I dropped out of high school, served in the marines for six years, then worked as a police officer and an undercover detective for 12 years. But through my personal growth work I was able to get in touch with my feelings, my creative side, and my feminine half. I was able to quit being afraid to show emotion and stop worrying about what people may think. I had to change my belief about what it means to be a man because my previous beliefs were no longer serving me. I filled the space with what has meaning to me – my spirituality and my desire to help others.”

In his work with individuals, Corky integrates the use of drums, stones and crystals, Reiki, hypnotherapy and discussion. He explains, “The goal of my work is to help the client balance mind, body and spirit. The body is where we store our feelings. The mind is where we tend to spend most of our time. The individual spirit is our connection to a higher power. Gestalt training intensified my understanding of how to put all this together while enhancing my personal growth work.” Gestalt therapy emphasizes the importance of the whole person and assimilates work with the body into counseling for the mind.

Corky has also discovered magnets as a form of physical healing. He makes magnetic jewelry to alleviate symptoms from arthritis, fibromyalgia, sports injuries, chronic pain and fatigue. He customizes the jewelry with semiprecious stones that enhance the energy of the magnetics.

Drumming, a holistic health modality, is an integral part of Corky's work. This non-performance, music-making activity offers a light form of exercise that encourages participants to be present in the moment. It helps people get in touch with themselves, manage stress, alleviate pain and express emotions. His work at the Veterans Administration Hospital using Group Empowerment Drumming™ has produced some amazing results with men suffering from varying stages of dementia. One veteran's wife told Corky that after a drum circle, her husband called her by her name for the first time in a year and that they were finally able to talk about some of their shared memories. Another veteran at the hospital said that the drum circles gave him the incentive and energy to get well enough to go home. His work at the hospital is one of the ways that Corky gives back to the community. At the same time it provides deep meaning in his life.

Corky also uses Group Empowerment Drumming™ to specifically address team building and stress management in corporate and organizational environments. He also leads community drum circles which are open events for people of all ages to have fun making rhythm together. Clapping hands, rattling shakers and beating drums allow participants to gain familiarity with each other during the energizing sessions. In the corporate environment, basic team-building concepts are incorporated into the circle to give the participants a unique learning experience. Corky states, “There is an ancient saying, 'The trees and the animals gave us the drum so we and The Creator can speak in common tongue.' Strangers laugh and talk and communicate, and by the end of the night they are hugging. The drum has historically been a part of every culture. It is coded in our genes.”

To Corky, being a man is being present in the here and now, authentic, comfortable with himself and uninhibited in expressing his feelings.

Corky Larsen, together with Barb Clugh, has created a company called Inner Harmony. They have plans to open a wellness center on the west side of Cleveland. For more information about Inner Harmony and Corky's classes, drum circles and healing, please visit their websites at www.InnerHarmony.info & e-mail Corky@InnerHarmony.info or call (440) 572-5672.

Corky and Barb will lead a community drum circle at the Fall Wellness Festival on Saturday, October 2, 2004. Come join in this fun activity! No experience or drums needed. Go to our home page for more details.