Christine Poane, LCSW

Welcome to the Luminous Spark Lab! Therapy to uncover and amplify your authentic essence with Christine My work is to use my clinical expertise and intuition to identify the best in you and to draw it out by developing a deep understanding of your inner world and connecting you to it. Some of your strengths and abilities may be obvious to you and some may be hidden. As we develop your ability to observe the light within, we will strengthen your connection to the highest parts of yourself and I attune to help you to embody the growth that is waiting for you. I am here for the journey and am honored and humbled by the privilege of witnessing and helping you to empower the inner spark within you. My approach is emotionally honest, creative, intuitive, and rooted in evidence-based practices. I have been described as bringing humor and warmth to create a safe and accepting environment to support your expansion. I’m honest and direct with a kind approach as my belief is the old-school “mysterious evasive therapist archetype” is an old trope with a focus on hierarchy and distance. I believe this work requires being a humble, non-judgmental, and approachable human. The most important thing is CONNECTION and for me to reflect your inner light back to you so you can perceive yourself through a clear, accepting, and compassionate framework. So many of us have been defined by the judgmental eyes of others, and together, we can discard those stale old ideologies to discover the hero within. There is untapped uniqueness and potential in each of us and my approach is to help you to uncover it, integrate it, and celebrate it, so that you can be the most authentic and empowered version of yourself. Here are the stages to the Luminous Spark Method: 1 OBSERVE- Where am I? Let’s explore the current conditions of your life to assess what is and isn’t working. We change throughout our life stages and sometimes our old strategies don’t work anymore. Perhaps they have helped in the past, but reaching higher levels of growth calls for new learning, realignment with your core, and discovering parts of self and abilities that have been buried under life stressors and detaching from old narratives that no longer serve you. In this stage, we get a clear understanding of your level of alignment with your values and overall emotional wellness. Using evidence-based markers for a thriving life, we will assess the healthiness in the life areas proven to have deep impact on our sense of life mastery. These areas highlighted by Carol Ryff’s 6 factor model of psychological well-being, have been well researched and supported and I find are necessary for creating a well rounded sense of purpose and growth. Integrating this paradigm, together, we assess your wellness levels in the areas of self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. Tools commonly applied for Stage 1 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Enneagram Personality Testing -Values Assessments -Assessments that apply to your reported experience to assess for C-PTSD or underlying areas for Neuro-spiciness such as ADHD or OCD. (Why do I say Neuro-spicy, rather than Neuro-divergent? Thanks for asking! Well, frankly, I don’t believe these brain differences are disorders. That may be controversial but it’s a hill I will die on. After working with folks for 17+ years on these issues, it is apparent to me that our society caters to “Neuro-typical” brains so they are fully accommodated. Neuro-spicy folks on the other hand do not live in a world that creates the flexibility for our brain type to thrive. So, if you are Neuro-spicy, we have to be a bit more creative to cater your environment to meet your needs. It is doable. 2 INVESTIGATE- How Did I Get Here? Ugh….why do all therapists make me look at the past? I get it…so very much. I wish there was an effective and sustainable way to access long-term growth that was simple, but through my 17+ years of experience, I have consistently observed how short cuts don’t work and minimize the layers of depth within us. “Here and now” only approaches like coaching can provide some valuable steps and resources toward improvement, but without cleaning up our repressed and unintegrated wounds, those remedies serve as band aids and masking tools. YOUR INNER CHILD DESERVES BETTER THAN THAT! They deserve to be seen, healed, and unburdened. When we work from the ground up, you won’t need band aid fixes. The strength rises from within to honor you when you are brave enough to explore and master your inner world. So what to look at? We all have internal and external factors, historical patterns, cultural, gendered, and spiritual factors, family dynamics, relational nuances, health and lifestyle habits, and unique burdens, along with values and stories that have shaped your historical context. We don’t visit the past to live there, but more to identify areas for healing places that are stuck. We often don’t see how our past impacts our present as it likes to live under the surface, but I have many strategies to help uncover these links. When we ignore these parts of self, they create chaos inside of us because the mind and body haven't integrated them. We tend to repeat the same scenarios and patterns until we shift and heal. Some of the most common themes I work with include (but are not limited to): -People Pleasing -Recovering from critical or narcissistic caretakers from childhood -Feeling “not good enough” or being labeled as “too much” -Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria -Overcoming traumas and abuses in the areas of emotional, physical, sexual, neglect, financial, spiritual, political, cultural, bullying, relationship inequality, antagonistic relationships, being repressed and controlled, and feeling generally misunderstood. -Perfectionism, being hard on yourself, or being afraid of failure -Feeling generally unsafe and hypervigilant -Anxiety, addiction, and ADHD -Fear of being single or repeating undesirable relationship patterns “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself”-Andy Warhol Tools commonly applied for Stage 2 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Psycho-education around theory in parts work, Imago therapy, trauma, addictions, and neuro-spicy considerations -Timelines and Genograms to gather and make sense of history -Imago exercises around applying childhood to romantic/relational blueprint 3 CREATE- Assess where you would like to be and what that would look like/ explore hidden potentials or parts of self we forgot about. This part is actually kind of fun. Healing doesn’t always have to be intense and serious. In this stage, we utilize your intuition, desires, hopes, hidden strengths, creativity, and broaden our view of the possibilities. We develop a vision here more in line with the your true self, rather than the expectations of the outside world. Tools commonly applied for Stage 3 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Somatic, Mindfulness, and Envisioning -Creative Art and Writing Exercises to Access your Vision -Integrating your spiritual journey from your own place of purpose. ( I can incorporate Human Design and Astrology for those who value those systems and/or any spiritual system brought in by you can be integrated into your specialized vision.) -Creation of safe place and emotional regulation skill development using skills from DBT, Neuro Emotional Technique, & Mindfulness. “Your vision will become clear only when your look into your heart. Who looks outside , dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”-Carl Jung 4. HEAL- Identify what is getting in the way. Here we work on removing or clarifying those areas to support the new you. In this stage, we journey together to heal old wounding. You are the pilot and I operate the GPS to navigate unresolved terrain as we process the impact of your history, lost parts of self, and blocked self-love. This is the step that tends to look intimidating from the outside, but once we get into it, you may be surprised with how cathartic it can feel to LET GO. The reason it can be scary to go there (and why so many choose short cuts to avoid) is because most people didn’t have the emotional environment growing up to know that our feelings are safe and resolvable. Even those who had fantastic caregivers, still often carry wounds from unsupported emotional needs. We can walk away from childhood with internalized learning that our feelings are unsafe, may never end, that there is something wrong with us, or that we have to compensate for unacceptable parts of self. This is toxic old material that lives in our nervous system until it is soothed and freed. This is a necessary stage and I provide a warm and accepting environment, while utilizing training in multiple trauma modalities to shed old layers. Tools commonly applied for Stage 4 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -EMDR -Parts work informed by Internal Family Systems or IFS -Imago Dialogue -CPT -Somatic and Mindfulness exercises -Narrative Tools -Creative Arts -Neuro Emotional Technique using pressure points 5. REFINEMENT- Working through any tendencies of people pleasing or resistance associated with detaching from what no longer serves you. Here is where we refine things a bit. Once traumas and old narratives are addressed, we often have carry over habits from the past that need reworking. As an example, someone might have C-PTSD from growing up with a critical mother and in step 4, utilized healing work to resolve those traumas to gain a sense of safety within the body. Although the trauma has been resolved, there may be underlying habit patterns associated with old survival strategies such as people pleasing and fawning to have coped with managing behaviors around that critical mother. In the refinement stage, we look to create new ways to interact with our world. If the outdated people pleasing strategy continues, the universe keeps sending more “critical mothers” in the form of partners, bosses, and friends. No thank you! Again, your inner child deserves better! In order to teach others to treat us how we want to be treated, we must enter interactions with a new approach based on true self-acceptance. That requires trying on new behaviors, thoughts, and self-perceptions that more accurately reflect the light within. I help to be a lighthouse to guide you back to yourself, even if the climate feels unfamiliar. It’s an adventure that we will approach together with curiosity, creativity, self-acceptance. Tools commonly applied for Stage 5 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Reconnect to Values and Vision Planned in stage 3 -Role-plays and rehearsing new communication skills -Narrative Positive Future Refinement -ERP to process fears of change -Parts Work (IFS informed) to address inner resistance to change -CBT for use of decision making and to challenge assumptions -Imago 6. DETACH-and tune-in So what happens when you’ve embraced your inner landscape and the environment bristles? This is a part of the transformation process that often goes undiscussed. When we evolve, it can make others uncomfortable. It may trigger folks who benefit from you playing your old roles. Especially, for those overcoming patterns of perfectionism, caretaking, and people pleasing. Others might want you to stay the same, but that isn’t always what is best for you. There is ample evidence suggesting that masking negatively impacts our health and wellness. In this stage, we practice discernment to effectively express boundaries, integrate your new uncovered self-perception, communicate with loved ones in a manner more aligned with your true self, and detach from situations and people that cause damage to our sense of vitality. This process deserves an honest exploration of the impact of environmental factors on you, as well as learning how to navigate your inner compass to use as information when choosing relationships and opportunities. Tools commonly applied for Stage 6 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Mindfulness -Distress Tolerance Skills such as breathwork -Connection to inner compass through inner somatic journey -Role Play and imaginal practice of communication and boundary setting 7. DISCOVERY- Find things and experiences that light you up and realign with your inner values and create experiences for connection and challenge to develop mastery. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”-Henry Ford This stage is like sampling from the buffet of life to see what tastes good. I have worked with so many folks who once thought they “weren’t creative people", only to discover they are deeply inspired creators. When we are children, adults tell us who we are, and we usually believe them. One of the many issues with this is that this cuts us off from seeing our true selves, new options and possibilities. The brains perception is shaped by familiarity; it encodes and recognizes what it knows, filtering sensory input through the lens of past experience. So, here we introduce fresh input and try new things and use your newly learned ability to attune to your higher self to discover what lights you up. You may surprise yourself with what you can enjoy once rejecting old limitations. Tools commonly applied for Stage 7 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Making space for new opportunity and connect to resources -Revisiting the forgotten parts of self and integrating them with Parts work ( IFS exercises) -Envisioning Exercises to expand vision -Integrating of spiritual resources -ERP around social anxieties or other barriers to trying new things -Imago 8. MANIFESTING- Let's create new things! Based on a renewed sense of inner alignment with your values and integrity, we will also attend to maintaining the cleanup habits to prevent old internal clutter from creeping back and mucking up your newly cleared space. We have to replace the old discarded energy with new passion and purpose. We can embody our potential and expand now that we have created the room for it. This is an intentional, joyful, and empowering part of the process. Tools commonly applied for Stage 8 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Imaginal and creative envisioning -Meditations personally tailored to incorporate your vision -Inner Goddess meditative processes -Writing and journaling exercises 9. CLAIM & OWN- your progress with a redefinition of self. The discovered self that was there all along, waiting to be found, seen, and illuminated. This is where we embrace all parts of self with an integrated and secure sense of self with compassion and gentleness. Moving through this life with a renewed sense of self understanding & inner compassion will shift everything. It changes how we perceive ourselves, experiences, what we accept from others, our expectations, and our ability to receive. Here we honor your journey as you reclaim your inner spark. “The light in me bows to the light in you” Tools commonly applied for Stage 9 (Depending on your unique needs and preferences) -Narrative strategies for claiming your growth -Meditations personally tailored to incorporate your vision -Inner Goddess meditative processes -Spiritually relevant supportive practices to your beliefs -Imaginal and creative envisioning Who Am I? Hey! I’m Christine “Stina” Poane—Austin-based licensed clinical social worker and therapist, known for my creative and intuitive approach and my genuine enthusiasm for both this work and the incredible people I get to support. I lead with passion, curiosity, and authenticity, drawing on deep internal attunement and years of connecting with my own spark through meditation and self-discovery. I started out helping teens because I was that hyperactive, artsy, Neuro-spicy teen—ADHD, C-PTSD, always misunderstood and on edge. Growing up, I wasn’t protected—instead, I became the protector for my single mom, navigating the chaos and trauma of narcissistic abuse that hijacked my childhood. My experiences showed me firsthand just how crucial real safety is for growth; it’s impossible to truly heal or fully become yourself when living in survival mode. That’s why I’m so passionate about empowering people to nurture the support, compassion, and self-awareness they need to thrive—even when life or relationships feel challenging—because we grow best when we feel truly valued and encouraged. I love helping clients learn how to become their own safe place, creating an inner world rooted in self-love, acceptance, and self-trust. Of course, our environments shape us—like weather patterns, they can bring storms or sunshine—but we don’t have to wait for perfect conditions to grow. It’s a lot easier to blossom when you’re not stuck in a constant storm, but I believe in cultivating inner resilience and sanctuary no matter the forecast. My style? Direct, real, and—when it helps—guided by humor to create safety and connection. (Let’s be honest, healing isn’t always easy, so a little lightness at the right moment can make all the difference. But I know when to keep it serious, too.) I don’t do boring, stuffy therapy or throw “psychobabble word salad” at you just to sound smart (honestly, that can feel pretty patronizing). I say what needs to be said, keep it human, and make sure the process feels authentic and accessible. Why Did I Create the Luminous Spark Method? I’ve seen (and lived) how survival mode and old wounds shape your self-worth and relationships—especially when you have to grow up too soon. After years working as a therapist in schools, hospitals, the VA, and private practice, I realized it’s not just about breaking the cycle for yourself, but about interrupting those intergenerational patterns that get passed down. When you do this work, you change your own trajectory and ripple that change out to everyone around you. I created the Luminous Spark Method to help people break free from the past—because your story deserves a new chapter. You get to be all of who you are, whether flying solo or with someone else by your side. MY CERTIFICATIONS • Certified Imago Relationship Therapist • Certified Imago Workshop Presenter • Certified NATC – Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician ADDITIONAL TRAININGS Not fully certified, but well-trained in: • Internal Family Systems (IFS) “Parts” Work • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) • ETT (Emotional Transformation Therapy) • CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy for trauma) • ERP (Exposure Response Prevention for anxiety/OCD) • Gottman Method • And a bunch of extras like Enneagram, Human Design, yoga, dance, art, and mindfulness. I am an active learner of the intersection of class, race, religion, gender, policy, power & control through history and current times to help clients utilize a sociological lens to conceptualize a fuller picture of the self. My “I’ve Been There” Story I share my story so you know you’re not alone, and that when I say “I get it,” I mean it both as a clinician and as someone who’s lived a wide range of obstacles on a visceral, heartfelt level. My own journey as a trauma survivor—across all kinds of life experiences—fuels my work and shapes my commitment to walk with others through the hard stuff. I was the fixer—the kid carrying emotional weight no child should. I’ve survived toxic relationships, processed deep trauma, and soothed anxiety (think pinballs in my body, nonstop). I know the pain, and I found my way out. Because I had to figure it out for myself, and I now use years of deep study and practice to help others find their way out, too. What lights me up? Watching clients reclaim their spark, break old patterns, and finally feel free. I love seeing people step out of their comfort zones and discover new facets of themselves. For me, I refuel my own energy and inspiration through creative outlets like dance, music, and art—they keep my spirit lively and vibrant. I also love discovering what makes others come alive—helping each person connect with their own inner voice, sense of vitality, or authentic energy in whatever way feels true for them. If you’re ready to break your own cycle, let’s go! You deserve it—and I’ll bring directness, compassion, and just the right dose of lightness for the journey. Enthusiastically, Christine