Internal Family Systems

Internal Family Systems, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, is an evidence-based psychotherapeutic model that focuses on a person’s internal system as various parts that have specific roles, contain valuable qualities and interact with each other differently. As our core Self is more embodied, our parts are listened to and healed, allowing us to experience self-acceptance, wholeness, and inner peace.

Compassionate Inquiry

Compassionate Inquiry is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Dr. Gabor Mate to recognize underlying dynamics that run our lives and how to liberate ourselves from them.

Lineage Healing

Lineage healing blends shamanic ceremonial access to ancestors with Internal Family Systems’ Legacy Unburdening. Trauma, burdens and beliefs can be communicated firsthand from parent to child, the origins of which might come from the experiences of someone else who lived generations earlier. Inherited family trauma can pass from one generation to the next, maintained and perpetuated through family silence and secrets. Lineage healing facilitates identifying, witnessing and releasing inherited family burdens.

Deathwalker/Psychopomp

Deathwalker Medicine is the shamanic facilitation of the soul’s journey back to Spirit. This includes:
 

• ceremonial processes for powerful life completion, dying and death

• facilitating a person’s crossing at death

• guiding families through the dying, death and grieving journey

• Psychopomp: assists the journey back to spirit after death has occurred

Drums

Drums represent the heartbeat of Mother Earth. They have been used for signaling, gathering together, ceremony, celebration, vision questing, trance journeys, healing journeys, grounding and energy balancing. The most traditional material is rawhide on a wooden frame. The round shape represents interconnectedness and the circle of all life.

The drum’s rounded hollowness is reminiscent of the Divine Feminine from which all life springs, while the shape of the beater represents the masculine energy that is necessary to make the drum sound, which is a specific form of energy. Together they create the world of matter. Thus the sound of the drum represents the sound of creation. Since playing the drum balances male and female forces, the sound of the drum restores balance to our being.

Trance Drum Journeys

The repetitive, monotonous rhythm of the drumbeat induces an altered state of consciousness in which the brain’s ability to imagine is remarkably enhanced. The mind’s inner chatter quiets, allowing connection with insights and answers to the journey’s intent.

Examples of trance journeys:

• Restoration Journeys to help reconcile the past with self or others;

• Past Life Reclamation and Healing Journeys when a particular past life may hold answers to help resolve issues in this lifetime

Power Animal Drum Journeys

Every person has nine power or totem animals that represent the medicine they carry in their Earth Walk. These animals emulate each person’s abilities, talents and challenges. If one has not acknowledged and fully engaged their gifts, the animal may bring an understanding of the talents that need developing.

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The Center Power Animal represents the essence of who we are, and the power of its gifts can be used in all areas of one’s life. This is the first power animal one journeys to meet and connect with. The other power animals assist in specific aspects of life, as well as in trance journeys, and are each met on separate drum journeys: Dream Animal, Healer Animal, Death Guide Animal, Recapitulation Animal, Past Life Animal, Warrior Animal and Shadow Animal.

Ho’oponopono

An ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, Ho’oponopono restores the balance of life and heals. When one forgives, others heal. When others heal, the collective heals.

It encourages us to take responsibility for what we contribute to the morphogenetic field of humanity, not just from our conscious thoughts, words and actions but also from the shadows within our conscious and subconscious minds. The practice of Ho’oponopono helps us cleanse our separation and inner shadows.