DEAR
FRIENDS and Relatives of the PlanetLightworker Network,
As always, it is our hope that you and your beloved ones are in the
very best of Health and Happiness.
On behalf of Four Worlds International and United Indians of All Tribes
Foundation, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanksgiving to
PlanetLightworker for their dedicated work in uplifting the Human
Family. Towards this unifying vision we are extremely honored to share
excerpts from "Mapping the Healing Journey", that was developed
by Four Worlds International in consultation with Indigenous healers
and community development leaders across Canada and serves as a foundation
for The United Indians Healing and Wellness Framework.
The Individual Healing Journey
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People can heal, change, learn and grow. There are inspirational
and effective leaders of healing processes nationwide who are a
living testament to the possibility of transformation. Program initiatives
across the country clearly demonstrate the life-altering power of
engaging individuals (no matter how unhealthy they may be) in a
long-term, systematic transformation process leading from dysfunction
to wellness.
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The personal and community healing journeys go hand-in-hand. The
leaders of the healing movement have to pay careful attention to
their own wellness or they will not be able to work effectively
in their communities. At the same time, progress with the general
wellness levels in the community gives the leaders the courage to
continue and eventually the human resources they need to build on.
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It is not possible to talk about "healing" or the "healing
journey" in one simple definition. We can talk about the attributes
that someone acquires through personal healing. For example, healthy
people do not need to control others, are not crippled by fears
from the past and have gained skills to look after themselves. They
have strong confidence and self-esteem, respect themselves and others
and can listen to what others say about you without taking it inside.
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It is also possible to talk about healing in terms of the medicine
wheel. Healing involves the whole person-body, mind, spirit and
feelings. It involves the whole individual, the whole family, the
whole community and the whole nation. It involves the whole cycle
of life from childhood, to the time of youth, to our adult years
and to eldership.
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People only begin their healing journey when they are ready and
that is often when they hit bottom. At this point, when they are
in danger of losing something (i.e. their freedom, their relationship,
their children, their job), people are ready to work. We have to
be ready to work with people when they are ready (not in our time
frames and on our terms).
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Every recovering individual needs to have a dream (i.e. a vision
and a plan) that lays out a pathway to a better future. The dream
grows as people go further on their healing journey. For some the
dream may entail getting more education and training. For others
it may mean having access to credit or investment dollars. For still
others, it may mean building viable partnerships or obtaining needed
support and approval from the community leadership.
Elements
of the Healing Journey
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Many different healing methods and modalities have been tried in
communities. The lessons, both from community experience and the
literature, is that there are many ways that are of value. Nothing
works all the time or is appropriate for everyone. Body therapies,
breath-work, spiritual healing, energy work, individual and group
counseling approaches (of which there are more than 200 different
documented forms), participation in traditional healing ways, participation
in religious activities, recreation, skills training, arts and music,
support groups, relaxation techniques and mind/body practices all
have something to offer. Skilled helpers in communities are aware
of the multiple entry points available and are able to guide different
people to a modality that will be helpful for them.
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A major piece of the healing journey is understanding the past.
What happened to us? What choices did we make that led to the layers
of hurt? What was done to us? What did we lose? What did we use
to have that we need to recover or rediscover?
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"Forgiveness" is a controversial concept, given the justice-related
issues connected to the legacy of residential schools. Nevertheless,
forgiveness is an essential part of healing. Unless people learn
to forgive (not forget), they are still holding onto feelings that
hurt them. The healing journey requires taking full responsibility
(as individuals, families and communities) for the work that needs
to be done to overcome that legacy.
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Often it takes a crisis (such as a disclosure of abuse on the part
of a prominent person) to help the community overcome its denial
that a problem exists and to recognize the need for healing.
THE INDIVIDUAL HEALING JOURNEY
Stage 1: The Journey Begins
The healing journey of individuals often begins when they come face
to face with some inescapable consequence of a destructive pattern
or behavior in their life or when they finally feel safe enough to
tell their story.
They may have spent a significant part of their life unaware or denying
that the pattern is destructive or may have believed that the rewards
of the behavior outweighed the costs. But here they are (in jail,
facing other legal consequences, pregnant, their spouse leaves, fired
from work, tired of living this way, losing their kids, someone close
dies, a spiritual awakening, being confronted, etc.) with some desire
to change the way things are. The answer must be to stop the behavior.
At this point  people often enter some kind of treatment/therapy/support
group or they may do it alone. Either way, the healing work remains
the same. Often people make many attempts to start their healing but
retreat again into denial and pain. When the threat of consequences
outweighs the fear of opening up and trusting others or when people
feel "sanctuary" (i.e. a sense of safety) in the relationship
they develop with those working to support their healing then the
journey can really begin. Usually the first steps involve telling
their story, at first just to get it out and later to understand how
the story is related to the pain and dysfunction in their lives.
It can be very hard to stop the behavior. The consequence of stopping
may appear worse than continuing. People may go through many cycles
of relapse and recovery. They may become stuck in this cycle for years
- even a lifetime. The cycle will continue until they address the
primary driving forces that gave rise to and maintain their patterns
of dysfunction and addiction. There are two main reasons for this.
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Substance abuse is usually a whole lifestyle and most addicts are
part of an addictive sub-culture. Whether addicts get involved with
the substance and then progress to the lifestyle or gain a sense
of belonging within the sub-culture and find that substance abuse
is the price of entry, their lives become oriented around a culture
of addiction. Within this addictive sub-culture, the addicts' basic
human needs are met - albeit in a way that has very high costs.
Their friends and family, their group membership and sense of belonging,
their activities, their daily routines, their diet, their social
role, their sense of purpose and order, their dress, their language,
their sexuality, their rituals, symbols and music, their livelihood
and much more are shaped by the addictive sub-culture. Their whole
world and identity are bound up with it. "Quitting" is
like trying to get out of a moving vehicle. Treatment is not simply
competing with the intoxication experience; it is required to provide
an alternative pattern of living. Many people learn this the hard
way when they return home from treatment centres.
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Once the addictive behavior is stopped, traumatic feelings and fearful
consequences often surface. Feelings of shame, worthlessness, anger,
rage, grief, loneliness, guilt, depression and sadness may have
festered and built up for years. Once addicts "quit,"
they become aware that such feelings dominate their inner landscape.
They are likely to face terrifying ordeals - confronting abusers,
being confronted by victims, accepting one's inner nature or calling,
taking responsibility for one's life. They may have no effective
coping strategies to replace the addictive behavior itself. A vicious
cycle can ensue in which the addiction is used to treat the symptoms
brought about by the withdrawal from addiction or just the complexities
and stresses of daily life itself.
The
healing journey seldom means returning to a previous healthy life. It
is a rite of passage which requires a separation from the old identity,
a period of learning, guidance and support and the forging of a new
identity, new patterns of life and new relationships.
Stage 2: Partial Recovery
At this stage individuals have mostly stopped their addictive behavior,
but the driving forces that sustained it are still present.
At this stage the journey involves struggling to uncover the roots
of trauma from the past that caused the pain and dysfunctional behavior.
It can be slow and painful work, but it can also be tremendously exhilarating.
While the recovery is precarious, people often experience enthusiasm,
excitement and renewed energy. They are doing something with their
lives. They make discoveries about themselves. They may join new communities
within which they gain acceptance and which rewards them for participating
in the healing process. A new vision of possibility emerges. During
this transition stage people need a lot of support. Many become involved
in healing communities of some kind, whether they be therapeutic (such
as A.A. or community treatment programs), religious (such as a church
group) or focused on traditional cultural ways. These groups often
meet many needs that were previously met by the addictive lifestyle
and people may fully and wholeheartedly immerse themselves in this
new "culture" (in some cases for the rest of their lives).
The culture of recovery replaces the culture of addictions.
Stage 3: The Long Trail
Once someone has reached a hard-won sense of stability, it takes a
great deal of courage, discipline and motivation to continue in the
healing journey.
The momentum begins to wear off, the length of the journey becomes
apparent, support may drop off ("she's just obsessed with healing!"),
opposition may be encountered ("Why can't she just let sleeping
dogs lie?") and there is life to get on with. Many people stop
doing the healing work once the pain becomes bearable or once life
seems manageable. This can be a dysfunctional stability where the
old behavior is no longer dominant ("I'm sober") but the
consciousness that generated it still exists. It may come out in what
seems to be less drastic or destructive ways. It may manifest in unhealthy
and compulsive relationships with people, work, food, tobacco and
gambling.
Ultimately, this stage is about developing a new identity and life
pattern. It may be long, slow work. There may be long periods of stagnation,
enlivened by periods of growth and change. There will be many mistakes
made, many lessons to be learned. New strategies and patterns will
be tried on. Some will fit and some won't. Each person must find his
or her own way through.
It is hard to walk this path alone. There are many things that can
help a person to keep going: renewal experiences, supportive community,
guides and mentors, participating in a disciplined path (such as traditional
ceremonial cycles and activities) and on-going edu cation. Much of
the work is invisible because a person is building new foundations,
putting down new roots.
Stage 4: Transformation and Renewal
Ultimately the healing journey is about the transformation of consciousness,
acceptance and spiritual growth.
At this stage of the journey, it is no longer about dealing with the
demons of the past. It becomes an attraction to a higher vision. There
is a conscious determination to build one's life and community around
life-enhancing principles (spiritual laws, original teachings, healthy
virtues, etc.). There is a conscious articulation of the vision that
motivates and draws you. The experience of the hurt self diminishes
and the experience of universal self grows. As one's consciousness
becomes more fully aligned with life-enhancing principles, one's outer
life also naturally goes through profound changes. New relationships
emerge. New pathways of expression and of service to the community
become important parts of an emerging pattern of life. At this stage
it often happens that people no longer need the "culture of recovery"
and so participation in "healing" activities declines. Nevertheless,
the self-centered focus of addictions has been replaced by a much
more outward-looking orientation to serving others and a personal
identity of dysfunction is replaced by a much richer, deeper identity
anchored in culture and community.
©
United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, All Rights Reserved, 2006
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