ONSITE: The Therapeutic Wiwipson: The Adult Therapeutic Swing - a Healing Process with Individual and Family sessions

The Traditional Adult Therapeutic Swing: Wiwipson

The Traditional therapeutic swing along with the teachings distinct to the people of their territory (as confirmed by offering protocol to a knowledge keeper from that particular community) is offered as a means for individuals to understand the intergenerational impacts, have insight into the traditional teaching and concepts, understand the kinship systems and natural laws that maintained a strong community and the values that our ancestors held so dear. We have done protocol in the Northwest Territories with the Elders and have received the blessing to do this very sacred work.

A Kind, Loving, Gentle and Soul Nurturing Healing

The Traditional therapeutic swing sacredness of life teachings are offered as part of the psycho-educational component of this healing process, sharing a detailed understanding of how history, colonialism and forced assimilation, residential ‘schools’ and its intergenerational impacts destroyed traditional native parenting concepts and rites of passages.

Many of those that had attended the residential ‘schools’ were taken from the arms of their parents and from the well-defined kinship systems for childcare and childhood teachings and experiences that had developed the First Nation Psyche and Spirit.

An impact of residential ‘schools’ was a loss of the love and nurturing that is so necessary for the healthy development of the individual. Without successfully attaining this stage of love and nurturance in the natural life cycle, one artificially seeks this often by artificial means. We can recreate the nurturance and give the experience by honouring the swing and the ancestral wisdom of the grandmothers and grandfathers to assist those that are lost to find the love and reconnect with that feeling.

In the group’s process and in the swing, the individual is provided with the dignity and safety they need to make contact within themselves for their own personal healing and to awaken their own sleeping wisdom. This workshop is complimented with facilitated one to one private, individual and/or family sessions.

What we actually do:

What is beautiful about the swing is that many people have distant memories of seeing swings in their grandmothers home and in their own homes growing up. The therapeutic swing is present across all of our Indigenous Nations in Canada, across the United States and throughout South America. For example the West and East Coast Nations used a cedar basket tied to a strong willow that was curved across the ceiling of their home or longhouse. The caregiver then rocked the child and sang songs significant to their tribe, their family and significant to the child. Many other nations used a small hammock like swings made up of blankets and rope and strung from the lead poles of our tepees. Essentially the child was wrapped and swung to soothe and replicate the time from inside the womb. All people regardless of culture are welcomed to experience the swings healing.

We facilitate the teachings with each group in an animated and respectful manner. We design each workshop to the specific requirements of each organization and talk about all facets of the therapeutic swing as well as demonstrate to the large group what it would be like to be in the swing.  We put the swing together and talk about each component, we ask for a volunteer so the individual has an actual experience and others in the group bear witness and hear from the experience of the individual. We offer private sessions for individuals and family groups.

It is a very beautiful, non- invasive traditional form of indigenous healing and decolonized therapy. It is soul work.

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