2. Role of Healing Our Spirit
Provide services for Aboriginal People from across
Canada with many different cultural backgrounds.
Provide services to those living on-reserve/off-
reserve, status/non-status, Metis, and Inuit
3. Stories, Dreams, Dance, Drum, &
Ceremony are Healing
APHAs are given opportunities to attend cultural events. This helps them to
connect with others and their culture. Participation with cultural activities and
events is a personal choice for individuals:
• Pow-wows
• West Coast canoe races
• West Coast Cultural Events
• Sweat-lodge ceremony
• Smudge ceremony
• Shakers ceremony
• Cold water cedar baths
• Eagle Feather Healing Ceremony
4. Barriers to Good Health
Stigma and Discrimination has a direct impact on
Aboriginal people living with HIV/AIDS. Eg. Homophobia,
intolerance of Drug and Alcohol abuse.
Lack of knowledge and support programs in rural/isolated
Aboriginal communities.
Lack of acceptance of Aboriginal people living with
HIV/AIDS in their own communities.
Lack of Native health care providers
Lack of public health acceptance for native healers.
5. Healing Our Spirit is committed to:
• Helping Aboriginal people within their own framework
• Provide assistance when asked
• Treat clients in a respectful way
• Provide guidance and direction in a kind and respectful
manner
• Use the structure of the Healing Circle to include APHAs.
6. Challenges APHAs Face
• Legal-Child & Family Court, Drug & Alcohol
• Financial-Social Workers, E.I., Work
• Housing/ Shelter-Evictions, Homeless,
• Addictions-Counseling via Detox, Treatment
• Medical-Services in hospitals, and clinics.
• Stigma/Discrimination-community
• Mental Illness-Services
7. 7 Sacred gifts from the Creator at birth to use as
medicine for the mind, body, heart, and spirit
1.Respect:The value of Harmony, Honor, dignity, and reciprocation
2.Humility: Modesty is element of conduct in Native Society
3.Compassion: Showing kindness. Strive to be tolerant and understanding of
situation. Don’t expect rapid responses-patience
4.Honesty-understand that 500 years of oppression and domination pose
challenges in delivering health care.
5.Truth-confidentiality and privacy is a human right.
6.Wisdom cultural beliefs and values helps reduce risk behavior, and
improves quality of life.
7.Love caring and showing love in a good way.
8. Support Worker
• Helps APHAs deal with practical matters that are
confusing and stressful
• Teaches, guides, directs, and advocates in complex
situations in urban/rural communities
• Partners with client to plan and coordinate appropriate
services and resources that are needed to achieve a
healthy balanced life.
• Assists individuals and families to function effectively
while living with HIV/AIDS.
• Assists with funeral arrangements
9. Forms relationships built on
trust, empowerment,and mutual
respect
• APHAs learn to move away from unhealthy
patterns of interaction.
• APHAs make efforts not to engage in self-
destructive behavior
• APHAs live in parameter of finding balance and
purpose in their life.
10. HEALING OUR SPIRIT
MANDATE
To prevent and to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS
To provide care, treatment, and support services
to Aboriginal people infected/affected by HIV/AIDS
It is the Society’s belief that: “Everyone is a part of
our healing circle, including people with HIV/AIDS.
Communities in balance keep the circle strong by
working together in caring, supporting, and
healing.”
11. Healing Our Spirit
GOALS
• To provide HIV/AIDS education prevention workshops throughout
BC
• To increase awareness and promote the prevention of HIV/AIDS in
rural/urban Aboriginal Communities throughout B.C.
• Provide support to individuals, families and care givers
infected/affected by HIV/AIDS.
• To increase community accessibility to HIV/AIDS educational
material and resources.
• To increase acceptance of people living with HIV/AIDS in their
communities.
12. Healing Our Spirit BC Aboriginal
HIV/AIDS SOCIETY
Incorporated May 1992
By
Frederick Haineault & Leonard Johnston
13. Healing Circle
Is a culturally diverse healing tool Healing Our Spirit offered to help Aboriginal families with
and/or affected by HIV/AIDS. They were brought together to an undisclosed location to
address their concerns. Most experienced helplessness or hopelessness in their walk with the
AIDS virus. Like when a member of the family becomes concerned about a loved one and
thought if they worked together on a wellness plan they would resolve their inner conflict.
In a respectful way they communicated their concerns, and together it brought comfort to the
person living with the chronic illness. By engaging and building relationships it mended body
mind and soul. It is good and true medicine for families living with HIV/AIDS. I am glad Healing
Our Spirit responded to their call out for Healing Circles. It was a way for me to facilitate the
grieving process of families affected by HIV/AIDS. Loved ones do leave the family to stay
healthy longer living with a chronic illness. The Healing Circle equipped them with the best
changes needed for successful wellness plan.
14. Healing Circle
• By providing compassion, gentle guidance, spiritual guidance, loving
support, wise teachings, they overcame their fear and began to deal with
their health needs.
• The Healing Circle offered new possibilities for better understanding of
the disease, self, and the issues at hand.
• The Healing Circle improved communication and collaboration.
• Sacred objects were brought into the Healing Circle. An Eagle feather was
held as they spoke and passed to next speaker. Each speaker spoke of his
or her heart felt truth. The feather encouraged one to speak from the
most undefended place in one’s self.
15. Confidentiality
Group Rules were set before each session. Rules varied with
each Nation visited.
Speak honestly and truthfully from the heart
Listen intently
Do not cross talk or interfere with what someone is speaking
As a general rule all heard in Healing Circle stays amongst
participants. Unless a waiver or consent had been rendered
before leaving the Healing Circle.
16. Goals and wellness plans
I noted participants’ problem solved, planned, and created boundaries
needed to build learning. They needed to stay present and committed
to what is taking place. Each Healing Circle was authentic no matter
how dark or unresolved the outcome. Each person left feeling a strong
feeling of a plan and connectedness with a loved one. It may off felt
less stressed within their physical, emotional and spiritual wounds. The
recovery may take time but each person is encouraged to speak from a
place of sincerity and truthfulness. Each spoke without interruption,
criticism or judgment. It was a time to share their grief, pain, joy and/or
humor. The space provided a place for self-empowerment and healing.
17. About the Sacred Circle
Circles symbolizes the cycles of life.
Within Nature: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Within Life: Childhood, Adolescent, Adult, and Elder
• It is in that circle that we are connecting with all of
life, the sacredness, and the continuity of life.
Circles stand for respect equality inclusiveness and
the continued flow of life.
18. Eagle feather
By sharing our pains our losses or humor we laugh or we
cry. We can heal our mind, body, and spirit in this way.
And learn more about sharing and communicating our
feelings. That is the reason a feather can help a person
focus on him or herself to have a deeper awareness in
their inner world or inner feelings. They journey to the
center of their being in ceremony. It is when most
closest to our Creator, or our connections to the
universal energies.
19. Courage and bravery
• Honesty in facing a situation is to be brave.
• To cherish knowledge is to know wisdom.
• To know love is to know peace.
• To honor all of creation is to have respect.
• Bravery is to face the foe with integrity.
• Humility is to know you as a sacred part of creation
20. Honesty
Truth is to know all of these things. It is a place
of comfort, wisdom, security, and redness. It is
a place where they come in search for new
directions, abandoning the old, making
amends, righting the wrongs and establishing a
new pathway for tomorrow.
21. Healing Circle
• A Sacred place directed by a person who
intervenes and directs flow of collective
energies in circle.
• The number of people participating
ranged from 2-20 people gathered in a
circular formation to share ideas, hopes,
dreams, and cares.
