Healing from a history of genocide policies

Presented by: Marcie Rendon & Darlene Daniels

Workshop description:
As indigenous people in the Re-evaluation counseling communities we recognize the opportunity which has allowed us to develop thinking and peer counseling strategies which we offer here to our indigenous family so that people may learn recognize internalized recordings and patterned ways of behaving that are a result of external genocide policies directed at us; and we will introduce peer counseling techniques and strategies that others may choose to use individually and collectively to heal from the history of genocide.

Our communities suffer high rates of suicide, domestic violence, native on native violence, sudden violent death, and sexual trauma. Intuitively and spiritually we know that as First Nations people we are not inherently flawed. We have however, lived for centuries in society that has targeted us for destruction and without enough resource to heal in the moment we have internalized the oppressors beliefs about us and carry those messages out in direction to ourselves and our loved ones around us.

 It is possible to heal. Co-counseling utilizes the strength of the knowledge available in individuals and communities to awarely listen to each other in equally shared, timed pairs. When given the chance to be listened to, people bring up these internalized recordings and when listened to well, healing does began.

Participants will learn the theory of co-counseling that outlines how oppressive recordings are installed by outside forces; and situations that are in place to not allow healing in the moment to occur and how that sets us up individually and collectively to "Live out" these recordings day after day. They will learn basic theory and practice of Re-evaluation counseling and will practice listening well to each other in pairs and in facilitator led support group process. The workshop presenters are prepared to offer trainings to individuals and communities after this conference and provide follow-up.