Indigenous Hands-on Healing Workshop with Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona & Barbara Mainguy, LCSW

Dates: March 29- 30, 2025

Times: Saturday 9 AM - 6 PM and Sunday 9 AM - 4 PM

Location: People's Solidarity Hub
1809 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham, NC 27707

Cost: $495- includes lunch both days

Register: HERE

In this transformative workshop, journey into the roots of American osteopathy and discover the indigenous healing practices that shaped it. Our path takes us back to the healing wisdom of the Cherokee, Pawnee, and Shawnee peoples, whose hands-on techniques influenced Andrew Taylor Still, founder of osteopathy, who spoke Shawnee and embraced their healing ways.

Traditional Cherokee people called their techniques of hands-on healing “reading the body,” and in this workshop, we will demonstrate these indigenous techniques, comparing them to American osteopathy and traditional Chinese medicine. We will explore how these indigenous people used various strategies for touching the body, including deep pressure, rocking, shaking, running energy meridians, mobilization, and breath work as a means to restore spirit to all parts of the body, We'll guide you through supervised practice with the methods of Cherokee bodywork and offer examples of incorporating imagery and dialogue; the importance of ceremony, ritual, and intent; manipulative medicine as a means of dialogue with the body; Cherokee acupuncture and knowledge of energy meridians and energy medicine; understanding how this form of healing as mind-body-spirit integration takes place in community; and more.

Almost all indigenous cultures had direct, hands-on methods of healing, and the Cherokee were no exception. Learn the Cherokee art of healing touch, a form of bodywork that is rarely encountered today. In this workshop, we will explore:

• Supervised practice of Cherokee bodywork

• Cherokee breathwork techniques, as a means of restoring spirit to all parts of the body

• The incorporation of imagery and dialogue into bodywork

• The importance of ceremony, ritual, and intent in bodywork

• Osteopathic or “manipulative” medicine as a means of dialogue with the body

• Cherokee use of acupressure, energy meridians, and energy medicine

Whether you're a seasoned bodyworker or a beginner simply drawn to healing, join us in rediscovering the indigenous art of healing touch.

Those who have access to a yoga mat or a massage table are encouraged to bring them to the event to work on.

Register: HERE