Description
How It Started
Healer2Healer started out of a small apartment in New York City in 2010 with a group of 16 acupuncturists, Reiki practitoners and students travelling to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala and a holding free, week long clinic in 3 rural villages. In these communities, the indigenous healers were eager to learn and adopt the modalities of treatment that Healer2Healer was providing and have continued hosting these exchanges.
Unlike Western medicine that is typically provided by international NGOs, the types of treatments provided and taught by Healer2Healer are inexpensive and practical for the indigenous healers and their communities. The holistic approach of Healer2Healer legitimizes the art of healing for many of the indigenous healers that have been persecuted at times for practicing their own healing traditions. These groups have come to trust and respect our integrity and intentions to help them, so now they begin sharing their healing methods with us.
Where We're Going
Inspired by the commitment to learning and the resonance of holistic medicine in the indigenous communities, Healer2Healer began collaborating with organized indigenous women's groups in Guatemala to extend the reach of the training. The women's groups get training from Healer2Healer and then eventually pass on that training to other communities that Healer2Healer cannot reach directly, yet we perceive our efforts extending to geographic areas beyond our capacities to safely travel.
Healer2Healer also recognizes that indigenous healers are essentially small business owners and entrepreneurs. With the skills that they receive from training, they are able to offer new services in their communities which can bring with it new economic opportunities. Healer2Healer's goal is that with guidance and support they will eventually operate independently and continue to transfer knowledge from community to community and generation to generation.
Through the use of web- and laptop-technology, Healer2Healer will provide more training opportunities and an online community where indigenous healers, practitioners, and students can connect with each other to answer questions and provide on-going support and professional follow-up to solidify commitment and stewardship in communities we touch.
