Honoring the Medicine
Native American & First Nations Health and Cultural Education
Teachings & Offerings by Ken Cohen
Healing, Counseling and Consultations
Healing, blessing, and spiritual counseling sessions are arranged by appointment. Ken uses a variety of methods, as appropriate, including:
Prayer, Hand-Doctoring (spiritual energy healing), Smudging, Singing, Herbs, Ceremony, Story-telling, and various Indigenous Tools for discovering and honoring one's life purpose.
Please do not confuse traditional indigenous "doctoring" with either Shamanism or New Age dabbling. Traditional healing requires following cultural protocols, including how one asks for a healing ("offering tobacco"), when during the cycle of the month it might be more appropriate or inappropriate to ask for healing, the meaning of "reciprocity", proper ways to show respect through style of dress and speech, and so on. Ken will explain these protocols to you.
Asking for a healing, does not guarantee that Ken will accept you as a client. Sometimes, Ken will tell you frankly that he doesn't have the skills to help, or he may make a referral.
These methods focus on healing, rather than on curing. Healing means making whole, restoring inner harmony and well-being, reconnecting with the Great Mystery. Curing disease, though a desirable side-effect of healing, is the realm of western medicine. Serious health or psychological issues require supervision by a licensed health-care practitioner.
How many sessions are necessary? Although a single consultation may resolve the problem, more commonly both you and the healer make a commitment to a particular number of sessions, four being the most common.
Digging the Sacred Bear Root
What is the fee for healing sessions? In keeping with traditional Native American/First Nations protocols, I do not and have never charged money for healing treatments or ceremony. A healer only facilitates the connection between the "patient" and the sacred healing forces. And because healing is a gift from Creator, we are not allowed to attach a monetary value, turning healing into a commodity.
Yet, this does not mean that healing is free. Some sacrifice, some offering must be made by the patient. A traditional offering of tobacco shows respect for the healer. The patient may also need to provide travel expenses for the healer and his or her helpers. I generally recommend that a client also make a donation to a Native American organization (such as the Native American Rights Fund) to demonstrate generosity and good will. In the old days, a patient might give horses and blankets; today a patient might offer personal gifts or a monetary donation. But I personally feel that it is wrong to charge a fee for traditional healing.
I have offered free healing services at many First Peoples communities and clinics. Do I ever offer educational programs in indigenous science, culture, and cross-cultural dialogue? Yes, of course, and for these I may be paid like any other teacher or lecturer. Please see the "Events Calendar" for a description of educational programs. https://www.sacredearthcircle.com/eventscalendar