Sacred Insights

After living in a commune, he went on to become a nurse, with 12 years experience in chemical dependency and psychiatric care that included people from multi-cultural groups and victims of PTSD. He is a White Bison Firestarter.

Spirituality is very important to Dennis. While working in Minneapolis, MN with the homeless, he was given his first Eagle Feather by an Anishinaabe Midewiwin. He has been influenced by the teachings of Don Coyhis, D. J. Eagle Bear Vanas, Black Wolf Jones, Wananeeche, and Sadhu Sundar Singh.

Dennis and his wife, Elaine, have been married since 1976. They have two adult sons, Joshua and Caleb. Elaine is a Registered Nurse with 14 years experience in mental health and chemical dependency.

She has received the Strengthening Our Families training from White Bison. Both Dennis and Elaine have received training in Peacemaking Circles, and Historical/Intergenerational Trauma. They enjoy working with herbs and singing together. Some have called their singing "Medicine Music".

Wellbriety

Wellbriety is a traditional Native American approach for being well or living in wellness. It is a Native American way of living in harmony and balance. The wellbriety concepts are based on principles, natural laws and values from traditional Native American teachings that when put into practice, promote balance in the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical aspects of our lives.

All things, people, animals, plants, and air are interconnected with each other. When we accept the truth that everything is interconnected instead of the comfort of denial, we become willing to look at our part in the creation of harm. The honor of one is the honor of all. The hurt of one is the hurt of all. Change occurs in cycles or patterns. All things consist of two interconnected worlds: The Seen World and the Unseen World. In order for the Seen World to change, it must first change in the Unseen World. Conflict precedes clarity. In order for anything to change, it must struggle to do so first. The human being has four interconnected aspects of growth: Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual. All change starts on the inside and works its way out. The human will is the key to all change. The Creator designed us to have a free will. Each human must be a willing participant in their own change. One drop of water by itself is insignificant upon the earth; many drops of water together can reshape the earth and transform the lives of all living things.

Four discoveries must be made to complete the Cycle of Healing. First, I find Creator by recognizing that I am powerless or helpless over my problem and that my life has become unmanageable. It takes honesty, hope, and faith to find Creator. Second, I find myself by acknowledging who I really am, both strengths and weaknesses. It takes courage, integrity and willingness to find myself. Third, I find my relatives by forgiving myself and then trying to make things right with those I have hurt. It takes humility, forgiveness, and justice to find my relatives. Fourth, I find the Elders’ Wisdom by saying, “I am willing to be willing,” and then change starts to happen when I begin helping others who are also struggling. It takes perseverance, spiritual awareness, and service to find the Elders’ Wisdom.

The book, The Red Road to Wellbriety in the Native American Way, can be ordered from White Bison 6145 Lehman Dr. Suite 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80918 or call 1-719-548-1000 email www.whitebison.org

Creating a Healing Forest

All of creation is in a state of constant change. Nothing stays the same. Everything and everyone goes through seasons or cycles of change. We all have the capacity to grow and change, to become well. However, fear of the unknown has kept many from experiencing a lifestyle of wellness. We often hold on to familiar behavior, even if it is dysfunctional, because at least we know how it works.

All positive, lasting change begins on the inside and works its way out. My hope for healing and wellness will only grow and develop by having a dream or vision that I paint like a picture on the canvas of my mind. A great learning must happen for this idea or picture of wellness to move from my mind down into my heart. Once I believe it in my heart it will start working outward and begin to affect my life, family and community. People are like trees. Many of us grew up in a sick forest. Some trees want to get well but a well tree will not stay well in a sick forest. Therefore, we must create a healing forest!

Balance and Harmony

Inside every creature is the innate knowledge of how it is to conduct itself. They know what to do ¼ they do it naturally. Inside every human being is the innate knowledge of our own wellbeing. We have an inner voice – a personal guidance system that speaks to us when we cross the line. We intuitively know what to do and we have the freedom to choose.

Living in Wellbriety, or walking the Red Road, is a journey I can only make for myself. If I want to be in harmony and balance it is my responsibility. Wellbriety is a lifestyle I can choose that will give me the power to forgive the unforgiveable, to heal myself, to have hope, and for unity.

I have the freedom of choice to live in harmony and balance, or dis-harmony, and suffer the natural consequences of my choices. My life becomes functional when I live in harmony and balance. My life becomes dysfunctional when I live out of harmony and balance. Tension is a feedback system to let me know when I am out of harmony and balance. Tension reveals itself in stress and anxiety. The more I get out of balance, the stress increases causing chaos, confusion, and conflict.

Changing Mind Pictures

I will move toward and become like what I think about. My thinking or self talk has been shaping my reality and causing me to become the person I am today. My self talk creates a picture or image in my mind. This picture can be positive or negative, true or false. The more I focus on that picture the more likely it will become a reality for me. Creator gave me this power to dream or the ability to shape my life and future. Sometimes, I give my power to negative people by believing the lies they tell me. These people may even be well meaning but they will not give me a true picture of myself. However, I can change these false pictures in my mind. Therefore, it is important for me to look for those pictures that should not be in my mind.

For lasting change I will have to make a habit of acting on the positive picture. At first acting on this new picture will feel strange and uncomfortable but eventually it will feel natural and become automatic.

Finding Clarity and Contentment

Conflict precedes clarity and we grow through conflict. Everything is evolving or changing and it is interesting that conflict comes before things become clear. Anything that has been built is also constantly being destroyed. In fact, that which has been destroyed is being used to build something new. All things in the universe, including people, relationships, and even organizations are growing and changing through a process of struggle and conflict. In order for anything to grow or change it must first struggle to do so. Conflict is not our enemy it is a natural part of growth. Conflict is actually a friendly guidance system or a message carrier from the invisible spirit world. Conflict tells us which way to go to restore harmony and balance to our lives. We get confused and attitudes usually come to the surface during times of change because when conflict comes we start to struggle. We should get happy when conflict comes because when we start to struggle change is starting to happen and then we will come into clarity that will result in being in harmony and balance.

Responding to Conflict

In life it is natural or normal for our relationships to go through conflict and struggle. When we come into conflict and begin to struggle this is actually a natural growth process. Therefore, whenever conflict comes we need to yield to it by leaning into it because it is actually an opportunity for growth.

There are four ways people and organizations usually handle conflict. The first three are unhealthy, or negative responses, that come from fear and are used to avoid conflict. The fourth response is a healthy, or positive one, that comes from love.

1. Attack others or even myself by using fault finding and fixing blame.

2.Denial (tuning out or looking the other way) by pretending it doesn’t exist ¼ that we are not out of harmony or that the criticism is not true.

3.Withhold privileges such as money or funding, my presence, my voice, my approval, or even love.

4.Embrace or engage it with love. We do this by acknowledging or recognizing conflict and relating to it with love. Choosing to love gives me the ability to lean into the conflict and work through it by forgiving and letting go then my beliefs and actions will also change.

Healthy relationships and organizations are built with conflict resolution. They are not built on expecting the absence of conflict. The real basis of conflict resolution is changing myself. Gandhi said you must be the change you wish to see in the community. I must also be the change I wish to see at work, in my family, or relationships.