Raíces rebeldes
My journey in mental health is rooted in surviving systemic racism, child trafficking, wrongful incarceration, and a late diagnosis of Autism and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I've broken through barriers in academia, film, and athletics—and yet, as hard as I and others try, the fight for true inclusivity remains forefront. While the general public has observed an increase in visibility of BIPOC folks, many fail to grasp how U.S. policies have not kept pace with the needs of our entire population. These experiences have continually fueled my determination to dismantle oppressive structures and advocate for culturally competent, inclusive, liberation-focused care. Not the "care" you may have received at a corporate mental health giant nor a government run community mental health clinic. This is genuine, lived experience that can't be bought—something that sets me apart from other practitioners who may struggle with cultural competence, understanding systemic violence, and navigating the politics that perpetuate the treatment of complex PTS.
My foundation comes from the cultural ideals my mother shared with me, rooted in Lakota knowledge—especially in natural and physical sciences, reincarnation, vision quests, and the sacred journey of the soul through the hole in the sky. I want to deeply acknowledge the practicing Indigenous peoples who, through generations of careful stewardship, have kept alive the teachings and wisdom that my own assimilated ancestors, like myself, have secretly harbored in our hearts for decades, despite the ongoing genocide against us, we reclaim our identities muted by violence. Being multi-racial gives me the gift of multi-cultural worldviews, so much so that I learned more from my natural world than I did from the academic institutions that I attended which are deeply racist by design. In contrast, my natural healing instincts are tied to my Native heritage, and I live in the middle of these two worlds. This balance mirrors Gall’s defining moment during starvation, when, as a young boy known as 'Bear Shedding His Hair,' he ate the gall bladder of a buffalo to survive. That act earned him the name 'Man Who Goes in the Middle,' or Phizí. In the same way, I have an inclination for dismantling systems that are essentially dead, much like the current state of mental health care.
Formally educated in social work with completion of a doctoral degree and extensively trained in EMDR, I have cultivated tools to address trauma at its roots. This foundation, paired with decades of practical experience, allows me to provide transformative care that embraces the full spectrum of human experiences—from the deep wounds of historical and personal trauma to the everyday stresses of modern life. My work reflects a shared journey of healing, where every spirit carries its history, choices, and potential for renewal. In my practice, I create a space that nurtures those who wish to walk the path of anti-racism, drawing from their own lived experiences and the wisdom of their elders, recognizing that the seeds of prejudice have been sown in us all, carried like the wind across generations.
This understanding is deeply connected to the teachings of Louis Riel, an ancestral elder, who fought for the recognition and dignity of his people, the Métis, in the face of intense opposition from a system that devalued bi- and multi-racial identities. Alongside his wife, Marguerite Monet dit Bellehumeur, he resisted the forces that sought to erase their culture and identity. Although he was executed for his actions, his spirit of resistance and justice continues to inspire those who come after him, including myself.
La tatarabuela de Chericka, Woman Dress, también conocida como Green Grass, era una hermana robada. La madre de Chericka, Bunny, buscó incansablemente recuperar su pertenencia a la tribu mientras criaba a Chericka en entornos urbanos pobres y lidiaba con el legado de la asimilación forzada.
El tío abuelo de Chericka y hermano de Green Grass, el jefe Gall, originalmente llamado Matohinsa, que significa "Oso que muda su pelo", fue posteriormente llamado Phizí, que significa "Hombre que va en el medio", después de que comiera la vesícula biliar de un animal muerto mientras sufría de hambre. Phizí fue un importante líder militar de los Hunkpapa Lakota en la Batalla de Little Bighorn. Lea más aquí.
Green Grass, cautiva del trampero francocanadiense Jules Lamereaux, tuvo 17 hijos mientras estuvo esclavizada, un linaje que también corre por las venas de Chericka. Chericka reconoce el recorrido de las mujeres que la precedieron y se dedica a seguir sanando estas heridas ancestrales.
Artículo sobre el vestido robado de la mujer de GreenGrass. Su hermana fue víctima de trata después de que su wic'áxca, Washakie, fuera asesinada.
Haga clic aquí para leer sobre otro gran "KENU" en mi linaje, Hokoleskwa fue un líder Shawnee que más tarde se hizo conocido como Jefe Cornhusk cuando lideró una incursión contra los colonos británicos estadounidenses en la Guerra de Pontiac.
El gran ahorcamiento en Gainsville, 1862
Homenaje a 4
"Unionista Vigilante"
Ancestros
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My mother, Bunny, shared her greatest gift, storytelling through spoken word and hand gestures. She highlighted stories passed down to her about our ancestors Louis and Marguerite Riel, Chief Cornstalk, Running Horses (Takes Many Sisters), Wakinyahsnala (Rattling Sighting), Cajeotowin (Walks-With-Many-Names) and Chief Gall, pumping courage and fight into my spirit and yet by age 14 I learned that talking about my lineage was not only an invitation to cruel and unusual behavior; it was downright dangerous. I learned it was uncouth to mention my uncle had a hand in taking Custer down. I gave a presentation in a history class (1987) and was threatened with detention by the principal shortly thereafter, if I mentioned my relatives again. I went on to become a terrible history student. By college I was adamant that it was "against my religion to have to study absolute lies and garbage against my peoples." I wrote that in a final exam Blue Book (1994) and received a C in the class that I quit going to half-way through the semester.
Was that an early demonstration of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA, as defined by Western psychology), a Pervasive Drive for Autonomy (as the Autistic community identifies it), or was it epigenetics at play? When I reflect on that history class and how my body resisted being there, while incorporating all I now understand about processing trauma, I recognize it as ancestral. I imagine my ancestors shaking my bones to get my attention, protecting my brain from programming I would eventually succumb to—through the exhausting experiences of navigating race, what some label as Autism, and what I recognize as major cultural differences in how I move through the world. The struggles of my ancestors were not just against colonial rule but also against the deep prejudice that sought to erase mixed-race identities—an injustice that still echoes today. These stories shaped my path, compelling me to confront systemic barriers and navigate the world, particularly after the challenges of a late diagnosis.
Bunny also shared stories of her great-grandmother, Green Grass (Wíŋyaŋ Tȟóšaŋ), who was stolen and assimilated, and her own life marked by assault and the suppression of her many gifts. She tirelessly searched for the truth of our lineage while fighting for her rightful enrollment, a right stolen from her by the erasure of records. These stories became my reality, too. I have walked a similar path of struggle and survival, emerging not unscathed, but strengthened. This experience guides my work, a testament to the power of survival and the unbreakable spirit of our lineage. Bunny would say my Tȟóšaŋ ištá (green eyes) carried Green Grass in my sights, symbolizing reincarnation. To think all these years later, the number of people who mistreated my mother and portrayed her as being crazy when she was a marvelous historian with a dynamic and creative mind. Current epigentic research affords me a much greater and deeper understanding of my mother, who fell prey to Western Medicine via the mental health industrial complex, after becoming diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) in 1994. I was in my first year of undergrad. My mother did not have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is the American rebranded version of what I am coining Complex Ancestral Trauma (CAT) [Copyright 2024], formerly referred to as MPD. My mother became medicated as a result of her "condition" and died at age 67 by overdose. I know that if she had met a clinician like myself, she would still be with us today. I honor my beautiful and vibrant mother, Bunny.
Inspired by the struggles of those who came before me, I am dedicated to dismantling oppressive structures and creating spaces for healing that honor and celebrate cultural identities. I am committed to challenging colonial narratives within mental health, advocating for care that fully embraces the complexities and richness of bi- and multi-racial people.
The stories my mother shared are central to my mission, guiding me to carry forward the work of healing and resistance. This journey is one we walk together, across generations. It is not about labels or division, but about understanding how history flows into the present, and allowing each person to choose their path—guided by spirit and ancestral wisdom (Wóčhekiye). This approach challenges dominant narratives in mental health and opens the way for care that fosters true recovery, growth, and reconnection to our authentic selves and communities.
Misión de la sesión de oleaje
Comprometidos con desmantelar las barreras sistémicas en salud mental, nuestra práctica integra metodologías antirracistas y descolonizadoras para restaurar las prácticas naturales y ancestrales como el estándar de atención.
Sesión de oleaje Visión
Reestructurar los servicios de salud mental identificando y abordando fallas sistémicas, promoviendo un enfoque restaurativo que honre la sabiduría tradicional diversa y garantice un acceso equitativo a la curación para todas las comunidades.
Enfoque de Swell Sessions
“El trauma es una lesión, no una enfermedad”.
Swell Sessions asume la idea de que, si bien el trauma y sus efectos son parte del orden natural, el proceso de curación puede generar una profunda fortaleza y crecimiento. Chericka considera el TEPT como un virus del sistema nervioso, una pandemia que históricamente se ha minimizado y cuyo tratamiento ha sido restringido. Swell Sessions se centra en desmantelar la violencia sistémica, guiando a los clientes para que externalicen los constructos sociales que los han desconectado de su verdadero yo y los han aislado de las comunidades naturales de luchas compartidas, incluidas las personas con discapacidades, las personas de color, las personas queer, las personas que viven en la pobreza y nuestros ancianos y niños vulnerables pero invaluables.
Swell Sessions facilita una recuperación más rápida y sostenible mediante la integración de diversas modalidades de curación que honran el cuerpo, la mente y el espíritu. Nuestros profesionales neurodivergentes ofrecen perspectivas únicas que resuenan con los clientes que se han sentido marginados por los entornos terapéuticos tradicionales. El enfoque está centrado en las soluciones y orientado a los resultados, lo que garantiza que las sesiones sean productivas y adaptables al ritmo de cada cliente, fomentando un progreso constante. Las técnicas terapéuticas combinan la terapia cognitivo-conductual (TCC), la terapia racional emotiva conductual (TREC), la entrevista motivacional (MI) y elementos de las terapias de aceptación e integración, junto con la relajación y la imaginería guiada, para preparar a los clientes para la EMDR. Este trabajo inicial intensivo eleva rápidamente a los clientes a un estado superior de funcionamiento y estabilidad emocional, lo que los hace avanzar hacia una fase de mantenimiento para lograr una mayor rentabilidad.
La práctica incorpora trabajo somático, trabajo de partes y enfoques de sistemas familiares para ayudar a los clientes a conectarse con diferentes aspectos de sí mismos e integrarlos, mejorando su comprensión y gestión de su dinámica interna. Además, Swell Sessions utiliza la terapia de Constelaciones Familiares para explorar y resolver dinámicas familiares y patrones ancestrales, lo que permite a los clientes encontrarse con el pasado, aceptarlo y sanarlo. Los rituales y ceremonias brindan herramientas poderosas para la curación ancestral, mientras que las técnicas de meditación y visualización fomentan conexiones más profundas con los antepasados. La curación energética y del linaje ancestral respalda un enfoque no dogmático de la curación que reconoce a los humanos como parte de una red más grande de conciencia. Esta modalidad se basa en la comprensión de que la conciencia continúa después de la muerte, los vivos y los muertos pueden comunicarse y ambos pueden afectarse profundamente entre sí.
Al combinar estos diversos enfoques, Swell Sessions crea una práctica holística que aborda la interconexión de la salud física, emocional y espiritual. La comprensión de la epigenética mejora aún más este trabajo, revelando cómo se transmite el trauma a través de las generaciones y permitiendo una curación significativa de las heridas intergeneracionales.