Indigenous Ways of Working with Sacred Medicine
Talk on October 24th 2020:
Leslie Gray PhD
Dr. Leslie Gray is a Native American clinical psychologist with a private practice in San Francisco, CA. She has taught Eco-psychology, Anthropology of Consciousness and Native American Psychology at numerous Bay Area universities. Leslie offers experiential workshops for the general public nationally and abroad, as well as specific trainings for practitioners seeking to include Indigenous worldview into their work.
Leslie is founder/director of The Woodfish Foundation (www.woodfish.org) which promotes sustainability grounded in Indigenous knowledge. Her writings on the therapeutic power of reincorporating Indigenous perspectives and practices into Western Medicine can be found in numerous publications, including “Ecological Medicine” (Sierra Club Books) and “Original Instructions” (Bear and Company). Leslie is an Associate of the Milton Erickson Institute of the Bay Area, a Member of the Society of Indian Psychologists, and Vice President of The Association for Transpersonal Psychology.
Kevon Simpson
Sensei Kevon Simpson is an ordained Minister, multidisciplinary artist, international Two Spirit Medicine Man, a Shotokan Karate black belt, and founder of the Entheogen Integration Circle (NYC). He is from a lineage of Jamaican spiritual healers, and in the spirit of Sankofa he calls upon his Taíno and Akan ancestry often.
He is also initiated through ‘dieta’ into the path of curanderismo, the ancient sacred healing plant medicine shamanism of the Amazon Rainforest, and Andes. During his extended stays in Pucallpa, Iquitos, and Chavín de Huantar, Perú, he learned the techniques of guiding ceremonies from fellow indigenous keepers of the Earth, with the intent of bringing the experience back to marginalized communities.
He has traveled as far as Taiwan, Jamaica, Canada, and even Japan within his path as a medicine guide and high dose solo sitter. Known as one of the leaders of the underground psychedelic renaissance, clinical psychotherapists often come to him for advice with their clients.
Since 2018 he has graced Chacruna’s stage twice as a speaker and panelist at their psychedelics and science conferences. In 2019 he opened the world renowned HORIZONS psychedelic conference as the ritual voice of spirit.
He is a Reiki Master, who also has over 15 years of guiding meditation experience, and often combines the practices of mindfulness with poetry, dance, and sound healing, in order to lift people out of their wounds, and into their divine purpose. Kevon’s whole life changed in 2017 when he became public with his HIV status, and has since been an advocate to help lower the stigma through articles, appearances, and more.
Belinda Eriacho, MPH
Belinda is of Dine’ (Navajo) and A:shiwi (Pueblo of Zuni) descent. Her maternal clan is One-Who-Walks-Around and she was born for the Zuni Pueblo people. Belinda was born and raised on the Navajo reservation.
She is the wisdom carrier, healer, and founder of Kaalogii LLC, focused on cultural and traditional teaching, inner healing, and an international speaker on various topics impacting Native American communities in the United States.
Belinda holds degrees in Health Sciences, Technology, and Public Health. In addition, Belinda has participated in the MAPS MDMA People of Color Therapy Cohort.
She is the author recent articles that are available on charuna.net: “Considerations for Psychedelic Therapist when working with Native American People and Communities”, “ Guidelines for Inclusion of Indigenous People into Psychedelic Science Conferences” and “This is not Native American History, this is US History with Belinda Eriacho”.
Website: www.kaalogii.com
Kelly Yi PhD
Dr. Kelly Yi is the founder of The Mindful Center for Individual, Couple and Family Therapy. He has over 15 years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, families and groups at numerous bay area agencies. He is the Associate Chair of the Psy.D. program at The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology/Sofia University. He is former adjunct clinical faculty at The Pacific Graduate School of Psychology & Stanford. Dr. Yi has a passion for bringing contemplative healing practices to underserved populations.
He has been a practitioner and mentor in various contemplative traditions since 1992. He studied the psychology of religion and comparative religious/spiritual experiences as an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara.
In graduate school, he conducted original doctoral research on long-term mindfulness training and well-being, examining the experiences of long-term practitioners and teachers of mindfulness. He is a past post-doctoral Summer Research Fellow of The Mind and Life Institute, as well as a research assistant on the Mind and Life Institute’s leading edge Cultivating Emotional Balance project.
He is a certified Cultivating Emotional Balance teacher. Dr. Yi has specializations working with spiritual and religious issues, addictions, trauma, ethnic identity and cultural issues, anxiety, depression, stress, relationships, and meaning of life issues. He is currently writing a book on the integration of indigenous spiritual psychologies and mainstream Western psychologies.
Website: www.mindfulcenter4icft.com
