Winchester Victor’s elders, family and community have been training him to do healing work for his communities for over 20 years. He has combined that knowledge with training in massage therapy and somatic trauma therapy. He finds it so fulfilling to share his healing gifts in his own community at Cheam First Nation and also at Stó:lō Nation in Chilliwack. It is also a treat to connect and present for wider audiences. He aims to share a perspective that bridges cultural gaps and enables safe, strong, embodied healing.
Speaking to, and facilitating groups is work he has learned at the longhouse as well as through research and in connection with therapists running healing groups. Though the learning has not been done in the context of universities or formal apprenticeships, the principles of safety, balance, and respect for everyone’s journey guide his growth. He has come to recognize that being a therapist requires ongoing self work and a strong understanding of the importance of being not only trauma informed, but trauma qualified.
His vision for the people of the world is that a culture of healing emerges that enables all people to recognize the need to be aware of their relationships to each other and the land.