|

_ people

-Terrace’s hol

THE LIFE OF A holistic

healer isn’t always easy, And no one in town would know that better than Dr. ‘Laurel Gregg.

- She’s been called every- thing from ‘the witch of the hill’ to a devil worshiper, an idea ‘she doesn’l even be-

- lieve in.

_ But she does apree she’s a

- Witch, ;

“The word witch means healer,” Gregg said, I use

herbs and oils, Being a

witch has nothing to do with

- witcheraft.””

What Gregg calls. herself is a natural healer. But she’s also a minister, councillor, ghostbuster (she releases

‘spirits from homes so

they’re not caribbound) or celtic shamanic — whatever people need her to be to ‘help them heal.

~Gregg sees her body as a vehicle for energy to pass through and transfer into someone else, » “T’ve always been in con- tact. with spirit,’ said Gregg. ‘‘I deal with spirit all the time. ’m what you cail a channel.””

~+ To-her, her body’s natural

healing ability is a service

and a responsibility.

~ “This is my life. This is

the way I am.’’ Gregg started healing people at the Terrace

“Women’s Centre 14 years ago, She opened her own

clinic, Nirvana, eight years

-ago.. Now she has 150

clients and-200 students. Her centre was the first in the area at the time. And

_today she is responsible for _ training dozens of men and

women who now practice healing in Terrace and all

over the world.

‘For its size, Terrace has - the largest

‘certified healing team

in Canada,’’ Gregg

said. “We have lots of

healers in lots of dif- ferent areas.”

There are at least ten heal- ing centres in Terrace offer- ing everything from aromatic body wraps at To- tal Look Clinic to Reiki

with master Marylin Davies -at Nirvana.

’ Gregg said she doesn’t be- lieve in competition in the spiritual healing world. She’s happy that so many are getting into metaphysical healing,

She said her whole pur-

pose is to provide healing,

not to be expensive or com-, pete. So she doesn’t charge anything (but she takes

‘donations) for the nine dil-

ferent kinds of healing she practices: Prana, Polarity, Reiki, Johrei, Therapeutic touch, Crystal healing, Soul retrieval, Shamanic, Regres- sion, Spiritual healing, Aromatherapy and Reflexol-

ogy.

‘

always been present,’’ she said. ‘It's nolhing new, Throughout history its had to go underground from politics and religion. It’s resurfacing now.”’

And Terrace is welcoming healers with open arms.

Local natura] health prac- titioner and healer, Frances Birdsell, owner of the Viva Clinic, believes Terrace is a hotbed for healers because of its energy.

“Terrace is a special com- munily,”’ she said. ‘‘It’s al- ways been a place of ac- livists and changing front ends,"’

Birdsell however, didn’t learn her skills bere, She studied natural medicine in Central America.

When asked why she prac- tices holistic healing, Birdsell said, ‘‘because it works.’’

She explained that natural therapics can work better than taking a pill to mask symptoms, because they get to the root of the problem.

She said people who come to her for help aren’t look- ing for a quick fix.

She teaches people how to take care of their body and

to use herbs and aromatherapy to improve their health.

But other practitioners in Terrace focus more on the

emotional and mental health .

of a person.

Jean Christian provides life guidance and counsell- ing out of her Kalum Street home she and her husband Morgan affectionately call, “The Hearth."’ .

To her, homeopathic med- icine is all about listening to a client’s physical, emo- tional and physiological state of being.

She calls the process a deep-reaching interview and through her research she says she can really hear a person and know them.

After the interview she matches their energy needs ta a tincture of plants and minerals. Her patients take

the solution on lactose tablets. The two-hour process

pushes people past their ill- -

ness or limitation to total health, she said,

She says her field is grow- ing because her mostly fe- male clientele are really un- derstood after they see her.

“Time, love and listening can solve a lot,’” she said.

But in the two years she’s Spent setting up a practice here Christian also realizes homeopathy has a long way to go in Terrace,

“T need to spend next year teaching for free,’’ she said. ‘People here need to under- stand the process.”’

To make sure people get her point, Christian teaches regular workshops on homeopathy, plant medicine and meditation here and in Smithers where she’s opera- ted for eight ycars.

She also gives classes to those who want to learn how to practice and leads meditation-based

Ee

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 23, 1998 - A5

istic healers

kidneys.

Swan

paying for it.

Provincial health insur- ance won’l cover any thing that isn’t approved by a na- tional health professions council that examines health services and makes recom- mendations to the province,

said Carol Swan of Health Services in Victoria.

That means more estab- lished services like massage therapy, naturopathy and physiotherapy get covered but other forms of massage don’t.

' coverage of supplementary benefits is the most com- plimentary in all of Canada.

“It’s intention is to give people more of a choice as to where their health care comes from,”’ she added,

’ When asked whether nati- ral healing was a trend nowadays, Gregg shook her head.

‘Alternative healing has

work,

By MEL SMITH

* British Columbians have been told that most of the rest of Canada has Jong-since entered into treaties with their native -people and because we have not done so (apart from the "Douglas Treaties" on southern Vancouver Island) it is now our tum.

Just what was the nature of treaty- making, a hundred or mote years ago when the "numbered treaties,” which to- tally blanket the three prairie provinces, were negotiated? To what extent (if at all) have we in British Columbia been

- dérelict in our duty towards native

people in failing to enter into treatics un- til now and what are the lessons to be feared from these earlier efforts for modem day treaty-making?

Treaty No. 7 between the Crown and the Blackfeet, Blood, Piegan, Sarcee and Stony native people of southern Alberia,

"entered into 1877 is typical of all. the

_mumbered treaties and is as much in full _force arid effect today as it ever was.:By its terms the native people surrendered

kkakk

People that are secing nat- ural healers in Terrace are

group

any tight or interest in 35,000 square miles of territory in return for reserves being sct aside for them sufficient to pro- vide one square mile for a family of five. To this was added small annual pay- ments ranging from $25 [or Chiefs down to $5 to every other Indian, a rifle for each Chief, an annual supply of ammuni- tion and a small selection of farm imple- menis to encourage the practice of agri- culture. That was about it. It is to be noted that the main feature by far of these earlier treaties was the establish- ment of Indian reserves.

~ Although B.C, did not enter into carly treaty-making, the point ta be stressed is that it did establish Indian reserves and did so in spade! So what's all this fuss aboul B.C, not having entered into treaties. A good argument can be made that it achieved the same result, estab- lishing reserves, without entering into treaties. So-much so that today, out of a total of 2,323. reserves in the whole of Canada, 1,634 of them are. located in British Columbia, True, B,C.’s reserves

GOT AN ALLERGY? Frances Birdsell holds a box of samples which help her test people for allergies. She teaches peaple how to take care of their bodies.

It’s impossible to predict all eventualities —

are generally smaller in size than those on the Prairics but that is due in part to the differences in topography of the two regions and natives pursuits on the prairie based on agriculture vs, the coas- tal native economy based on the products of the sea. That said, the per capita dif- ference is not ali that greal. B.C. bas 17 per cent of Canada’s status Indians and 13 per cent of the arca of all reserves in Canada.

Why is the significance of existing reserves being totally ignored by modern day B.C, treaty-makers? Surely B.C. ne- gotiators should be holding to the posi- tion that B.C, has alrcady paid a substan- tial part of the price. At the very least, existing reserves should be offset against fand claim settlements. This is not hap- pening. The ownership of 1930 sq. km of land to be given to the Nisga’a is, in ad- ditlon, to the more than 70 existing Nisga’a reserves.

There are other lessons to be leamed from Treaty 7. It’s six pages in length. Contrast this with the Nisga'a Agree- ment which is 252 pages plus an Appen-

i aa ae yea eae a 3 fs ston a oad RR ss CLEANSING HIS AURA: James Le Motte from the Queen Charlotte Thornhill. Gregg's helping him get rid of the toxins in his liver and- Islands receives Reiki from Dr. Laurel Gregg at the Nirvana Clinic in

insisted B.C.’s

of the Trade |

Healing methods available in Terrace

Terms

ness.

Aromatherapy — Aromatherapy uses powerful plants and extracts to calm stress, improve circulation and relieve pain. The oils are incorporated into massage, or used in baths, or simply evaporated into the air in a |, burner to improve physical and emotional well-being.

Polarity healing — A polarity healer uses hand posi- tions on-a person's body to balance the mind body and spirit. The practice involves moving blocked energy and realigning the physical body in relation to gravity.

Pranic healing — Prana is the life force which keeps the body alive and healthy. To heal the prana healers use massage and colour vibrations in specific patterns that release blocks on all levels.

Crystal healing — Through a crystal’s natural vibra- tions, colours and qualities, crystals can rebalance and reenergize all levels of a person’s body. Their positions and patterns on wheels in the body can restore energy and repair tears in the aura.

Monadie healing — Also called spiritual or divine healing, monadic healing transfers energy from a heal- ing force to healers who then intellectually transmit the force to a client.

Chakra and Aura balancing — Chakras are energy centres within the body and the aura is a ficld that sur- rounds the body, It reflects the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual state of a person. Balancing both |! the chakra and aura creates cleansing issues bring the selfinto harmony.

Therapeutic touch —- Healers assess the energy field [| and then move inner energy to help a patient relax, reduce pain and move towards a balanced state of well-

Energy Weaving —- A process of massage, colour and dialogue to release deep-seated issues. The patient and |? healer contact layers of the self to heal.

Reiki - Reiki is a form of spiritual healing that started } in Japan. Through massage, healers align energy, boost natural defenses and cleans the aura of negativity. 1

Reflexology — By massaging and applying pressure to the feet and hands, reflexology is a natural therapy that detoxifying the organs, improve circulation and boost [> natural defenses.

= 8

“

we

met nb

dix volume with an additional 462 pages.

The Nisga’a Agreement contains literally dozens of special rights, conces- sions and privileges not available to the rest o£ us. Collective land ownership of 1930 sq. km, mineral rights, water rights, timber rights, commercial fishing rights, effective control over the annual harvest and sale of designated wildlife specics in the area 1/3 the size of Vancouver Is- land, the right to establish a quasi- provincial goverment financially sup- ported by others, major lax and royally concessions, exemption of some provin- cial licence fees. The list goes on.

The point to be made is that because of section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, these rights are forever "locked-in" and cannot be retrieved in the future by ei- ther federal or provincial law. The Nispa’a would have to agree to any removal of these government-granted rights, Treaties, like diamonds, are forever, That is why it is folly for negoti- ators to assume omniscience. and pro- duce voluminous treatics that attempl to cover every eventuality, What if public

policy altitudes on these issues change over time? What if the provincial government finds that the deal is too generous or that Nispa’a goverment should be cut back but the Nisga’a leadership doesn’t sce it that way? Or- dinarily Parliament or the provincial legislature could take the necessary remedial steps, but not here.

That is why the Nisga’a Agreement, template as il is for 50 or more other B.C. treaties, should be subject to the broadest and most careful public scruti- ny, To Ict British Columbians in on the deal essentially negotiated in secret only afier the inilialing ceremony and be told by those in authority over us that no changes will be considered {Is the height of arrogance and is simply unacceptable.

Mel Smith was a lawyer, senior bureaucrat and constitutional adviser to a series of Social Credit governments in B.C, retiring in 1991, He's the author of Our Home or Native Lard?, lives in Victoria and_ig a. columnist. with: B.C. Report. ae