Who is Marianne Rolland?

Marianne Rolland is a human being committed to the service of humanity through compassionate acts of kindness, the sharing of love energy and by holding the vision of peace on the planet. My passion is to create increased opportunities for healing, to hold space for the healing of others and to play a role in the development of vital and healthy organizations. I recognize that in order to truly support others I must consistently be engaged in my own healing process. I know that discovering and nurturing our own inner light is the path that contributes to the illumination of the planet. Peace within translates to Peace without. I have been in service in Alaska for 32 years.

How long have you been involved in the healing arts?

Unconsciously probably since kindergarten. Semi-consciously in the early 70's when I pursued a social work education and began work in Alaska Native villages. At some point I recognized that the knowledge and wisdom of the elders was a powerful draw and key to my understanding of the universe and my own healing. My journey became more conscious in the mid-80's when a co-worker handed me a book on co-dependency and I started on a path of self-discovery, healing and connection to the spirit world.

In what capacity?

I was invited to participate in a three-day Native American retreat in the wilderness. My Lakota teacher taught me many things about the spirit world, how to connect with our helpers, our power animals and how through ceremony to build a medicine wheel for healing of Mother Earth and her children. I had my first inter-dimensional experience and healing on the Medicine Wheel. I became aware of my longing to participate in ceremony and connect with the power of the unseen world. From this point on I sought many Indigenous and Spiritual teachers, having the great fortune to experience ceremony, ritual and healing with Alaska Native Elders and others almost continuously for 18 years. I have studied and taught in Brazil and China and see myself as a lifetime student of the healing arts and a teacher who shares primarily from experience and inner knowingness.

What is the White Raven Center?

The White Raven Center is about creating opportunity for healing on deep levels for all our human brothers and sisters. White Raven is a symbol for the light each person carries within. The mission of White Raven Center is to help individuals illuminate that light. It is told that in the beginning Raven was white and he so loved humankind that he singed his feathers black in order to bring humanity light. As humans reconnect with their spirituality and the spirit world it is said that Raven will turn white once again. There have been sightings of White Raven in the YK Delta since the 90's and White Raven is well known to the people of the Queen Charlottes.

How did White Raven Center come about?

White Raven came about as a result of my husband and I seeking to find a cure for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My husband grew up in village Alaska and is a Viet Nam vet. He has suffered all his life with intense symptoms of PTSD related to childhood sexual abuse, substance abuse, domestic violence and then later the war. In the mid-90's he attended a conference in Seattle with John Bradshaw and came home saying that “there is no cure for PTSD”. My immediate response was “no…that is not true…there is a cure”. I started praying everyday to be shown the truth about how to heal intense traumatic life experiences. Several months later I was sent by my tribe in Yakutat to a healing weekend given by a Shamanic practitioner. This is where I learned that all of the emotions we have not fully felt are stored in the body and that each emotion is connected to a traumatic memory. I went through a powerful healing process for myself and took my new tools home to the village and to my family. One day I was working in Yakutat and I heard a voice whisper “White Raven” and I had a profound knowingness that this was the name I was to use for our healing center. White Raven Center started in Metlakatla in 1997 and we moved to Anchorage in July of 2000.

What does White Raven symbolize?

Like I mentioned, White Raven is a symbol of the light that lives inside each one of us. My brother Walther Porter from Yakutat says that White Raven is not really “white” but is a symbol for “purity”. We all come from and are a part of the pure source of light.

What methodology for healing does the White Raven Center team use?
The treatment methodology utilized by the WRC team evolved from the study of indigenous healing techniques from around the globe and communication with the unseen dimension. The methods used are indigenous-based as they bring together teachings, ceremony, song, and movement as they relate to tribal peoples understanding of mind, body and spirit relationships and what sustains the embodiment of health and well being. We draw on these teachings as we acknowledge and honor the wisdom and support of our ancestors.
Our understanding of the experience of trauma and Post traumatic Stress Disorder lead us to this method for accessing and releasing repressed emotional energies. This method has demonstrated facilitation of dramatic and quantum healing in a very short period of time compared to western methodologies. This is why we sometimes refer to the process as Rapid Transformation Therapy (RTT).
While the process may ultimately look quite different for each individual; to ignite the process initially, facilitators at the White Raven Center utilize a guided deep breathing technique. The breath is the pathway to access emotions stored at a deep subconscious level. Proper and full breathing restores the body's natural capacity to heal itself.
How do these methodologies work?
To begin the session we invite each participant to lie down on a padded mat, making sure the spine is straight and legs are propped comfortably over a pillow to release any tension on the lower back. A blindfold is placed over the eyes, as this allows for privacy and facilitates an easier journey “within”. Depending on the climate; at least a light blanket is placed over the body. If the client feels chilly then several blankets or a wool covering may be added. The goal is to make the participant as physically comfortable as possible at the onset of the session; recognizing that as the session progresses the tapping of intense emotional feelings will wake up body memories that may be extremely uncomfortable. In order to heal and experience inner peace we must first allow and experience the presence of our pain as it relates to past traumatic events.
Each session opens with a trained facilitator literally “breathing with” the client to ensure they feel safe and are maximizing the breathing effort. Once a breathing pattern is established a prayer will be offered for protection, guidance and healing, as well as to honor the ancestral helpers who come to help with the healings. Staff is conscious of the diverse spiritual and religious beliefs possessed by individuals seeking our help and we take care to remain sensitive to personal preferences for prayer. At the White Raven Center we honor all belief systems that are of the light and lead to the center. It is the primary responsibility of the facilitator to “be with” and “hold space” for the participant in order that they feel safe enough to allow their inward journey to unfold.
The first phase of the session, with guided focus on the breathing is generally used for teaching the participant to tune-in and listen to the body. We teach that the body never lies and if we learn to listen to the body we will know exactly where we need to do our work. For example, many of us on the planet are so used to living in our heads, either projecting in to the future or dwelling on the past, that we become disconnected from what is happening in the present and what messages our body's are signaling for us to be aware of. As we come more fully into the physical body we learn to recognize where our conscious attention is focused and how we have learned to numb our pain by spending most of our lives in our heads trying to figure things out. We ask clients not to judge them selves for this; but to in fact to honor “self” as this has been a coping skill/survival skill up to this point.
As the session progresses the participant will begin to tap core emotional energy; which in turn will trigger memories of experiences that were soul damaging. Facilitators will encourage clients to keep breathing into those powerful feelings “to drop deeper” and to stay with the process. By staying with the process the client opens multiple doors to healing which eventually produce a state of inner calm. As stored emotional energy is tapped, each process evolves in a manner and experience that is unique to the participant. Generally, participants connect with past memories where they have been abused and traumatized in some way. Facilitators support the participant by working with these memories and using the emotions that are further triggered, by allowing for the presence of pain, anger, fear etc., to heal deep wounds. The evolution of the process normally involves the removal of unwanted energy forms from the body and retrieval of lost soul essence or soul particles.
This healing process works as the participant surrenders to his or her own inner truth and in doing so transforms heavy toxic energies through the heart energetic center.

Thank you, Marianne  for your time and your sharing .
 
You are most welcome!