Francis Arapis
I consider the White Raven Center a life saving experience for my mind, body and soul. I am an indigenous woman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Indians. I have been in therapy since I was 26 years old and I a now turning 65. I struggled with depression, suicidal ideation and severe body pain for many years. I had succumbed to the drugs and alcohol my people hide in to escape their pain. I was hospitalized in 1990 for clinical depression. I was aware of what was happening but had no answers to support my healing. I was diagnosed with PTSD from childhood trauma in my late 30s and I have spent years struggling to find a way to heal from my pain.
In 2014 I experienced a debilitating trigger to my PTSD that caused me to retreat to seclusion to escape the pain and struggle. I found a therapist online from the Netherlands that understood what I was experiencing and I began to participate in intense EMDR therapy for two years. This method did bring me some relief and awareness of what my battle with my past trauma was, however the healing wasn’t complete. I still knew I needed something more to help with my struggle. The relief I felt was only surface and I began experiencing severe back pain and found myself fighting depression once again. I had pushed myself forward in my life and went back to school to get my master’s degree in social work. I did my internship with our local Health Center that was owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. My education increased my knowledge of complex trauma and what it takes to heal from it. I despertly wanted to find a way to heal my trauma and help others to understand and heal. My struggle to find true authentic healing continued until June of 2023 when four White Raven Center team members came to our health center to give us a presentation on Rapid Transformation Therapy (RTT).
As I listened to the description Marianne Rolland was giving about RTT I felt like this was brought to me by Creator at exactly the right time in my life. I have always believed Creator brought me what I needed when I was ready for it. My back pain was so severe,and I had been on muscle relaxers for over 2 years and still could not stand for more than a few minutes at a time. I knew it was from trauma and knew I needed help to heal from it. I was overjoyed to learn that there had been a cancellation for the coming weekends healing session at White Raven Center and I asked immediately if I could have it. The entire experience was profound healing for me. After my first session I felt relief from my pain for the first time in 3 years. The pain in my back was gone and I felt like I knew I had found my true mind, body, and soul healing. I felt the pain from my past leave my body. I had never experienced anything like what I was experiencing in my life and knew that it was real and I wanted to learn more.
I value my spiritual journey and my connection to my Creator very seriously and strive to keep my connection strong through every day. As an indigenous woman I know the importance of finding my way back to the source of my being that was taken from us as a people by the colonization of our land and the boarding school era that stripped our way of life from our ancestors. I have been on this recent healing journey for 10 years since I was debilitated in 2014. White Raven has brought me the healing I have been searching for my whole life. I still experience pain sometimes but that is just a sign it is time to search my body and soul for what is there to heal. I have not had to take a muscle relaxer since my first RTT session in June 2024.
This healing that I have experienced paired with my education of complex trauma has given me a gift to share with my community and my people. I have prayed for this type of healing for many years. When I learned of what our past caused in our souls, I knew there had to be a way to heal it. Thank you,White Raven,for giving me my life back better than ever and allowing me to become a part of your family to learn this method of healing.