Recently I realized that I needed a starting point that people could rally around. I felt inspired to start envisioning a holistic healing center and inviting people to dream along with me. I have one friend who I am talking to about this, and I find that our conversations are yielding much fruit.

Here are the reasons why I want to start off with a holistic healing center that focuses on healing body, mind and soul:

1. Most people who are seeking to live in an intentional community have been deeply wounded by either their past situations, or by living in a dysfunctional society. Many people who want to heal the planet are still working on their on healing. Thus, by being part of an intentionally healing environment, the members of community can potentially be optimally healthy.
2. People who are attracted to being part of a healing center are likely to know the importance of maintaining healthy habits which help them to be mature members of community who can contribute their gifts and resources in ways that are mutually beneficial.
3. We can be working towards a project which can yield income for people. If skilled healers apply and are accepted, we can work together to find clients for them where they can go to people’s homes until we have a place that can be utilized for healing.
4. There is a house already built which is designed in a way that there is at least one private room for such things as consultations, bodywork, counseling, and other healing modalities.
5. People who are in relatively good health can come and camp and partake of simple healing practices which are listed below. Just being able to be in a place where bad habits are not supported, and good habits are supported is tremendously healing.
6. People who are clients can do some work in exchange for services, but still can pay which yields income for the healing center and practitioners.
7. There are many skills needed for a healing center, so many people can join in. Even the organizing branch, which I would head up, would be a form of therapy where organizing clients could get help in finding out the core causes of hoarding, while at the same time, a team can help do the physical work so that they have a nurturing place to live. There is a need for gardeners and permaculture designers who can help grow all the food needed to eventually supply all the food for the clients. Builders, cleaners, administrators, Youtubers, podcasters, musicians, artists, cooks, secretaries, entrepreneurs and bloggers all will have a place to share their gifts. People (especially the young, but all ages have this need) who are looking for their purpose and figuring out what their strengths are will be needed.
8. We can serve the neighborhood, county, and the region. Although eventually people will come from all over the world, for now there are an increasing number of people who are seeking alternatives to western allopathic medicine. There are few holistic healing centers in Northwest Arkansas, and there is a great demand.
9. The work exchange program is growing, and many helpers will want to come to experience a healing center and all that it entails in exchange for room and board. Although we are not set up totally for this at this time, we can offer a tent space and at least one meal a day of a simple diet like beans, rice and wild greens.
10. As interest and participation grows, there is a very good chance that investors and donators will come forth. This will be a not-for-profit endeavor. yet all involved will be paid a livable wage.
11. The charges can be affordable because the practitioners will be moving towards living on the land on the Community Land Trust that is in the process of being developed. They will be able to eat the 2 meals a day that are served in the Center Kitchen, along with the clients. Affordable health care would create more awareness of what is possible.
12. People can learn to be happy and healthy with a plant-based diet, and learn how to grow their own food in their backyard.
13. Clients can get to know the healers and staff members and thus be drawn to live in the community if they want to apply.
14. Other projects can emerge from the healing center including a school for teaching people who want to be healers, an intergenerational school especially helping homeschoolers (teaching every skill that can help heal the earth and its inhabitants), wilderness living school, farm animal sanctuary, permaculture design school, homesteading school, birthing center, emergency care center, and a convalescent home for the elderly and infirm where they can get well.

Here is a list of healing modalities that will be included:

These are things that we could do immediately:

1. Prayer. Every client will be prayed for in various ways according to the clients desires.
2. Diet: A whole food, oil free, plant based diet with lots of fresh vegies, herbs and wild greens that is carefully designed to ensure that all nutrients are provided.
3. Herbal support: We will have a massive herb garden and offer fresh herbs as well as poultices, tinctures, and other ways of getting the best healing from herbs.
4. Clay therapy. Using clay that is strained and processed straight from the property, as well as other clays as needed, is a hugely neglected way of healing so many ailments. Poultices as well as taking clay internally, and even being immersed in clay are some of the ways clay will be used.
5. Earthing: Laying on, walking on, being covered by the earth is extremely healing. We will be encouraging people to walk barefoot as much as possible, wear foot ware that is grounded, and build a floor in the healing center that is connected to the earth. Concrete or actual earth floor are possibilities.
6. Forest and nature therapy: Scientific studies now prove that being in the forest and in nature is very healing on all levels. There are so many beautiful places on the land, including a wet-weather creek and an abundance of trees where people can walk, meditate, pray, and connect with nature in all kinds of ways.
7. Gardening: Getting your hands in the dirt is very healing. Just being outside and being barefoot while gardening is super healing. And then the process of learning how to grow your own food is so healthy
8. Sleeping outside: Whether a person wants to sleep in a hammock, a tent on the ground, or on a screened in tent on the large decks that are already built–all these are options to derive the great health benefits of sleeping outside. https://www.grandtrunk.com/blogs/news/sleeping-outside-health-benefits
9. Building healthy friendships: We will have ample opportunities for people to play, work, communicate in ways that are healthy and life-giving. Conflict resolution can result in healing past trauma because by dealing with conflict in healthy ways now, the mind/body learns that it is possible to live in harmony with others in spite of our differences. We will be studying trauma-informed intentional community such as this article: https://www.ic.org/does-community-heal-trauma-or-reproduce-it-challenges-for-abuse-survivors-living-in-community/
10. Emotional release work: We will provide simple and safe methods to heal emotions such as the Love letter, empathic listening, journaling, journaling with Jesus, and self empathy.
11. Creative grieving: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/5-ways-a-creative-practice-can-help-you-through-grief/
12. Play: Cooperative games, cooperative volleyball, playing like we are little children. playing with little children, and much more.
13. Exercise: walking, stretching, sprinting, squatting. pull ups and climbing are some of the ways to increase blood flow.
14. Vagus nerve nurturing: Most of the things listed on this list are healing for the vagus nerve but this list is very comprehensive: https://wellspringcommunityblog.wordpress.com/2020/12/14/healing-by-taking-care-of-the-vagus-nerve-almost-every-thing-is-free/
15. Creative prayer: https://engageworship.org/articles/ideas-for-prayer-and-intercession
16. Shadow work: exploring the darkness and where we are not athentic
17. Identifying values: Figuring out what is really important to each of us and then learning how to practice those values
18. Virtue development: What character qualities do we want to emulate, and how do we do that?
19. Power of appreciation, affirmation,
20. Compassionate communication/healthy communication
21. Cold therapy
22. Spiritual practices
23. Backpacking: getting completely away from all human influences
24. Laughter yoga
25. Dancing
26. Improv
27. Story telling
28. Singing

There is more I could list, but for now, this is good enough for now. I also want to add lots of links to give examples.

Other healing modalities when skilled practitioners

1. Body work, various kinds
2. Somatic healing
3. Healing in the wilderness
4. Professional therapists who are trauma informed
5. Nutritional experts-plant based diet
6. Herbalists
7. Homeopathic care
8. Using magnetism for healing
9. Functional medicine doctors
10. Helping people safely get off of psychotropic drugs such as anti-depressants
11. Chiropractors
12. Experts who can develop lifestyle treatments for mentally ill and brain damaged people.
13. Colon therapy
14. Acupuncture

I am going to write my vision as if it has already happened. Doing this gives me much pleasure and my imagination and creative powers are stimulated. I pray that God will guide me as I write this, and if you feel drawn to this vision, that you will look over this blog and see if you continue to feel aligned with me and the overall vision of an intentional community.

The Holistic Healing Center: Imagining the future…

I’m so happy that the holistic healing center at Wilberforce Village has come into reality over the past year. It all started with me writing the above article, and then praying daily over this vision. Ideas started coming fast and furious and I wrote all the ideas down. My friend Sky and I hosted 4 Zoom meetings where we covered topics of how to have healthy community, and each time more and more people attended.

We felt gratified because we kept building. People loved the format of a combination of education, connection with others and learning together. We developed a way for people to stay connected in between classes and that was very helpful–using a format similar to the site Conscious Singles.

We had a retreat in may that lasted 7 days and it was a roaring success! People came early to set up the infrastructure that was needed and that was fun and rewarding and healing as well. One thing that we made very clear was that building trust by keeping agreements and working hard was one of the healthiest things we can do for relationships.

People really responded to that and stepped up to the plate. The retreat yielded beautiful fruit. 12 people wanted to stay and they passed the screening process. The retreat itself and even leading up to it was part of the screening. We also had to screen people who came to the retreat. Charging a reasonable amount and making scholarships based on work exchange helped fund the finishing of the Mir House which is the first part of the healing center.

Now, a year later over 500 people have come to retreats, work exchange programs, internships in order to experience the healing power of trauma-informed community. Having someone like Sky who has had so much trauma in his life be able to advise me on how to proceed has been invaluable. We now have a wonderful reputation, and people have been able to make a living by running the holistic healing center. We have attracted professionals who are very excited.

There is so much more to say–like how the community land trust is finalized and now people are building on tiny lots and feeling as if they can put down roots. There is a new building built that has electricity and many dorms and private rooms for patients in addition to the camping facilities. We have built such connection and trust with the neighborhood, and now I have healed with most of the people at Living Springs because they have been treated with serious diseases.

Now we have a solid group of people who are all learning how to use skills of Sociocracy 3.0 and we are so harmonious. We are demonstrating the power of healing using so many simple ways that anyone can access.

And it is so exciting to see how many people are becoming vegan, and learning about Christian Universalism, realizing that not all Christians believe that God will torture them eternally if they do not believe a certain way. They experience the love of God by those of us who are Christians but all faiths are welcome to participate in healing and community.

I can’t wait to share with you what is on the horizon, but I must leave now. Thanks for listening

If you want to join me in embarking on this project, check out how to get involved in an Internship program https://wellspringcommunityblog.wordpress.com/work-exchange/