A national organization that teaches people how to deal with stress and heal from trauma is spending time on the Pine Ridge Reservation each month.
Representatives of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine pledged to return to Pine Ridge as often as possible to help combat the suicide epidemic among Lakota youth.
Kathy Farrah is a Wisconsin family physician. She’s also a facilitator for The Center for Mind Body Medicine healing workshops.
Farrah instructs community members and teachers on survival skills to combat stress and trauma. Those skills are then passed on to others in the community – especially students. The goal, says Kathy Farrah, is to help Lakota youth to live.
“When we do a training in a place like this,” explains Farrah, “we want to make sure that we provide support to those that have done the training that are starting to integrate these skills both in their personal life and…in this case…with children and family members.”
Farrah says feedback so far has been positive with some participants reporting reduced stress after only one session of breathing exercises. She adds that the workshops are voluntary and free of charge.
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