Wisdom of the Belly
An Indigenous Framework for Locating Personal Power in TRE
Leslie Gray, PhD
& Lynea Gillen, LPC, TRE Trainer
Photo by Tumay Aslay
Wisdom of the Belly | An Indigenous Framework for Locating Personal Power in TRE
Leslie Gray, PhD & Lynea Gillen, LPC, TRE Trainer
Saturday, March 11, 2023
10:00 am – 1:00 pm (PST-Los Angeles time)
Live, Online Training
All proceeds go to Woodfish Institute, promoting sustainability grounded in time-tested indigenous knowledge
“I Know it in My Guts”
In the popular imagination, knowing or feeling something in the intestines or belly has always been associated with deeper or truer knowing than that which emanates from the brain or even from the heart. Hence, “I know it in my guts” connotes a type of wisdom beyond cognition or emotion.
There is also a strong association with bravery or moral courage with such imagery as in, “She’s got guts” or “He plans to gut it out.” Passionate determination is described as “fire in the belly”, and there are many other intestinal metaphors for an inner wisdom that takes precedence over other forms of understanding.
Our Second Brain
Comprised of millions of neurons, the network of nerve cells lining the digestive track has been called the “second brain”. But what may not be obvious is just how connected the brain and gut are.
Emerging evidence is showing that the gut–brain axis is one of the most powerful relationships in our body — influencing our basic emotions, pain sensitivity, our social interactions, and even our decisions. Indeed, we are only just beginning to explore the consequent implications. It seems therefore unfortunate, and perhaps even dangerous, that so many in the prevailing culture are losing touch with this ultimate source of authority. Even those who have dedicated themselves to energetic practices such as TRE may block or bypass the flow of power through this “middle area”.
Connect with your Personal Power
Fortunately, there are ancient psycho-spiritual techniques that can remind us of the wisdom of the belly. Dr. Leslie Gray and Lynea Gillen will present a 3-hour experiential seminar aimed at deep recall of our truest knowing. Lynea will guide us in using TRE to highlight the flow and blockages in trauma work, and Leslie will offer an indigenous framework for understanding these experiences and restoring personal power.
Details
Saturday, March 11, 2023
10:00 am – 1:00 pm (PST-Los Angeles time)
Live, online training format (sorry, no recording will be made).
$100 (All proceeds go to Woodfish Institute, promoting sustainability grounded in time-tested indigenous knowledge)
Instructors
Dr Leslie Gray is a Harvard trained, Native American psychologist who has studied with medicine people and elders from various tribal backgrounds. She advocates (and embodies) a new vision of health care—the integration of ancient healing and modern medicine.
Dr Gray has taught Eco-psychology, Anthropology of Consciousness and Native American Psychology at numerous Bay Area universities including U.C. Berkeley. Leslie offers workshops for the general public in the U.S. and abroad, as well as specific trainings for practitioners seeking to blend Indigenous worldview into their work.
Leslie is also the founder/director of The Woodfish Foundation (www.woodfish.org) which promotes sustainability grounded in Indigenous knowledge. Leslie’s writings on the therapeutic power of incorporating Indigenous perspectives into contemporary organizations can be found in numerous publications, including “Ecological Medicine” (Sierra Club Books) and “Original Instructions” (Bear and Company). Leslie is an Associate of the Milton Erickson Institute, a Member of the Society of Indian Psychologists, and is Vice President of The Association for Transpersonal Psychology.
Lynea Gillen, LPC, RYT, TRE Trainer, is a pioneer in the field of health and wellness education. Her heart-centered, creative and effective tools were developed directly from her 40+ years of as a school teacher, counselor and clinician. Lynea’s Yoga Calm for Children program was developed in a behavior classroom in a rural Oregon elementary school 20 years ago and is now being used with tens of thousands of children around the world in diverse settings such as urban classrooms, clinics and psychiatric hospitals like the Mayo Clinic.
Lynea has extensive experience with TRE having organized and assisted with dozens of certification trainings over the last 12 years with Dr David Berceli, the founder of TRE, including the development of TRE’s online global certification trainings.
Lynea is an adjunct professor at Portland State University, Lewis & Clark College and the University of the Pacific. Lynea is also a current licensed professional counselor with the state of Oregon, holds an MS in counseling in education from PSU, and is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.
$100