O n e V o i c e M e d i c i n e

In 2006 I visited Kenyan villages

and learnt “women’s

business” which I incorporated into Honoured Birth

In 2009 I had the priveledge of working with Indian obstetricians in rural Rajestan and then presenting at the Indian Caesarian AwarenessWeek Conference.

H O N O U R E D B I R T H

A Natural Therapies in Birthing Programme equipping and empowering women, their families, and practitioners, whose

vision is safe best practice holistic birthing experience.

Honoured Birth is research based and

is accredited with the Australian College of Midwifery & The American College of Naturopathic Medicine for continuing education midplus points

for practitioners.

Were often overwhelmed and confused with the huge choices of birth information, practitioners and environments in which to birth.

Research shows:

Women and their partners were often intimidated by medical, familial and cultural stereotypes, expectations and information

Lacked the knowledge and therefore the confidence to assert their birthing needs, have them met and create the birthing experience they wanted

Wanted a safe, creditable, professional forum in which to explore the knowledge and wisdom of both midwifery and complementary practices for all their pre-natal, birthing and post-natal needs from physical to spiritual

Honoured Birth offers a relaxing day or weekend offering you, or you and your partner, either individually or in a small group, a relaxing, nurturing experience and positive structures within which you can move forward into motherhood and family and realize your potential as individuals and parents. The experiences available are holistic combining yoga, naturopathy, reflexology, massage and more, while also exploring the age old traditional knowledge and wisdom of midwifery. All therapists and educators are experienced & caring professionals.

Honoured Birth:The Philosophy

Women both want and need holistic support during their

pregnancy and birth.

Holistic Support encompasses:The Birthing Body

Mental & Emotional CalmSpiritual, Familial, Cultural Social

Needs

Honoured Birthaddresses these elements of holistic maternity care and birthing needs

throughBirthing Yoga

Birthing Massage Hypno-Visualization

Honouring the Sacred of Mother.Honoured Birth Retreat Smiths Lake NSW 2006

Birthing Yoga: Pelvic Floor & Breast Health

Leg Strengthening Warrior PoseBreathing Visualization Practice

Smiths Lake Retreat NSW 2007 Sole to Soul Reflexology Session

Retreat Byron Shire NSW 2009Northern

Beaches SydneyRetreat 2006

Pre-Natal Belly Dancing

Honouring the Sacred of Mother

H o l i s t i c

S p i r i t u a l i t y

H e a l i n g

H e a l t h C a r e

Harmonycompletion wholeness -all aspects of self acceptedunitypeaceat one with self feeling acknowledged and valued feeling connection with those in our families, communities, work environmentsliving gently, at one with mother earth

Our spirituality is the way we feel connected with a greater spiritual presenceand how we express that.

H e a l i n g and H e a l t h C a r e

Professional, research grounded services and technology in line with occupational health and safety standards

In A healing environment

Given with Compassion

And Empathy – having our all health needs listened to, acknowledged and accepted

Care of and to care for whole person needs -physical mental emotional and spiritual

Respect for cultural and religious needs

Connection between the healer and the patient.

Feeling that everyone concerned with our care shares a health care philosophy

Bringing it together

R E S E A R C H

S E A R C H F O R M O T H E R

By Valerie Albrecht

Published Inkwell Productions Arizona 2010

US Book Tour “Search for Mother”: February 2011 Seattle Book SummitUniversity of Washington “Lifelines Journaling”University of Seattle School of Theology & Ministry Search for Meaning Conference Speaker East West Bookstore Seattle Reading & SigningNational College Naturopathic Medicine Portland Oregon: Feb Search for Mother WorkshopPortland Birthing Way Lecture Seattle Women’s Business Exchange Freelancers US Book Tour “Search for Mother”: November 2011 Washington University Faculty of Nursing Lecture: “Search for Mother”Bastyr University Seattle: “Search for Mother”

US Book tour “Search for Mother”: Feb-April 2010 Scottsdale AZ Reading & SigningPhoenix AZ SigningSedona SigningJerome AZ SigningPhoenix City Police Event Angels on Patrol SigningHouston Texas Bookstore reading & SigningCalifornia Village Books Mt Shasta reading & signingPortland Oregon National Librarians Conference SigningMedford Oregon Public Library: Reading & SigningUniversity of Washington Seattle SigningOregon Books by the Bay Bookshop Reading & Signing Phoenix AZ South West healing Place Reading & Signing

SEARCH FOR MOTHER BOOK TOUR:

ALFACULTURA SOCIETY OF AUTHORS ALGARVE PORTUGAL: 2008Reading and radio reading from “Search for Mother”

“Search for Mother” Australia BOOK TOUR 2010:

RIVERSIDE BOOKS MACLEAN: May 2010: Australian Launch LISMORE WORLD FAIR TRADE EVENT: May 2010 SigningCOLLINS BOOKS GRAFTON: May 2010SYDNEY MIND BODY SPIRIT EXPO: May 2010NEW YORK BOOK EXPO: May 2010DALTONS BOOKS CANBERRA: June 2010BOOKWORMS & PAPERMITES BOOKSTORE BANGALOW NSW July 10YAMBA BOOKSTORE: October 2010 SigningEAST WEST BOOKSTORE SEATTLE: Feb 2011 Reading & SigningBELLINGEN LIBRARY: Oct 2011

W O R K S H O P S

Soon to be released:

“T H E S T O R Y B E H I N D THE S T O R Y”

Told by Elroy Begay Medicine Man Bamboo Springs ArizonaCrafted by Valerie Albrecht Biographer Indigenous Peoples& Practitioner Eastern Western Natural Healing”

Between 2009 and 2013 I lived for extended periods on the Navajo reservation at Chinle Arizona, writing “ The Story Behind the Story”, Elroy Begay, Medicine Man’s biography, and

learning his medicine, ceremonies and beliefs. I learnt that spirit and medicine are in all beings, and that for the Native American, healing cannot happen without including the spirit of the

person, the spirit of the healer and the spirit of the land.

“The Story Behind The Story”Told by Elroy Begay Medicine Man Bamboo Springs Arizona Crafted by Valerie Albrecht Australian Biographer & Health Practitioner Soon to be released.

The Story Behind The Story is a human historical biography of a practising Navajo Medicine Man who has a lifelong disability. It is told by both Medicine Man and myself, an Australian biographer and health practitioner who met by a series of synchronicities in Monument Valley in 2009. He tells the story of his two lives, one with a white family and the other with his Navajo family; of being cared for by both Western medicine and Navajo medicine throughout his disability; of the origin of his clan The Deer Spring Clan, not previously written; of his “modern history” with The Long Walk, Code Talkers, The Native American Religious Freedom Act and Rough Rock School Education Philosophy; of his ceremonies, beliefs and “pieces of hope” for his people. She tells of “Things That Happened” as she wrote with Medicine Man. The Story Behind the Story is one of acceptance and belief from personal to cultural, from First World to the Worlds Still to Come. It brings humaneness and spirit together reminding us all of our divinity.

In April 2013, whilst living on the Chinle Navajo reservation Arizona writing Elroy Begay medicine man’s biography, I presented Cultural Awareness and Writing workshops at Rough Rock Navajo Immersion School. This opened up a whole new exploration for me – shared ONE VOICE MEDICINE of North American and Australian Indigenous Healers. It is my hope this book will further unity of health consciousness through offering a “voice” for Indigenous Healers.

Since then I have been working, writing and researching Indigenous Healers in the Australian outback of New South Wales and Western Australia, and in New Mexico, Idaho and Dakota USA for “Medicine, Ceremony, Belief: An Intertribal Collection”.

Sturt Desert Pea Western NSWAustralia

Writer in ResidenceAt The MissionEl Morro New Mexico

Darling River Australia

Rocky Mountains Colorado

Gathering of Nations Albuquerque NM 2013

My writing cabin Canyon de Chelly Arizona 2013

On Mootawingee Road NSW Australia

• European Invasion• Land Stealing• White Australia Policy• Missionaries• Stolen Generation• Australian Reservation Life• Health Education Unemployment • Loss of Culture, Language, Self Identity Self

Esteem

R E F I N D I N G

S o r r y

• Back to Country• Story Writing

• Elders Groups• Tribal Councils

• Community Engagement• Cultural Awareness

P a e d i a t r i c Caseload

• Babies: failure to thrive, feeding• Developmental delayed language & articulation• Developmental disordered language & articulation• Social Pragmatic Language Disorder• Autistic Spectrum Disorder• Hearing Cleft Palate Congenital Disorders• Fluency Stuttering• Voice Disorder

T h e r a p y Strategies

• Early referral• Person Centered• Family Centered• Hierarchy of Needs• Weekly fortnightly• Clinic school home• Modelling• Expansion• Praise• Trans disciplinary• Multi-sensory• Make it real & culturally appropriate

My experiences in health and education service delivery for Indigenous communities, and in communities where there are Indigenous and non-Indigenous people sharing facilities, both in Australia and in America, has shown me that a broader vision; a non-traditional trans-disciplinary approach based on cultural knowledge; a hierarchy of needs based approach established through inclusion of community; and co-creative thinking and problem solving, are all required for potentials to be achieved and programs to be established.

What does it mean to deliver a Culturally Sensitive & Culture Based Service using “Native Ways of Knowing”?

A culturally sensitive and culture based service is one which incorporates Native ways of knowing and learning. Research shows that Indigenous ways of knowing and learning are based on the spiritual beliefs of:

Knowledge is wisdom

Knowledge is innate and natural

The spiritual system is not separate from the knowledge system

Both the seen and unseen worlds are knowledge bases

That knowledge has come from inter-generational historical trauma.

My work experiences have shown that establishing health and education programs WHICH TRULY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN NATIVE PEOPLES COMMUNITIES is directly related to a HOLISITIC SPIRITUALLY and CULTURALLY SENSITIVE approach involving COMMUNITY engagement.

Valerie AlbrechtBiographer Indigenous Peoples

Author & Practitioner Western Eastern Natural Health

Speech Pathologist Yoga TeacherChildbirth Education Massage Therapist Hypno-Visualization Practitioner Reiki Master

www.theoceansofenergy.comvalerieyoga@optusnet.com.au

M: + 61 0406052339