Resilient Roots is an experiential Holistic Trauma-Informed Resilience Program that guides individuals on their wellness journey through integrated Artistic Expression, Breathwork, Yoga postures, Mindfulness, Nature & Connection. We utilize the FRIENDS program, supported by the WHO, as a foundation for our CBT-based resilience-building techniques, which we then weave together with Indigenous ideology and Polyvagal Theory. By incorporating the Polyvagal Theory, we help participants...

We offer an exceptional and comprehensive healing program using an asset-based approach. Our program intensively focuses on the whole client: body, psyche, and soul, with an emphasis on health and well-being as opposed to dis-ease. We provide training for clients and staff to ensure continuity of care. Our sessions can be conducted individually or in small groups at your facility or in our dedicated healing spaces. We especially love to bring hope to clients struggling with dual diagnosis.

An Event to Heal Historical Trauma Igbo Landing Conference 2024 May 24-26 2024 St. Simon Island, Georgia This is a FREE event Small swollen hungry African bellies on tv; Black men, women and children in chains; Naked flesh on the auction block; Strange low hanging fruit on southern trees. These are the images we embody as our identity. Igbo Landing tells the truth of our souls. In May 1803, a ship with kidnapped human beings from West Africa arrived in Georgia. After the human cargo was sold...

The reality for many of us from disempowered communities is that we often live in an invisible gap that exists between our traditional cultural ways of being and contemporary dominant culture. This is a vulnerable space for us because although we live as 21st century Americans, our bodies, all the way down to the genetic structure, may be wired for a collectivist way of life. Further, many of us live at the intersection of unaddressed generational trauma and current day violence, oppression...

The Pan-Indigenous Neuro Healing & Wellness Program is the perfect opportunity to take the next step in our personal journey or guide clients/community members through Collective Healing from a multi-ideology indigenous perspective merged with 21st century neuroscience. In the context of our healing and wellness program, indigenous refers to people all over the world whose way of life, and attachment or claims to land have resulted in their substantial marginalization within modern...

We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from around the world. In this inclusive study we rely on the ancient tradition of storytelling, visual art and interconnected relationships to intentionally explore difficult topics.

Illustrations: Salini Perera The Pan-Indigenous Neuro Healing & Wellness Program is the perfect opportunity to take the next step in our personal journey or guide clients/community members through Collective Healing from a multi-ideology indigenous perspective merged with 21st century neuroscience. In the context of our healing and wellness program, indigenous refers to people all over the world whose way of life, and attachment or claims to land have resulted in their substantial...

Image from news4jax.com I live in a city of about 300,000 in the state of Arizona. We are about 78% white, 17% Latinx, 4% black and 1% Native American. Every year we are mentioned on the list of the 10 most desirable and safest cities in America. This year, I have a contract with the police department to train all 500 sworn officers and civilian workers in a form of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion but with a historical trauma perspective and filtered through a PACEs lens. Since the murder of...

48-HOUR 6-Level HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION in collaboration with THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATION ****NEW**** LEARNED HELPLESSNESS EDUCATION AND HEALING JUST ADDED!!! We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from...

Image from abc.net.au We are not lazy. Our cultures are not deficient. "Have you ever felt very helpless, also had a strong desire to overcome that feeling, but somehow, something has stopped you? No matter how hard you have tried, you have never been able to get out of that helpless mindset?" The image of those beautiful creatures lined side by side and held in chains is heart-wrenching and analogous to the reality of our relatives from BIPOC communities. (As egalitarian people, we use...

IMAGE Source: John Thomson, 1869 / Welcome Collection When my youngest son was about seven, we lived in China for about two and a half years while he trained in Shaolin Kung Fu. We lived in rural mountainous regions and my son's life was consumed with training and competing. Our American passports, his fluent Mandarin and Kung Fu prowess paved the way for a good life in China. However, I was horrified by the pain I saw in other African people living in the region. I still remember the day...

In 2018, I was invited by Native American elders to travel to Canada to facilitate the first Canadian/American collaboration to heal historical trauma. As my friend Dr. Anthony Pico of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians says, "Historical Trauma is the father of ACEs and the twin to addiction." It was a mission to understand and facilitate a new perspective in working with ACEs. Upon our arrival at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, we were greeted by Dr. Renee...

In some indigenous African tribes, scarification is part of human identity. From a Western pathogenic lens, perhaps we see a distorted image that is ugly, uncomfortable and as the representation of a pointless, primitive process that inflicts unnecessary pain on our people. We, however, proudly wear our badge of honor that signals to the world that we belong, have succeeded in our rites of passage, and that we are resilient. Observing the striations on a pregnant woman's beautiful belly,...

48-HOUR HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION in collaboration with THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATION We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from around the world. In this inclusive study we rely on the...

In my tradition, relatives never die and the ancestors are always with you. We spend a lot of time and resources revering relatives who have transitioned into the spirit world. So, one day after we made ritual for my beloved ancestor, it came as no surprise to receive a request to keynote at a feminist festival in Kenya. She was a powerful woman in the physical world who left a legacy of powerful male feminists in an oppressive African society. My invitation to Kenya had her handprints all...

New!! 48-HOUR HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION in collaboration with THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATION We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from around the world. In this inclusive study we rely...

New!! 48-HOUR HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION in collaboration with THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATION We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from around the world. In this inclusive study we rely...

New!! 48-HOUR HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION in collaboration with THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATION We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from around the world. In this inclusive study we rely...

In an emergency meeting Tuesday July 26, the Oglala Sioux Tribal (OST) Council temporarily suspended all activity of Christian missions on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The OST passed an ordinance requiring all churches and religious organizations to complete a new form to request the right to conduct missionary work on the reservation. That form will be reviewed by the tribe’s executive committee. The tribe also put a restriction on utilizing images, videos, and names of the Pine Ridge...

Pre-COVID, I was invited to speak at a conference in Flagstaff, Arizona. During lunch the organizers brought dancers from the Apache tribe to perform. What we witnessed was so powerful and moving, that it prompted me to inquire about the spiritual significance of the songs and dance. They explained to me that after going to war, the warriors returned to their land and were gathered together to perform that particular dance and song. As a tribal African woman, it all made perfect sense. As...

Standing on top of Ogun Mountain, in the Sacred City of 41 Mountains, West Africa, I knew my life would forever change. The women from the royal house danced for me. The men drummed me into a trance. They called me by my African name as they welcomed me home. On the soil of my ancestors, the healing began. I am a black woman born in the 1970’s. Nine generations ago, my ancestors were on the continent of Africa inhabiting the Kingdom of Dahomey. We were thriving. Unbeknownst to most, we were...

From the Producers of The Wisdom of Trauma Join Iya Affo for an insightful online community conversation facilitated by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo. Iya's passion is to cultivate intergenerational healing by connecting intuitive ancestral practices with modern neurobiology. As we delve into leveraging our neurobiology to facilitate the healing process, we will also explore re-culturing and the creation of self-harmonizing communities. Please join us and bring your questions! The gathering will...

Iya Affo & Heal Historical Trauma Presents New!! 48-HOUR HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION in collaboration with THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA ASSOCIATION We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from...

In Honor of Black History Month 2k22 Please Enjoy the Following NEW Trainings: Facilitating a Full Expression of Resilience: BIPOC are resilient. In learning how trauma is formed and passed from one generation to the next in our communities, we will understand how to facilitate a full expression of resilience in vulnerable communities. This course takes a deep dive into the reality of flight or fight mode and how many people enduring oppression, discrimination and hate live with a constant...

Being Trauma-Informed means that we are Culturally Attuned. Heal Trauma Global is a sister company to Heal Historical Trauma and was cultivated to fill a wide gap in stress science & trauma training. The trauma-informed movement is beautiful! It's wonderful that as a society we are moving in a direction that honors an individual's past as part of the driving force behind current behaviors. Yet, time and time again, I have attended trainings that are labeled as Trauma-Informed only to...

In The Black Panther movie, we marveled over Okoye and her magnificent band of the Dora Milaje, powerful female warriors. In this true-to-life depiction, Wakanda is Dahomey, present day, Benin, West Africa. Okoye is a famous female warrior and forgotten queen named Queen Hangbe who lead the most powerful army in West Africa fighting against the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the MINO also known as the Amazon Women of Dahomey. Today, we are remembering their brilliance, fierceness, discipline...

LEVEL 2 HISTORICAL TRAUMA SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION MARCH 2022!!! The wait is finally over! Iya Affo and Heal Historical Trauma will present: Historical Trauma Specialist Certification- LEVEL 2: A Neurological, Environmental & Cultural Perspective on March 1st & 2nd 2022. LEVEL 2 will cover the following: Fossil fuel capitalism as an extension of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade & Native American Genocide. Climate change as a catalyst for violence and prolonged suffering in BIPOC...

The Historical Trauma Specialist Certification- Level 1 is a comprehensive understanding of Historical Trauma from a multicultural lens. The training is designed for participants serving, leading, advocating and working with people of color. It is the perfect training for people in multicultural families and for anyone with the desire to understand the impact of slavery, genocide and colonization. The course dives deeply into the following topics: Introduction: Explosion of COVID-19 &...

Over the next few days, I am going to provide a little food for thought about the loss of cultural identity that has profoundly impacted Africans across the Diaspora. Remember that the descendants of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade that live off of the Continent, are perhaps the only collective in the world that does not know their origin. We are African, but Africa is a continent of fifty-four countries with thousands of different cultures and dialects. Today’s micro-discussion is on...

Over the next few days, I am going to provide a little food for thought about the loss of cultural identity that has profoundly impacted Africans across the Diaspora. Remember that the descendants of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade that live off of the Continent, are perhaps the only collective in the world that does not know their origin. We are African, but Africa is a continent of fifty-two countries with thousands of different cultures and dialects. Today’s micro-discussion is on names.

As we endure the pain of lost loved ones, manage the anxiety of financial insecurity and potentially fret over becoming ill, it is a brilliant time for change in our country and around the world. There is a special kind of racist exclusion in America. When I took my young son to live in India, initially, he struggled everyday on the bus to school. There was a lot of hazing and bullying from older students. I remember him begging me to please take him to school in a rickshaw so that he didn’t...

" Historical trauma impacts so many of our community members and it is a topic that is not always openly discussed and well understood in mainstream society. Further, it is often not considered when designing helping programs, systems or overall prevention programming and worse when placing judgements against groups of people. Each culture, each individual has their own story to tell, their own traditions, spiritual and cultural practices and so many have had those life components disrupted...

My early life was defined by deep emotional pain and turmoil. In exchange for all that I endured, I was gifted reunification with the Motherland. As a young person, I stood on the same shore where my ancestors lost their freedom as the clear blue ocean water licked my feet and enticed me with her beauty. It was an anointing. Finally, I was home. For the past 27 years, I have been deeply submerged in West African culture. Throughout that time, I have lived on and off the Continent; spending...

When I visit my people in West Africa, I often tease them by saying, "If the Europeans ships came again tomorrow, we would be stolen again!" This is a joke to me because I am always amazed by the warm reception I receive when I visit new villages. Despite my light-brown skin, and clearly Western mannerisms, I am always welcomed and cared for. When I present with physical, spiritual or emotional issues, my people immerse me in medicine: Women might dance and cook for 3 consecutive days,...