Author Topic: George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"  (Read 9950 times)

Offline amorYcohetes

  • Posts: 71
George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"
« on: April 09, 2014, 07:34:41 am »
As I was saying in another thread, my mom took me to the Kripalu Institute for my birthday at least 5 years ago - not for any training, but just for a peaceful weekend vacation with natural food and the chance to practice yoga.  They still send me their glossy catalog advertising all their trainings, some of which seem useful but many of which seem dubious.

I noted with concern an upcoming workshop by someone who is not listed on this site, George Kamana Hunter.  Here is the description of the workshop:
Quote
Have you claimed your greatest innate gifts? Our latent talents and passions—as well as our challenges and burdens—often reside underneath the unfinished stories we inherit from our bloodline ancestors. In this liberating workshop, experience how Bloodline Healing empowers you to release past history and embrace your personal greatness.

This program offers

    Direct channeled communication with your spirit ancestry
    A multicultural, indigenous-inspired unburdening ceremony
    Intuitive energy healing
    Guided cathartic release
    Family tree sharing
    An honoring ceremony.

Bloodline Healing creates a space for powerful encounters that unveil your true purpose and your deepest essence. With support and heartfelt challenge, you can celebrate a freer life and a clearer expression of your vitality.

Recommended reading and listening George Kamana Hunter,The Invisible Burden: A Memoir of Generational Healing (coming April 2014) and Haven (CD).

Hunter states on his business website that he is of Mohawk descent, although the Kripalu site bio calls him "a healer of Native American descent," while his personal website says "George Kamana Hunter is an Intuitive Healer who has been honored as a Spiritual Teacher by an ancient Native Hawaiian family in Kaneohe. His middle name, Kamananuio’keola means Great Spirit of Life in Hawaiian."

Hunter describes the work he does with clients as:
Quote
What is Bloodline Healing?
Some of the struggles we face are personal to our lives.  However, many of the hardships, feelings, and problems in our life are cyclic, repeating in the family tree in each generation.  Our ancestral story can be handed down to the following generations, creating invisible burdens of unexpressed emotions and unfulfilled wishes.  For instance, the shame of being from a certain race or of being an immigrant can be passed down to you.  Another example is when your family expects you to be a lawyer, a politician, or a doctor, even though your heart longs to be an artist.  Some hereditary diseases can even be effected by the emotional history of your family.  These inherited feelings, beliefs, and expectations can steer our lives away from our true destiny

A Bloodline Healing session opens a portal to speak to your ancestors about the inherited patterns.  It is also a way of gaining support from your spirit ancestry in living your life.  A typical session involves:

    Stating a wish for what you want to gain or be free of in your life.
    Reviewing a basic family tree and presenting your family story.
    Identifying specific expectations and unfulfilled dreams in your story that you have inherited.
    Initiating an Ancestral Dialogue in order to speak to specific members of your deceased kin.  Many people tend to have tactile experiences where they feel the presence of their ancestors during this process.
    Receiving love, nurture, and protection in the form of energy healing.
    Setting boundaries with your family and relationships to aid the healing process.
    At the end of the session, journal writing or writing letters to your ancestors is highly recommended to continue the positive effects of the session.

Here is what he charges individuals for this work:
Quote
Session Rates:
Phone Sessions (60 minutes) $165
Phone Sessions (90 minutes) $ 231.75
Travel In-Person Sessions (75 minutes) $225
Hawaii In-Person Sessions (75 minutes) $185
Hawaii In-Person Double Session (120 minutes) $330
I think his appearance at Kripalu is part of some kind of book tour to promote his memoir which as far as I can see must be self-published.

Hunter's marketing around his fee-based services and book is to me reminiscent of nonprofits' work and scholarly research at the community level on intergenerational/transgenerational trauma in racially oppressed groups.  If he took this anti-oppression/recovery concept and individualized and commodified it, shame on him.

Offline Sturmboe

  • Posts: 117
Re: George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2014, 04:32:17 pm »
With caution I see all these assumtions we can inherit from bloodline ancastors, for e. g. unfinished stories, talents, passions, challenges and burdens, ...
So much rhose "seekers" search for its causations in an anchestral heritage, there are some mental issues and problems which defenetly acquired during the way of life of every person, maybe they are more vulnerable for the circumstances they had to live in.
It seems these esoteric aspects imbed in parts of psychological therapies, like cathartic release, breathing therapy, .... Yoga.

People with mental issues they should be careful.
Maybe during a workshop there are lifeevents could deliver to one´s awareness he had dissociated, as well as he couldn´t remember anything what happened in the past anymore - untill this situiation in the experience forced it up to the surface. This could end in a terrible situation. ... Who´s or what causation is it? Do they have a closer look (to the truth - or what I suggest to their "anchasters-lie" - or it is better to flight?
A cathartic release as I know is a part of psychotherapie but also used in some breathing therapies here in Germany. The results is being controversly discussed, especially in breathing therapy, when the "therapist" got no consolidated education in psychology.

Excercice therapies, breathing therapies and stress relief therapies must be conformed individually for those people with mental issues. Yoga and a special stress relief programm could be a good way for somebody, for another one it would be defently the wrong way. And all the different breathing therapies must be chosen very carefully.

Epiphany

  • Guest
Re: George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2014, 06:27:48 pm »
George Christopher Hunter, he's about 36 years old. Here is an old bio:

Quote
George first started exploring the healing arts as a child, studying with family trained in the herbal medicines of the Iroquois tradition. Later, he would further embrace his Mohawk roots by immersing himself in traditional Iroquois and Intertribal singing which he now uses as a healing tool. Coming form a family lineage of healers, he is following in the footsteps of his G-G-Great Grandmother Bridget O'Reilly who was one of the founding nurses of Calvary Hospital in NYC for Palliative Care of the sick and dying. After receiving a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University, George conducted herbal research in the Amazon Rainforest with the Ye'Kuana people under the mentorship of Eloy Rodriquez PhD. George has been involved in research of holistic modalities at Stonybrook's Complimentary Alternative Medicine Center and currently works at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the Integrative Medicine Service where he researches pain treatments. In addition to research, he also maintains a private practice for Energetic Healing in midtown Manhattan. More recently, he is completing a 3 year intensive certification in Energetic Healing and Psychic Development at the Fire and Wind Healing Institute: www.fireandwindhealing.com. This school was founded by Martha Piesco-Hoff and Lawrence Hoff. Martha completed the instructor training at the Barbara Ann Brennan healing school, served as Dean of the Snowlion Center in Provence France, and is a teacher at "Home of Angels" school in Finland. Lawrence has studied with such healers as Michael Harner and Sonny Richards of the Pine Ridge Reservation, as well as teaching Tai Chi Chuan and Gurdjieff work for more than 20 years. Since studying at the Fire and Wind Institute, George has found a way to integrate his past experiences into his current healing style.


http://earthclinic.com/mobile/Healers/ghunter.html

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/george-kamana-hunter/4b/b05/13

Interesting that he names an Irish ancestor, but not any NDN ones.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGXsLbfStmY

Epiphany

  • Guest
Re: George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2014, 06:39:49 pm »
Quote
I shared one of my gifts; my love of singing. Its a gift connected to my Mohawk heritage on my father’s side of the family. My family left the reservation and lost contact with our culture. But I was the one who reconnected us back by learning our traditional song and dance.

http://gkhunter.com/category/bloodline-healing-project/

Offline kitten42

  • Posts: 11
Re: George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2014, 09:55:59 pm »
http://gkhunter.com/sessions-policies/

Session Rates:

Phone Sessions (60 minutes) $165

Phone Sessions (90 minutes) $ 231.75

Travel In-Person Sessions (75 minutes) $225

Hawaii In-Person Sessions (75 minutes) $185

Hawaii In-Person Double Session (120 minutes) $330

Also, I'd love to know how he reconciles Hawaiian practices and Mohawk "ancestry"?

Offline kayak2432

  • Posts: 1
Re: George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2014, 09:37:14 pm »
I did some research and found this info on Hunter's site:  http://gkhunter.com/faqs/

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Intuitive Healing or Bloodline Healing a replacement for therapy?

No.  None of my services are meant to be a replacement for conventional psychotherapy or medical care.  Many of my clients have been in therapy for many years and share that conventional therapy has been essential to their progress.  They most often seek another perspective when they have hit a plateau in their progress.  I see the work that I do as a compliment to therapy, not a substitute.  If you do not currently have a therapist or physician, I can provide you with a recommendation to an open minded, licensed provider who I have collaborated with in the past.  It has been my experience that combining Bloodline Healing which is more educationally based with sound, conventional therapy and medical care give the client the best of both worlds.  Though I am not a therapist, I still abide by the HIPAA Act which establishes confidentiality laws for all healthcare providers.

 

Are you providing Native American Healing practices for money?

No.  None of the services that I provide in my private practice are Native American ceremonies or spiritual practices that I was taught through my elders.  Much in the same way that people of Jewish descent participate in the Jewish religious life at their specific synagogue, Native American communities have services that are reserved for members of that particular community. Many of these services are not open to the public out of respect for the community’s privacy.  These services are not done for money, however traditional gifts of tobacco, fire wood, and other forms of gifting are accepted according to the specific tradition being practiced.  I do serve as a pro bono Master of Ceremonies (MC) for public events such as the All Nations Powwow in Hilo.  I also serve as the Assistant Director for the Native Intertribal Council for Heritage and Education (NICHE) on a volunteer basis. For more information about Hawaii based powwows and cultural/educational events that are open to the public, please go to the NICHE website:  http://www.nichehawaii.org/

 

Do You Offer Sliding Scale?

I make a considerable effort to keep my rates as low as possible.  At this time, I do not offer sliding scale. If you are having financial difficulties, there are many qualified providers available here: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/

 

Are you associated with White Bison, Inc.?

The Bloodline Healing Project has no relationship with the White Bison Wellbriety Movement.  I have not attended any training by White Bison, nor have I used any of their programs or information in my work.  You can find out more about their addiction recovery services here: http://www.whitebison.org/white-bison/white-bison-about.php

 

Is the Bloodline Healing Project an academic based program?

The Bloodline Healing approach was developed as a grassroots effort outside of academia. The method unfolded on its own while I worked with Jewish Holocaust survivors who sought a fresh perspective on the residual mark of history.  The work was further developed into a structured approach offered in workshops by several practitioners in the fields of Psychology, Medicine, and Education.  In my view, some innovations begin in academia and are later disseminated to the public.  Other innovations begin as a boots on the ground solution, which academics later study.  Bloodline Healing was founded in the field as an attempt to help people find an empowering way to release their family history.

 

Is the work you offer exclusively for Holocaust Survivors?

No.  Bloodline Healing is meant as a multi-cultural forum for people from ALL faiths and backgrounds. While Holocaust survivors were the initial inspiration, I have worked with people of Irish, Italian, Israeli, Turkish, African American, Native American, Asian and many other ethnic and religious heritages.  You need not know the full history or your family, nor even have a substantial family tree in order to gain fresh insights and learning experiences from a workshop or session.

 

You have a  Hawaiian Name, yet you are Mohawk by descent.  How do you explain this?

I was adopted into the Adams family, a Native Hawaiian family in Kaneohe, Oahu and named by Kimo Adams and Kamakakehau Fernandez.  There are many naming practices that are still maintained by Native peoples today.  Some of these names are meant to be private names used only in ceremonies, and others are meant as public a honoring.  The name they gave me, Kamananuio’keola, means His Great Spirit of Life, which was meant to acknowledge me as a teacher of life in order to encourage me to share my abilities with Hawaii.

I am Mohawk on my father’s side of the family and I still practice some of the Iroquois traditions of my heritage for myself. I was fortunate enough to inherit traditional Iroquois cultural practices through my Uncle Richard Wentz who was adopted into the Heron Clan of the Seneca Nation.  His main teachers were Heron Clan Mother Thelma Crouse from the Allegany Indian Reservation, her husband Al Shane (Blackfeet), and Peacemaker, Herbalist, & Hawk Clan Mother Myrtle Peterson of the Coldspring Longhouse.  My uncle’s adoption was performed by former Seneca Nation President and respected Elder George Heron. I do not publicly share the private teachings passed onto me, however, the wisdom of these Elders have certainly shaped the practitioner I am today.

I married to a Native Hawaiian woman, and on a daily basis, we build bridges between our two distinct Native cultures.  It is our plan to raise our children with both cultures, so I do my best to learn the indigenous culture connected to the land I call home.  My wife and I are currently learning the Hawaiian language to ensure that our children speak at least one indigenous language as part of their cultural education. I also intend to teach them to pray in the Mohawk Language (Kanienkehaka).
« Last Edit: October 20, 2014, 11:21:54 pm by kayak2432 »

Offline educatedindian

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 4772
Re: George Kamana Hunter and the "Bloodline Healing Project"
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2014, 01:11:17 pm »
Kayak, you haven't introduced yourself. We usually ask that people do so in the Introductions thread.

Do you know him, or have experience with Hunter and his therapy? It seems quite a coincidence that you join and immediately post Hunter's website. If so, we could all benefit from a first hand account.

Hunter does market himself as doing "Native healing."
http://allevents.in/santa%20monica/a-night-of-native-healing-songs-with-george-kamana-hunter/210524045782708#
http://www.wherevent.com/detail/Bhakti-Yoga-Shala-A-Night-of-Native-Healing-Songs-with-George-Kamana-Hunter

And as a "Native healer."
http://www.tilomedical.com/post/bloodline-healing-workshop-1
http://www.dinabernatkunin.com/HealingGenerationalTrauma.en.html