Ga’walap̓a laxa̱n’s ḵa̱n’s sa̱nale’: Help Us to Be Whole Healing Camp + Film Trailer

Ga’walap̓a laxa̱n’s ḵa̱n’s sa̱nale’ (Help Us to Be Whole) is a community-led, trauma-informed healing initiative created with and for Kwakwaka’wakw and First Nations frontline wellness workers in Hada (Bond Sound). In partnership with Nawalakw, elders, and community leaders, we brought together frontline workers who carry the weight of grief, crisis response, and care to rest, reconnect, and heal through land-based ceremony, Kwak̓wala language, somatic practices, and circle dialogue.

Alongside the camp, we created a short film that follows this healing journey and uplifts the voices of knowledge keepers such as Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Elder Maggie Sedgemore, K’odi Nelson, Stephanie Bernard. The film trailer offers a glimpse into the courage, tenderness, and strength of our helpers.

Building on this work, we are preparing our next Women’s Trauma Healing Camp in Hada, scheduled for June 23–26, 2026, to further deepen this circle of care.

Now Live: Public Release of my Film "Braiding Knowledge through Breath, Language, and Movement"

It’s finally here. I’m so honoured to share the PUBLIC LAUNCH of my short documentary, Braiding Knowledge through Breath, Language, and Movement. This newly edited version marks a huge milestone in my journey—not only as a Kwakwaka’wakw scholar and community wellness practitioner, but also as a first-time filmmaker. After its original release two years ago and many powerful screenings in community settings, academic conferences, and film festivals, I’m proud to offer this film to a wider audience.

Film, Media, Research, YogaJessica BarudinMay 19, 2025Braiding Knowledge Film, Public LaunchComment

Reading List | Understanding trauma, healing and mindfulness by Indigenous & BIPOC authors

Through my doctoral research, I have come across some incredible Black, Indigenous and People of Color researchers and authors. Here are some of their books I have loved to read to understand trauma, healing, and embodied practices.

Research, YogaGuest UserJuly 24, 2021trauma informed

Sa̱ltała – Trauma-informed Yoga and Ceremony

Jessica Barudin will weave stories, Kwakwaka’wakw values, and research to describe Indigenous contemplative and meditative practices. She will offer reflections of healing intergenerational and historical trauma and strengthening community wellness through Yoga and Ceremony. She will speak to her experiences of co-creating trauma-informed curricula with First Nations womxn and the early impressions of her doctoral project “(Re)Connecting through women’s teachings, language and movement: Culturally-adapted yoga for First Nations Womxn and Girls”.

ResearchGuest UserOctober 4, 2020Speaking, Yoga

Unpacking Trauma and trauma-theory through an Indigenous lens

Recently I learned from a Nuu-chah-nulth Elder and medicine man, Dave Frank, who marveled at how our brains are intelligent by design, by stating “Our brains are so smart. Our brains can block out trauma and repress the memories - but our body, our organs and our skin hold the memory of that trauma. That trauma memory lives in the cells until we release it” (oral communication, October, 2020). Trauma reorganizes the brain and how it manages perceptions and cognition by altering how we think, what we think about, and even the ability to think (Bessel van der Kolk, 2015).

ResearchGuest UserOctober 4, 2020Healing, Trauma