Mother, Heal My Self: An Intergenerational Healing Journey Between Two Worlds

At the Dedication page, the author writes: "This book is dedicated to all the ancestors of the German-Russian Mennonites and the Great Sioux Nation who made this life story possible. It is also dedicated to all my relations currently living and yet to come. May they each find their own path to health and wholeness in a rich and meaning-full way.”

JoEllen Koerner was raised in a small Mennonite community in South Dakota, became a Civil Rights activist in the South, and rose to prominence as a nurse executive of international repute. None of these life experiences, or her honored skills as a Western medical practitioner, prepared her for the moment every parent hopes never happens: Her daughter, Kristi, her body wracked with pain, asks permission to die. Into the depths of this dreaded moment enters Wanigi Waci (Spirit Dancer), a dear friend and keeper of the Lakota Sioux healing traditions. He invites Kristi and JoEllen into his People’s time-honored healing ways and giving community, with ramifications whose importance ultimately surpasses the restoration of Kristi’s health.

The Table of Contents includes: 1) A Story of Five Generations; 2) The Meeting of Two Worlds; 3) A Journey of Birth and Manifestation; 4) The Power and Beauty of Indigenous Healing; 5) Indigenous Healing Merges with Western Medicine; and 6) The Intergenerational Journey Towards Wholeness; 7) Finding My New Center; Epilogue) Expressions of Gratitude—wopila, Danke Schön; A Guide to Facilitating Your Own Intergenerational Healing Journey; Bibliography.

About the author:

JoEllen Koerner, PhD, RN, FAAN, is past president of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and an originating member of the Center for Nursing Leadership. She is co-founder of the Healing Web and a Principal of Makoce: Whole Earth Health, an interdisciplinary, transcultural-healing community focused on integration of body, mind, spirit, and environment.