Our Inspiration
We find inspiration in individuals and their families who are experiencing mental health challenges. We are inspired by those who come through this in ways that transform their lives and others. We’re also continuously inspired by the award winning film, Crazywise.
Welcome to The Healing Field
We are a community building 501(c)3 nonprofit founded on the belief that individuals with mental health challenges have the capacity for healing and transforming their lives. We are all effected by mental health in various ways and forms.
Our Logo
The Healing Field logo instills hope. It represents a Purkinje neuron located in the brain, within a field of compassion, drawn to the Light and held by a community of hearts that make up The Healing Field.
Our Philosophy
We believe in the human capacity for healing and transformation. There is a growing movement that is a positive reaction to the disheartening idea that people experiencing mental health challenges are destined to be ill for the rest of their lives. The Healing Field is part of this movement.
More About Why We Welcome You...
As humans, all of us exist and process on physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and relational levels. We welcome everyone to participate in The Healing Field, as we invite awareness and healing into the range and fullness of our human existence.
We bring people together for self-healing, exchange of ideas, and mutual benefit by offering online (mostly) opportunities. We welcome peers, healers, practitioners, speakers, teachers, film makers, artists and others who believe as we do and wish to be a part of this adventure in healing.
We welcome your participation, whether one time or ongoing, to the growing community of The Healing Field.
More About What Inspires Us...
Crazywise shows us indigenous ways in sharp contrast to our western ways of responding when people have unusual or extreme experiences. You can view the film at www.Crazywisefilm.com. We are encouraged by many other endeavors that foster awareness, wellness, connection and belonging (see our resource page). This is how we will end the stigma and isolation of mental illness for individuals and families.
The Healing Field’s mission is to foster awareness and possibilities for a healing and wellness paradigm in mental health, emphasizing connectivity and hope. We encourage the creation of healing environments that support mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and social wellness. We connect and build community for this purpose.
There is a field of healing energy all around us, within us and between us. This also inspires us. We hope it inspires you to receive or to give at this time. Please join us in raising awareness and increasing opportunities for healing pathways in our communities and in the world.
Let us share
the vision. And make it
possible for great love to arise.
Thich Nhat Hanh
More About Our Philosophy...
The current mainstream paradigm for mental health focuses on illness and long-term pathology. It calls on us to consider a range of healing pathways and contexts for mental health recovery and restoration, both individually and collectively. The Healing Field, along with other organizations, is responding to this call.
Some of us have met or witnessed people who, with loving and wellness-oriented support, are able to break through to a new life they were really meant to live. These individuals and organizations are trail blazers that bring new light and awareness to an otherwise bleak future.
We believe that, together, our communities can construct a new and hopeful reality that serves everyone in their uniqueness.
More About Our Logo...
The base color of turquoise is associated with Healing, while the green circle represents Growth. Tacoma, WA/USA Artist, Gillian Hanington also saw the gold circle representing Self-Knowledge, and the leaves pointing to the Light as representations of healing pathways fostered by The Healing Field as a path to rediscover Wholeness. Wholeness itself is represented by the White Light and the hearts around the edge represent Community which is such a vital part of this mission and philosophy.
When she first considered a logo for the Healing Field, Gillian tried to pin down its purpose in a single succinct phrase. This was, she concluded, to bring people who had suffered from mental health challenges back into a full and rewarding life. The Tree of Life leapt into her mind, but it is a ubiquitous image and she desired something more specific, something that reflected The Healing Field’s holistic focus on mental health.
Gillian was aware of the fabulous neuron drawings done by Santiago Ramon Y Cajal in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She remembered this Spanish scientist having incredible vision as well as artistic ability. He discovered the existence of individual neurons over fifty years and drew almost 3000 incredible illustrations derived from his views through a microscope. The Purkinje neuron lies close to the surface of the cerebellum and is an interface to the outside world. This struck her as similar to The Healing Field’s work on developing the interior life to meet a more rewarding exterior life. Cajal’s discoveries were not completely verified until the 1950s when the technology finally caught up. Gillian sees his drawings as still relevant today and gorgeous!