Spiritual
Connections
Re-thinking
Beliefs
Emotional
Balance
Physical
Well Being


A New Approach to Healing:
The name Paths of Courage is made up of four paths of healing, developed out of the vision of a holistic approach to sexual abuse healing.

During the program week we will offer participants a variety of tools that they can use to experience connection with their physical self.
- Exercise– yoga, stretching, hiking, kayaking, snow-shoeing, challenge course, movement therapy
- Nutrition– healthy whole foods
- Relaxation– a time to de-stress built into each day, plenty of sleep in a quiet country atmosphere.
- Connection– through physical activities, drumming, and community.

Our participants will get a chance to recognize, experience and embrace feelings and emotional states as true barometers for life experience. These are:
- Group process– using tools of role-playing, somatic body work, projection/reflection and boundaries.
- Support– from peers, professionals and self.
- Trust building– through various exercises designed to challenge individuals and build community and trust.

Often experiences of sexual abuse lend us distorted belief systems that diminish and influence our daily life. Cognitive re-structuring allows participants to look at the thoughts that drive their lives and re-negotiate those beliefs that negatively impact their sense of self. We help to introduce you to:
- Reframing – a process that ends or diminishes those nagging, negative thoughts.
- Healthy communication – learning ways to assertively reinforce boundaries and resolve conflict
- Positive reflection – being able to see self differently as reflected by peers and staff.

Through all the other paths of courage, survivors may be able to connect to their own spiritual understandings and their right to wholeness and happiness. We do this through:
- Connection to nature– outdoor activities, a beautiful tranquil environment.
- Quiet and solitude– some time each day to journal and reflect
- Creativity– through art and music making
- Ceremony and rites of passage– honouring our time together and the sense of connection that a healing community inspires.
- Sacred Healing Fire