Wîwîp'son: The Healing Swing

Credits

Executive Producer:
Aretha Greatrix (Producer),
Lese Skidmore (Producer)

Director:
Aretha Greatrix

Logline: Wîwîp’son, the healing swing therapy is a documentary on Dr. Darlene Auger’s swing therapy and the scientific study that supports the traditional knowledge of healing from trauma through Wîwîp’son Ceremony.

In 2021, Dr. Darlene Auger and Dr. Kelvin Jones conducted a study to analyze the effects of Dr. Darlene Auger's swing therapy sessions on improving health through culturally informed trauma recovery—an alternative approach to treating neurological disorders and the effectiveness of the treatment. Wîwîp’son, the healing swing, is a treatment held by Indigenous practitioner Dr. Darlene Auger. That brings people back to the tradition of being swung in a swing as a baby and traditional knowledge of its impacts on the mind and body. Wîwîp’son Ceremony helps support emotional regulation to process trauma. This study combines traditional knowledge and a western scientific approach. This study used wearable biometric sensors to examine the effects of the swing motion and Indigenous healing practice on a person’s heart rate, breathing and brain wave patterns.

This documentary looks at the outcomes of the study and interviews participants of the Wîwîp’son: the healing swing therapy to share the impacts of this alternative therapy has had on their lives. We also hear from Dr. Darlene Auger, who holds this therapeutic ceremony, and her inspiration to share this knowledge with people to help them heal from trauma.