People ask me “How did you become involved in alternative healing?”
I grew up on a large isolated ranch in SW Saskatchewan and was home schooled until 6th grade. I never lost my ability to see energy which all children are born with and lose because of some physiological changes in the eye as well as parents, peer group and schools telling children “No you don’t see that” or “There is no friend there” etc. I was spared that in my early life being outside of the system. As a result I had a very early fascination with a world composed of energy, which was in part visible to me.
In my High School years I thought I wanted to be a Medical Doctor but when I realized that if something couldn’t be fixed with drugs or surgery there was no other option given. I then switched my goal to Veterinary Medicine but it was really the same world of fixing with drugs and surgery. So I put thoughts of Medicine aside and went on to do a number of diverse things in my life (being an auctioneer, saddle and boot maker, Mayor of a small town, school trustee, active on several committees, just to name a few things), but healing always held a fascination for me and knew there had to be another way to have health in the body and being.
It was approximately 1999 when I took my neighbour to see a Healer that lived about an hour away from where I lived and I watched him work. I was fascinated and asked him what he was doing and he said, “I don’t really know, it is a gift from God.” So I didn’t learn much about energy and how healing worked, or details on how it was performed.
I’ve always had an interest in First Nations People. I have studied treaties as well as had a fascination with Chief Joseph (a story for another time). In the year 2000, I attended the very first event of its kind, a First Nations Medicine and Healing gathering…and it was amazing! It was held at Neekaneet First Nation in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan. There were Indigenous Healers present from North, Central and South America as well as some Basques from Europe. There were over 8,000 attendees from all over the world! There was great opportunity to watch and participate in ceremonies that I had only read about in very old books. As well there was a chance to see healers of your choice. I had the good fortune to see a noted Blackfoot Healer and Herbalist named Rufus Goodstriker. During the healing that he performed, he asked “Do you have a name?” and I answered “Yes, it’s Dennis Barnett”. He responded, “No, do you have an Indian name?” I answered “No, do I need one?”. He said “How will they know where to send you when you pass? How will you find your people?” He added that he would hold a Naming Ceremony for me during the gathering. We set a day for me to return to find him and for the Naming Ceremony to take place. I was surprised to see 80 or more people that Rufus had assembled to be present for the ceremony. The entire ceremony was in Blackfoot and took almost an hour. Rufus was elderly, but strong. He placed his hand on my shoulder at the end of the ceremony but it was unexpected when he pushed on my shoulder hard enough for me to stumble forward. It was at that moment that he said my Blackfoot Name for the first time. As I looked up I could see the energy field of the trees. Dancing. Vibrant. And much bigger than what I usually saw when I would “drop in” to utilizing my “viewing ability”. I was in awe. And the energy fields remained very big and vibrant for the rest of the day. This experience was in part responsible for my changing directions in my life and becoming a Healing Facilitator and Teacher across Canada.
The next year I attended another Healing Gathering held in the Qu’Appelle Valley east of Regina. Rufus was there and was conducting a sweat lodge, which I attended. He called me up to sit by him and help pray over the offerings of tobacco, cloth, sweet grass and sage. At the second door of the lodge (there are four doors or breaks in the proceedings) everyone went outside to cool off a bit and get some air. I was sitting with a small group of people and about 20 feet away Rufus sat on his own. He called me over to come sit by him. After a couple of minutes of silence he looked directly at me and said, “When are you going to get on with it?” “With what?” I replied. He said “You are a Healer and you have denied it for too long, and it is time now.” I said how will I go about that? Rufus replied, “Just making the decision is enough, the way will then unfold for you.” That was true because shortly after that I began to hear about Alternative Healing Modalities. I also began to read about, and then later on have the opportunity to begin taking Quantum-Touch® classes. I knew right away that I not only wanted to have a Practice but that I wanted to teach the same skills to others and empower them. In December 2004 I was Certified as a Quantum-Touch® Instructor, the fifth or sixth in Canada and the first in Western Canada.
I have gone on to learn a number of other modalities to be able to perform a “full spectrum" of natural healing work to my clients. Some of the modalities include: PSYCH-K (belief work), Craniosacral Therapy (from the Upledger Institute), Adjustment of the Human Assemblage Point (based on Dr Jon Whale’s work), Color Light Therapy, Dowsing (changing frequencies as well as “finding” things), Entity or “Ghost” Removals (from people, homes and land) and Blessings. I practice all of these modalities, and have the pleasure of teaching some of them.
I look forward to serving you with your health needs, whether they may be physical or emotional, performed locally or distantly.
And there is another story. That of Chief Joseph and the Native American flute that I have acquired, very serendipitously. But that is for another day.