CULTURAL PROGRAMMING

Thorpe Recovery Centre recognizes the important connection between culture, community, and recovery. We are proud to offer a Sweat Lodge, dedicated Smudging Area, and Indigenous cultural programming designed to support holistic healing and wellness.

Organized by our on-site Cultural Coordinator, Ellery Lewis, residents have opportunities to participate in cultural activities such as ribbon skirt making, beading, sharing circles, traditional teachings, and ceremonial practices. Local Indigenous Elders also visit regularly to provide guidance, cultural teachings, spiritual support, and traditional knowledge.

The sweat lodge ceremony has been an integral part of Indigenous worldviews since time immemorial, serving as a holistic practice for self-care and healing. This cleansing ceremony involves heating stones in a fire and bringing them into the lodge, where water is sprinkled on the stones to create steam. Combined with prayer and singing, the steam works to nurture a person’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Within Indigenous perspectives, many elements of nature are believed to possess a living spirit, including plants, trees, rocks, fire, and water. Thus, the stones used in the ceremony carry their own spirit as they become part of this sacred ceremony.

Our programming incorporates Wellbriety principles, which blends recovery with Indigenous culture, traditions, and values. Through Wellbriety-based teachings and activities, residents are encouraged to pursue healing of the mind, body, spirit, and emotions while strengthening their connection to community, culture, and personal wellness.

At Thorpe Recovery Centre, we are committed to creating a culturally safe and inclusive environment where Indigenous traditions are respected, celebrated, and integrated into the recovery journey.

Healing happens in many ways. Through culture, community, and tradition, we strive to support each person’s unique journey toward wellness.

*Help Support Our Sweat Lodge
Donations of 4–6″ rock are needed for our sweat lodge. Any contribution is greatly appreciated.

SWEAT LODGE PREPARATION

The sweat lodge is a purification ceremony that purifies a persons mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual state. We heat up stones (grandfather rock-kisinapewo asiniy) in a fire, and the stones have spirits. Once the stones are heated, we take them into the lodge and water is splashed on them during the ceremony which creates steam. It gets warm. The sweat consists of 4 10/15-minute rounds and each round we take in more stones. There are breaks in between the rounds. The stones know what you need in the sweat and will do spiritual work on you. For people who struggle with anxiety or claustrophobia this would be a good time to do some work in these areas in the sweat, as once the ceremony begins the door will shut and it will be dark in there. Once the door is closed you can focus on your breathing, mind, and prayer. There is also a lot of humor within the ceremony.

Women are expected to wear appropriate clothing, ribbon skirts and shirts that do not become see through when sweat arises.

The sweat lodge in Cree is called matotisân which translates to the place where people go and cry. The sweat is symbolic of the mother’s womb so it can become comforting being in the lodge. Often people may experience emotions, but this is the place to let them go. The sweat lodge can also get uncomfortable and there is a teaching behind this, and I often relate it to you being in treatment working on yourselves. At times in treatment the work you do becomes uncomfortable and that is how it is in the sweat, it is not designed to be comfortable but very rewarding afterwards. You may feel drained, rejuvenated, and reborn similar to the time of birth after the sweat is done. So, give yourself grace, shower later and come for debrief in the hope room at 6 p.m.