Author: Myron Eshowsky, MS

Myron Eshowsky, M.S. is co-coordinator of Common Bond Institute's Social Health Care Program for Syrian Refugees and on its core training faculty. For over 40 years, he has pioneered the integration of indigenous healing models to address mental health issues of modern life. Recently he learned that his practice is now called Two Eyed Seeing (term coined by Mi'kmaw Elder Albert Marshall. the integration of indigenous viewpoints with traditional western psychology. A life long community activist, Myron developed his first NGO at age 19 to address abuses of migrant workers in Indiana. Working and living with migrant families, he helped shape legislation passed in his home state of Indiana which protected wages of the workers and assured healthy living environments for the workers and their families. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, he put together a restorative circle based approach for working with the chronically mentally ill in Madison,Wisconsin. Serving about 150 people, the program taught supportive listening skills to its members, opened a 24/7 telephone support line, and taught peer facilitators how to do case management. This innovative program facilitated local patient rights efforts at that time and led to consumers being added to the local community mental health center board. He presented at two National Institute of Mental Health national conferences on the approaches developed and was an invited keynote speaker. Integrating shamanic healing practices with therapy, he ran healing/talk circles with youth gangs and youth at risk for several years. Additionally, a similar project was run in Wisconsin and Michigan state prisons. Through the years, he has worked with these populations, AIDS orphans/child soldiers in Africa, various communities in conflict, opiate addiction, and health/trauma issues. As co-developer of the Social Health Care Program for Syrian Refugees, he wrote a training manual in group work based in restorative circles model that is used in all trainings offered and used in support groups for the refugee community. He is the author of numerous journal articles,books, and book chapters on topics of integrating indigenous healing approaches to modern life. Currently , he is developing Two Eye Seeing Approaches for addressing transgenerational, communal, and historical trauma. Additionally, Myron has taught peacemaking and healing approaches based in cross cultural healing models throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. -- Email: meshowsky49@gmail.com / Web: www.myroneshowsky.com