"LaTreice is better than coffee."
Jennifer Johnson, Taking Nature Black Conference 2023
Why the RAW Method?
I have been living with chronic pain and manic depression for most of my adult life. I first began experiencing pain as a child, and as I looked back, the only time that I was not plagued by my pain was while in the brief bursts of my giving to others.
In 2014, I lost my career as a collegiate professor after a panic attack on the job. I was overworking, not caring for myself and trying to maintain my professional and personal life while on 4 psych medications prescribed by my doctor, for bipolar disorder. I later learned that I was suffering from what I call, "The Exhaustion Complex," which was fueled by my pride in overworking to achieve my goals.
After 4 years of trying to manage bipolar depression and a life-altering spine injury, with the help of my doctors and therapists, I was still unhappy and my depression was worsening.In 2018, I called my parents, and I told them thaT I was flushing all of my psych meds. I'd forgotten who I was before the medication and was determined to regain my mental clarity, zeal for life and overall well-being. I made a goal "to become well in a sick body". Managing chronic pain and mental illness through an intense and adventurous wellness practice took the loving support of my family, hard work, discipline and a loving commitment to myself; and the results of this radical practice are most fulfilling.
My mission is curate spaces where individuals are welcomed to experience radical wellness, by reconnecting with their inner drum - the heart, by redirecting their pain receptors through touch, by exploring new challenges that invite us to re-imagine and diversify our personal wellness strategies.
"Empower your 'no' and liberate your 'yes'." - LaTreice V. Branson
Wellness is an extension of our self-care practice. Caring for the self is a reflection of our self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-love. The RAW Method welcomes participants to re-imagine wellness through nature-informed performances, lectures, guided conversations, leadership trainings, collaborative music-making and adventures in nature.
With a focus on the rested life, encouraging physical endurance and spiritual renewal, rest is not achieved in sleep state alone, but in the amplitude, trough and crest of the awakened soul. There is a flow to the rested life, and as we remain alert to both spiritual and natural frequencies, we are able to allow wisdom to guide and preserve our energy.
Becoming well is challenging, and it not always comfortable. There is no immediate gratification in this method, but the long-term benefits are sustaining. What we must do to sustain a state of well-being will require adventure; we must be willing to reach outside of our comfort zone and explore new strategies to strengthen the mind, body and spirit through preparedness,patience,adaptation, perseverance, and rest.