sweat lodge

“I started attending ceremonies — inípi ceremony, which is the sweat lodge. That’s kind of how I was introduced more to the spiritual side of my culture.”

People in treatment at the Vashon Island center will start their mornings with a sunrise ceremony, and have access to a sweat lodge, drum circles and language classes.

During our interview, he chokes up remembering Shorty Stone, one of his closest friends, who as a member of the Paiute tribe introduced Searles to the healing and clarity he found in the sweat lodge.

The sweat lodge where the healing ritual occurs also features a bison head hanging from its roughly 50-foot-tall cottonwood center pole, which the tribe believes is a conduit for their creator’s spiritual power.

The multiday sacred ritual involves dancing, fasting and praying, often within a sweat lodge made from natural materials.