This week, on The Conscious Consultant Hour, Sam welcomes doctor, speaker and author, Dr. Erica Elliott, M.D.
Dr. Elliott is a medical doctor with a private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She served as a teacher for Indigenous children on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and in the mountains of Ecuador.
In 1993, Dr. Elliott helped found The Commons, a cohousing community in Santa Fe where she raised her son and continues to live. She gave a TEDx talk about living in cohousing. Referred to affectionately as “the Health Detective,” she treats mysterious and difficult-to-diagnose illnesses at her clinic within The Commons. Erica is a frequent radio guest and has given workshops at various venues, including Esalen and Omega Institute.
Dr. Elliott has released her first book, Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert, which recounts the early years of her extraordinary life living among the Navajo people. As a young woman in the early 1970s, Erica arrives at a Navajo boarding school to teach and then becomes a student herself of mystical, earth-centered wisdom that has been lost to most in today’s modern world. As Erica reaches across a wide cultural divide to learn the Navajo language, the people begin to trust her and invite her into their homes, their ceremonies, and into their hearts.
Years later, Erica returns to serve the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an underserved clinic, performing emergency procedures and delivering babies. When a medicine man offers to thank her with a ceremony, more miracles unfold.
Sam and Dr. Elliott will discuss all her experiences with the Navajo and what we can all learn from them.
Tune in for this enlightening conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.
Sam starts this high-energy show with a message from his book Everyday Awakening. Sam speaks about how powerful you can be and the importance of speaking up for yourself. Dr. Elliott agrees with the importance of this message. Dr. Elliot proceeds to speak about her background as she grew up worldwide, which taught her to see life in other people's eyes.
Dr. Elliot, speaking with enthusiasm, tells the story of how she got close with her Navajo students, as well as learning Navajo. Dr. Elliot did so well as a teacher, members of Washington DC said Dr. Elliot should be the model for bilingual teaching.
Dr. Elliot proceeds with her remarkable story of teaching, where she got her students win a regional speaking competition. Dr. Elliot tells the power of love and why she left teaching and went on a 13 year journey away from Navajo.
Dr. Elliot lastly talks about multiple experiences that changed her. Dr. Elliot also talks about the importance of kinship in the Navajo culture. Finishing up this great episode with miracles she saw in her life because of the Navajo Culture.
00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:36.990 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Good afternoon, my conscious co creators, welcome to another edition of the conscious consultant our awakening humanity.
00:00:37.290 --> 00:00:51.180 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: I am very, very pleased that you're all here with me today i've got a wonderful guest in store for you today, another amazing author talking about her experiences in her life, I think you're really going to like this one.
00:00:52.290 --> 00:01:04.440 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: This, so I hope you're all doing well it'll be at a chance to catch last week's show about reese entering seth all about the Jane Roberts and Jonathan friedman's experience.
00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:12.270 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Working with Jane Roberts but let's kick the show off of course we'll get started with our section from my own book.
00:01:12.570 --> 00:01:21.090 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Everyday awakening which, of course, if you haven't gotten it, yet you can get it at everyday awakening book calm and this section is entitled.
00:01:21.750 --> 00:01:34.170 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: If we take responsibility for our part, we can change our life there is one magical key for changing our life one ingredient that we have to include to involve.
00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:44.250 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: It is not about a secret practice or ritual, it is simply this we have to take responsibility for our part in life.
00:01:44.730 --> 00:02:00.300 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: We have to take responsibility for how we show up in the world, we have to take responsibility for our side of the relationship, this does not mean we have to take responsibility for anyone else's part only our own part.
00:02:01.410 --> 00:02:07.500 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Others have to take responsibility for their part, and that is their work, not ours.
00:02:08.640 --> 00:02:20.400 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Our work is to truly take responsibilities, so we are empowered to change, for it is only when we truly take responsibility that we recognize our own power.
00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:29.880 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: That we see how we are a creator that we know we have contributed to everything in our lives.
00:02:31.020 --> 00:02:40.920 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: We are not responsible for what happens to us, we are responsible for how we react to it for the meaning, we make from it.
00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.640 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And for the next choice we make.
00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:53.250 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: We cannot change the past, yet we can change the present moment by making a different choice.
00:02:55.800 --> 00:03:05.460 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: By owning our own participation by accepting that we can be different, we can change we can choose a different path.
00:03:07.320 --> 00:03:24.330 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And then we can move forward consciously with intention and awareness how others decide to respond to us is their business, ours is to own our part and move forward with intention that's how we change our life.
00:03:25.530 --> 00:03:35.220 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Is there somewhere in your life, you want to take responsibility for how you reacted can you shift your reaction to one that is more conscious more aware.
00:03:36.570 --> 00:03:45.030 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So this section of my book, I wrote a while ago and I kind of wrote it, and this is, this is something that i've talked about.
00:03:45.810 --> 00:03:56.610 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: For many years, especially with a lot of my coaching clients about learning to take responsibility for what's happened in our lives because it's very, very easy to.
00:03:57.810 --> 00:04:09.240 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: allow ourselves to be victims to what happened to us in our lives we feel like this person wronged us and because of society because of this group because of what this person did, and what that person did.
00:04:11.010 --> 00:04:11.490 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: and
00:04:13.110 --> 00:04:20.430 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: There was always something about blaming other people or blaming the circumstances that just never sat right with me.
00:04:21.570 --> 00:04:25.500 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And, and it, it took me a while to kind of come to this idea that.
00:04:27.510 --> 00:04:33.840 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: it's not about what other people it's not about the circumstance it's not about what other people do.
00:04:34.830 --> 00:04:50.130 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: it's really about how we decide to show up and how we respond to it, and there have been so many great figures in society who embody this I mean Nelson Mandela, I think, is one of the biggest examples Gandhi.
00:04:51.360 --> 00:05:07.860 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: You know Christ, and then they're just so many people who have suffered tremendously, yet they didn't let the suffering make them better they didn't allow what somebody else did it change who they were deep inside.
00:05:09.210 --> 00:05:20.130 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And what I find is is that, especially when i'm working with people in coaching people that when they start to take responsibility for their part of the relationship when they start to see that you know.
00:05:20.820 --> 00:05:27.300 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: If there's something in the relationship, whether it's an intimate relationship a business relationship a friendship.
00:05:28.140 --> 00:05:36.930 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: That if we pull it up with somebody else acting badly well them acting badly is about them, but us putting up with it it's about us.
00:05:37.350 --> 00:05:45.480 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: US accepting and and not doing anything about it us, you know not changing our own circumstances not doing what we can do.
00:05:46.230 --> 00:05:54.960 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: that's on us now look i'm not saying like if you're in an abusive relationship that you should take responsibility for being abused Absolutely not.
00:05:55.620 --> 00:06:04.170 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: That is not what i'm saying at all, what I am saying is, though, if you have a relationship at.
00:06:04.650 --> 00:06:16.560 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Work with a Co worker let's say and the co worker is constantly saying things that make you feel uncomfortable but you never say anything to them you never talk to your boss about it, you never talk to HR about it.
00:06:16.860 --> 00:06:21.900 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Well then, you're just accepting it and putting up with it you're not doing anything about it.
00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:32.580 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: You can say to the first of all to that coworker go directly to the source hey you know, when you say that it really makes me uncomfortable, but when you do this it's it really doesn't make me feel good.
00:06:34.140 --> 00:06:50.100 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Then we're taking responsibility for our half of the relationship now Look how they respond and how they react to what you say, when you talk about what makes you feel uncomfortable what doesn't feel right by you how they react to that that's all about them that's not about you.
00:06:52.290 --> 00:07:09.510 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: But how we decide to either put up with the situation or not put up with the situation is about us and i'm talking in very general terms here, but ultimately, and maybe we just need to start with the little things in life.
00:07:11.490 --> 00:07:18.810 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: How we choose to show up how we choose to take responsibility, even for the little things in life.
00:07:20.220 --> 00:07:28.770 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: that's how much we're owning our power that's how much we're deciding that we're a creator in our life, not a victim in our life.
00:07:30.660 --> 00:07:48.300 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And again it's not about what happens to us it's not about what other people do it's about us choosing to stand in our authenticity in our in our personal power in our integrity.
00:07:49.650 --> 00:07:50.880 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: and saying you know what.
00:07:52.200 --> 00:07:59.850 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: I don't like this situation, the way it is right now and i'm going to change it, I can't change anybody else, but I can change myself.
00:08:01.200 --> 00:08:04.590 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And that to me, is one of the essentials.
00:08:05.670 --> 00:08:23.790 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: In my book, everyday awakening I mean, I cannot stress enough how important this concept is of taking responsibility for our life because we do create our life through all of our choices and decisions through our energy and how we show up how we treat others.
00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:30.090 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: I have how we how others treat us is about them how we treat others is about us.
00:08:31.950 --> 00:08:40.440 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So I I hope you you you take from this what my intention was behind this.
00:08:41.910 --> 00:08:56.010 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: That we are powerful beings that we have so much control over our lives, much more so than we ever give ourselves credit for, and that we really.
00:08:56.940 --> 00:09:08.640 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: do make the difference in our own life, so how about for this week, you know until next week's show just examine do a little self examination this week play a game with yourself.
00:09:10.140 --> 00:09:19.050 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Do you can you catch yourself when you're taking responsibility or not taking responsibility for something not taking responsibility for the good stuff that's easy we got that one down.
00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:31.410 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: not always but sometimes it's a little bit of work but taking responsibly, for the good stuff is easier taking responsibility for the bad stuff taking responsibility for our half of the relationship not always so easy so.
00:09:32.220 --> 00:09:36.060 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: let's see if we can be a little more conscious about that in our life.
00:09:37.350 --> 00:09:50.550 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So again, that section is from my book, everyday awakening, which of course you can get at www dot everyday awakening book.com alright, and so let's get to it.
00:09:51.180 --> 00:10:01.590 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Oh, I see loyal listeners tonight is already checked in saying I so needed this reminder today, I think we all need this reminder as often as it comes to us.
00:10:02.610 --> 00:10:12.120 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Because it is something that we all need so anyway, let let let me not dilly dally i'm very, very excited to welcome to the show.
00:10:13.140 --> 00:10:31.260 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: author speaker and Dr Erica Elliot md Dr Elliot is a medical doctor with a private practice in Santa fe new Mexico she served as a teacher for indigenous children on a Navajo reservation in Arizona, and in the mountains of Ecuador in 93.
00:10:32.190 --> 00:10:44.220 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Dr Elliot help found the commons a Co housing community in Santa fe where she raised her son and continues to live she gave a tedx talk about living in cohousing which I love the idea of go arising.
00:10:44.520 --> 00:10:51.180 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: referred to affectionately as the health detective she treats mysterious and difficult to diagnose illicit illnesses.
00:10:51.510 --> 00:11:01.470 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: at her clinic within the comments Erica is a frequent radio guest and has worked has given workshops at various venues, including excellent and omega Institute.
00:11:02.010 --> 00:11:14.250 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Dr Elliot has released her first book medicine and miracles in the high desert that recounts the early years of her extraordinary life living among the Navajo people.
00:11:14.610 --> 00:11:27.660 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: As a young woman in the early 70s Erica arrives at a Navajo boarding school to teach and then becomes a student herself of the mystical earth centered wisdom that has been lost most in today's modern society.
00:11:28.050 --> 00:11:41.340 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: As Erica reaches across a wide cultural divide to learn the Navajo language that people begin to trust turn inviter into their homes, their ceremonies and into their hearts, welcome to the conscious consultant now Erica it's my pleasure.
00:11:41.550 --> 00:11:53.850 Dr. Erica Elliott: Thank you, Sam I just want to say before we launch it that your talk was very relevant to my life and it's taking responsibility for oneself.
00:11:54.600 --> 00:12:11.340 Dr. Erica Elliott: is one of the keys to being happy fulfilled person and allowed me to find my authentic self and lead an authentic life because I stopped blaming my childhood and the way I was treated and.
00:12:12.450 --> 00:12:15.390 Dr. Erica Elliott: All these obstacles, I had to face and.
00:12:16.830 --> 00:12:30.030 Dr. Erica Elliott: And and reclaim my own responsibility, it was incredibly liberating to me and so many people say how did you do all these things well it's because.
00:12:30.420 --> 00:12:41.880 Dr. Erica Elliott: of one of the reasons, because what you're talking about it was so liberating for me to take responsibility for my life and be who I really am.
00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:44.460 Dr. Erica Elliott: Wonderful Thank you.
00:12:44.490 --> 00:13:00.630 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Wonderful you're welcome you know it's kind of funny because i'm just reading these little sections of my book, in order, I think this is like number 52 and but somehow they're always so appropriate for the particular discussion and the guest I have that day.
00:13:02.550 --> 00:13:10.110 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So we just have a couple of minutes before we go to break, so I just would love we'll just start off and then, when we come back we'll we'll we'll.
00:13:10.470 --> 00:13:26.580 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: continue on but maybe if you can give our audience like a little bit of a background about how you you started in life, how you came to be a teacher and and Navajo community and why you became a doctor.
00:13:27.780 --> 00:13:29.790 Dr. Erica Elliott: That there's a lot to talk about.
00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:31.230 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Just a little piece of.
00:13:31.860 --> 00:13:50.730 Dr. Erica Elliott: A little piece, because I didn't have a normal upbringing, I was raised around the world, because of my father's work my mother Swiss, so I I come from a whole lineage of Swiss doctors and i'm and I spoke many languages, already in just high school.
00:13:51.030 --> 00:13:52.590 Dr. Erica Elliott: I graduated from high school and.
00:13:52.680 --> 00:14:05.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: In Germany, and I, I went to start a school in England, so I had a British accent one time which I had to get rid of really quickly we moved to Texas and talk like Bam or else I get bullied as a second.
00:14:07.020 --> 00:14:22.860 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I my whole life was like learning how to fit in and learning how to adapt to new cultures speak new languages and step into the other person's shoes and see life through their eyes, so I was already skilled at that as a very small child.
00:14:23.370 --> 00:14:24.660 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so that's.
00:14:24.690 --> 00:14:34.290 Dr. Erica Elliott: Probably why I could learn Navajo is because, even though it's the most difficult language in the world, and it was the only code and World War Two that was never broken because.
00:14:34.710 --> 00:14:45.960 Dr. Erica Elliott: It wasn't even a code, it was just their language and so impossibly hard, but that gave me a little bit of an edge to try and learn this incredibly impossible language.
00:14:46.740 --> 00:15:00.090 Dr. Erica Elliott: And that made all the difference in bridging the cultural divide, so I already been used to facing different cultures and but I always since the time I was a girl had an attraction.
00:15:01.140 --> 00:15:06.840 Dr. Erica Elliott: To Native Americans and probably because I was so nature connected as a girl.
00:15:07.350 --> 00:15:22.470 Dr. Erica Elliott: And nature was so important to me and it seemed like Native Americans at that era when I was still young had not lost that connection, and every they were related in their minds to everything around them.
00:15:22.800 --> 00:15:23.580 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so.
00:15:23.640 --> 00:15:42.330 Dr. Erica Elliott: When I graduated from college, with a degree in education and teaching certificate I looked through the trade journals and they all look so boring that positions that were opened I just thought oh brother, maybe I chose the wrong career path, I was you know 21 and.
00:15:43.410 --> 00:15:57.570 Dr. Erica Elliott: Then I saw one opening that my inner compass says Yes, this is the one, and it was a for a fourth grade teacher in a remote area in the southwest and i've never.
00:15:57.780 --> 00:16:13.890 Dr. Erica Elliott: been out to Southwest and it was a Bureau of Indian affairs boarding school and everybody asked me why do you want to do a thing like that and boarding schools Native Americans don't have a very bad reputation for treating the children very badly.
00:16:14.460 --> 00:16:14.940 and
00:16:16.170 --> 00:16:24.180 Dr. Erica Elliott: And it's in the middle of nowhere Why exactly do you want to do that, and I could not tell them what all I could say, is, I have an inner knowing.
00:16:24.540 --> 00:16:39.000 Dr. Erica Elliott: That this is the right thing to do, even though I cannot explain it and that's the story of my life has been guided by an inner compass, and the few times, where I didn't follow my inner compass were disastrous.
00:16:41.250 --> 00:16:50.790 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Yes, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about okay let's hold it there there's a little piece of that story that you didn't say yeah which I want to get to when we come back.
00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:59.130 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: But but let's hold that when we come back we'll talk about you starting off as a teacher and then.
00:17:00.150 --> 00:17:09.300 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: How you became a doctor and then kind of how it all, how your life all came around and how you documented in this wonderful wonderful book.
00:17:09.780 --> 00:17:16.560 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: medicine and miracles in the high desert so everybody, please stay tuned you're listening to the conscious consultant our awakening humanity.
00:17:16.770 --> 00:17:30.690 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: We do this every Thursday 12 noon to 1pm Eastern right here on talk radio dot nyc and you can find our video all over Facebook on Facebook live, and we will be right back with Dr Erica Elliot after these messages.
00:19:48.180 --> 00:20:01.200 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Welcome back to the conscious consultant our awakening humanity we're speaking this hour with Dr Erica Elliot about her new book medicine and miracles in the high desert now when you.
00:20:02.310 --> 00:20:05.970 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: decided to apply for that position as a teacher and this.
00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:12.450 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Indian bureau affairs you didn't get a response right away, did you.
00:20:13.020 --> 00:20:26.460 Dr. Erica Elliott: know, and so I thought Oh, they found somebody, and so I decided to take a year off give myself that gift and I spent a year traveling around visiting my relatives in Switzerland and stuff.
00:20:26.970 --> 00:20:36.780 Dr. Erica Elliott: And after a year I visited my sister in California and on her table was a letter from the Bureau of Indian affairs and Washington DC.
00:20:37.290 --> 00:20:48.300 Dr. Erica Elliott: And it had gone all around the world, trying to catch up with me being forwarded and it said we want, we want you come right away, and this was a year ago.
00:20:49.530 --> 00:21:01.080 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I told my sister I was gonna call them up and and she said well you know i'm sure they have somebody by now, and if they don't that that doesn't bode well for that place.
00:21:01.410 --> 00:21:13.500 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I called up and they said we haven't found anybody, we want you right now and in the school year at already begun, and so I borrowed some money from my sister and.
00:21:14.550 --> 00:21:27.960 Dr. Erica Elliott: bought this rickety old van and use some of her clothes, because I was just having backpacking clothes and went out there and at first, I thought my God i've made a terrible mistake.
00:21:28.350 --> 00:21:31.560 Dr. Erica Elliott: It my untrained eyes, the place look ugly.
00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:39.990 Dr. Erica Elliott: It was just very shades of brown I came to actually think it was the most beautiful place in the whole world, because of Canyon to shea nearby.
00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:53.100 Dr. Erica Elliott: And, and the ramshackle buildings one road through town dirt one grocery store one gas station and the boarding school building was very dilapidated their playground was just a.
00:21:54.330 --> 00:21:57.930 Dr. Erica Elliott: lot of dirt that was just dirt everything was dirt.
00:21:59.340 --> 00:22:01.080 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so the the.
00:22:02.250 --> 00:22:07.710 Dr. Erica Elliott: The principal at first look really dubious at me thought he said, are you a hippie.
00:22:09.630 --> 00:22:14.220 Dr. Erica Elliott: No i'm not a hippie i'm just unconventional and.
00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:25.200 Dr. Erica Elliott: He said, well, we don't take kindly to hippies in this part I said I assure you, I am not that I might look like one, because these are bar clothes, as soon as I get a paycheck.
00:22:25.800 --> 00:22:40.620 Dr. Erica Elliott: i'll dress like all of you and, and so we ended up becoming best friends, he was a black man from the South, and he really was sympathetic with my way of practice of teaching because I broke all the rules.
00:22:41.010 --> 00:22:59.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: The stupid Dick and Jane books were irrelevant to the Navajo students, so we made our own curriculum and he let me get away with it, and in the end, he reported what I was doing to Washington DC and because they they said that I should be a model of the pilot program for.
00:22:59.910 --> 00:23:17.940 Dr. Erica Elliott: bilingual bicultural education, and so I was interviewed by the BBC by French team who came and filmed our classroom but anyway in the beginning it was horrible I couldn't relate to the students, they didn't look at me and so.
00:23:18.600 --> 00:23:26.220 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: i'm just curious because you were saying how difficult the Navajo language is to learn how many languages, did you speak before you get there.
00:23:26.790 --> 00:23:34.770 Dr. Erica Elliott: I spoke French, English and Spanish, Italian and German.
00:23:35.490 --> 00:23:36.720 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: wow five languages that's.
00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:41.970 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: amazing I am always so so jealous of people who speak so many different languages, I mean I speak.
00:23:42.330 --> 00:23:47.790 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: You know I know a little bit of Hebrew I learned Hebrew as a kid but I forgotten, most of it but.
00:23:48.030 --> 00:23:56.550 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: I always try and learn just one or two language one or two words in any language of where i'm going whether it's Spanish or French or German just to be able to be polite.
00:23:57.450 --> 00:24:08.280 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: But but it's the language to me is like one of those skills that, like my sister has it she translates from different languages and Israel but but but but it's it's really tough um.
00:24:08.850 --> 00:24:17.580 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: What happened when you started to learn the Navajo language that change your relationship at all to the dramatically.
00:24:17.610 --> 00:24:28.560 Dr. Erica Elliott: So anyway, I after a week I got nowhere I didn't know how to teach these kids and the white teachers were said very main things about the children that they could learn and and.
00:24:28.980 --> 00:24:34.440 Dr. Erica Elliott: That they hated being there and they're just waiting to retire get their government pension.
00:24:34.860 --> 00:24:46.350 Dr. Erica Elliott: I mean, it was also grim, and so I told my father, I really made a mistake, I didn't want to be there, I couldn't reach the students that couldn't make any contact, I was just it was just so frustrating.
00:24:46.860 --> 00:24:58.050 Dr. Erica Elliott: And he said, you cannot judge a person, a place their land, their culture, traditions in a week, so you got to hang in there some time how about hanging in there three months, and then.
00:24:58.560 --> 00:25:09.480 Dr. Erica Elliott: If you still feel that way, then you come home and look for a job back East I said okay well that very next day Donna Scott, the teacher aide who's Navajo.
00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:22.020 Dr. Erica Elliott: whose father was very famous RC gorman, who is the code talker and she had lived on military bases around the country so she was not only a traditional Navajo.
00:25:22.620 --> 00:25:31.050 Dr. Erica Elliott: And and immersed in all her culture, but she was also immersed in white culture so she spoke spoke English fluently.
00:25:31.350 --> 00:25:43.290 Dr. Erica Elliott: And she said to me, normally navajos at that era 50 years ago were very shy and deferential but she stepped forward and said I see how hard you're trying you're very different from the other white teachers.
00:25:43.620 --> 00:25:46.890 Dr. Erica Elliott: You really want to make contact and I can help you.
00:25:47.310 --> 00:25:54.120 Dr. Erica Elliott: So she invited me home and over dinner she started telling me about Navajo culture, she explained why the kids wouldn't look.
00:25:54.360 --> 00:26:02.130 Dr. Erica Elliott: at me and talk to me it's because number one they were so shy they weren't used to white people they came from very remote areas.
00:26:02.490 --> 00:26:13.320 Dr. Erica Elliott: Number two they were being respectful it's considered extremely rude and traditional naveh culture to look somebody right in the eye that you don't know it's aggressive and.
00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:21.600 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so, and number three they didn't talk to me because, believe it or not, they reached fourth grade and they could barely speak English.
00:26:22.170 --> 00:26:23.490 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so, she said.
00:26:24.030 --> 00:26:28.110 Dr. Erica Elliott: She said, if I teach you a few words of Navajo.
00:26:29.010 --> 00:26:40.740 Dr. Erica Elliott: Then it will make a huge difference because the children will see you really want to be their friend, you want to connect with them, you are interested in them you're not bored with them like the white teachers.
00:26:41.250 --> 00:26:50.940 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so, she taught me say good morning my children, my name is Erica Elliot what's your name and where do you come from, so the next morning.
00:26:51.210 --> 00:26:54.000 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: I just out of curiosity, how do you say good morning.
00:26:54.060 --> 00:26:55.410 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Just that just good morning.
00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:57.780 Dr. Erica Elliott: Yet it yet been.
00:26:58.320 --> 00:26:58.650 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: yeah.
00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:10.530 Dr. Erica Elliott: It means good Hello opinion means morning, yet in it, so I walked it I practice all night making these bizarre clicking glottal sounds that don't exist in English at all.
00:27:10.950 --> 00:27:30.930 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I went in there and just sort of said a prayer that I would say it right, so I said yes and show chinon shit Erica Elliot you misha misha fashion, yes, and then or not, and everybody looked up for the very first time we made eye contact.
00:27:32.340 --> 00:27:40.740 Dr. Erica Elliott: And met a girl put her hand over her mouth and giggle and the whole room burst out laughing and that was the beginning.
00:27:41.850 --> 00:27:42.780 Dr. Erica Elliott: Of a love affair.
00:27:42.810 --> 00:27:44.640 Dr. Erica Elliott: between me and the students.
00:27:44.850 --> 00:28:03.240 Dr. Erica Elliott: And after that the borders boy in the class believe the guy who spoke, the most English came up to my desk and he couldn't say Elliot that was too hard, so he said into staccato Navajo said take me home as a word.
00:28:04.380 --> 00:28:13.110 Dr. Erica Elliott: He I looked at Donna Scott and what does he mean and she said he wants you to check him out of the boarding school, I sent him.
00:28:14.310 --> 00:28:25.590 Dr. Erica Elliott: and take him home, I said what am I mean on the weekend and she said yes, I said, am I allowed to do that she said yes, but nobody does it, you have to fill out a lot of paperwork.
00:28:26.190 --> 00:28:29.640 Dr. Erica Elliott: So that became the beginning of a tradition, so I took him on the.
00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:39.540 Dr. Erica Elliott: weekend to his home deep into the most beautiful mysterious magical place i've ever been to in my life Canyon to shea.
00:28:40.080 --> 00:28:46.920 Dr. Erica Elliott: And and his home was a hook on very traditional like as though it was 100 years ago or.
00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:48.330 Dr. Erica Elliott: 150 years ago.
00:28:48.840 --> 00:29:04.500 Dr. Erica Elliott: And we rode horses together bear back with his brothers they treated me with such kindness I couldn't understand a word, they said, but they were making jokes, and so I would laugh, they would laugh, we would laugh hysterically and we had no idea what we're saying.
00:29:05.820 --> 00:29:11.100 Dr. Erica Elliott: there's so much goodwill and when I came back after the weekend was over, I spend the night there.
00:29:11.730 --> 00:29:17.280 Dr. Erica Elliott: The whole school knew about it, and so this is the beginning of how I formed my own curriculum.
00:29:17.730 --> 00:29:29.130 Dr. Erica Elliott: I said to the children Okay, I want they're all good artists, I want you to draw a picture on these paper with a color pencils and underneath it, I want you to write two sentences and.
00:29:29.550 --> 00:29:47.580 Dr. Erica Elliott: Some of them didn't know what the word sentence was, but I just tried try it out, and so one of the boys that was beautiful drawing of the Canyon with a horse racing across the Canyon with this white woman bear back clean for dear life on the main.
00:29:47.610 --> 00:29:56.820 Dr. Erica Elliott: With her ponytail just straight out and under the picture, he said, my teacher to EC H ir.
00:29:57.180 --> 00:30:07.800 Dr. Erica Elliott: And, and this was how we develop our curriculum and guess what happened, Sam it because there was so much love between us, they saw how much I cared.
00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:12.090 Dr. Erica Elliott: They weren't used to being cared about like this by white people.
00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:29.400 Dr. Erica Elliott: So, and I learned more and more and more Navajo and the more Navajo I learned, the more they opened up to me and started inviting me to their ceremonies and everything but i'm going to tell you something seemingly miraculous that happened Okay, so we go from them.
00:30:29.580 --> 00:30:31.350 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: I tell you what why don't you hold it there.
00:30:31.530 --> 00:30:33.300 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Okay, because we got to take another break.
00:30:33.360 --> 00:30:37.080 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Okay, and so, when we come back then, then tell us about this this.
00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:46.470 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: ceremony, or whatever the story you're going to tell us, I also want to mention to you that patty one of my loyal listeners says, thank you for not giving up on the children.
00:30:47.910 --> 00:30:53.130 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So I know it's it's when faced with a situation like that it can be very difficult.
00:30:53.430 --> 00:30:58.860 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: to know whether you're doing the right thing or not how to get through to them, but once you get through to them once you find that.
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:13.890 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: That little in it makes all the difference in the world, so wonderful Erica so everybody, please stay tuned you're listening to the conscious consultant our awakening humanity we're speaking this hour with Dr Erica Elliot and we will be right back after these messages.
00:33:21.060 --> 00:33:30.300 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: and welcome back to the conscious consultant our awakening humanity so Erica you about to relate to us a little story about your experience with the children.
00:33:30.660 --> 00:33:36.750 Dr. Erica Elliott: So Okay, so what happened was I it's miraculous.
00:33:37.980 --> 00:33:51.330 Dr. Erica Elliott: Is that they went from barely speaking English, a few words to by the end of the school year there was a regional speech contest for the whole region.
00:33:52.140 --> 00:33:54.450 Dr. Erica Elliott: And I entered three students.
00:33:54.750 --> 00:33:55.620 Dr. Erica Elliott: And they one.
00:33:55.950 --> 00:33:57.300 Day wow.
00:33:58.530 --> 00:34:11.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: And, and so I kept the newspaper clipping up the three people in their traditional outfits and everything in the story, because I thought this is hard to believe, I have to prove it, because.
00:34:12.210 --> 00:34:13.980 Dr. Erica Elliott: No one would believe it and the.
00:34:14.100 --> 00:34:20.640 Dr. Erica Elliott: Key is here's the key, how can they possibly do that it was love they knew.
00:34:20.730 --> 00:34:29.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: How much I love them and they wanted desperately for me to know about their life, and so they learned English so fast, so they could.
00:34:29.910 --> 00:34:41.100 Dr. Erica Elliott: Like stories and and give them to me as a gift about their life, it was so amazing what love and caring for them.
00:34:41.430 --> 00:34:43.740 Dr. Erica Elliott: could do it created a miracle.
00:34:44.430 --> 00:34:46.320 Dr. Erica Elliott: yeah anyway so.
00:34:47.460 --> 00:34:55.530 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: How long did you stay, I just want to move us along because you have so many amazing interesting experiences, I want to try and get to some of the really juicy ones.
00:34:55.740 --> 00:34:59.220 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: But how long did you stay as a teacher and the rest, and that was.
00:34:59.430 --> 00:35:08.280 Dr. Erica Elliott: Two years and then I wanted to really do a deep dive into learn fluent Navajo and live like people did.
00:35:09.180 --> 00:35:26.490 Dr. Erica Elliott: Before the white man came so there was a family, it was it was actually the grandparents of my Navajo boyfriend and they live in the middle of nowhere, and so I asked if I could be their sheep herder they had 594 sheep and goats.
00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:27.240 Dr. Erica Elliott: and
00:35:27.270 --> 00:35:33.150 Dr. Erica Elliott: They had a son, who never went to school because he was now you'd say cognitive late delay.
00:35:33.180 --> 00:35:34.530 Dr. Erica Elliott: used to say hornet.
00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:37.950 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I asked if I could have his job.
00:35:39.960 --> 00:35:43.920 Dr. Erica Elliott: They thought I was crazy because a white woman.
00:35:43.980 --> 00:36:02.400 Dr. Erica Elliott: schoolteacher coming and hurting sheet for three months, and so I did that and I learned how to butcher sheep, which was a really hard thing for me to come, but they do it in such spirituality they put the corn pollen on the sheep's forehead and say a prayer.
00:36:02.520 --> 00:36:15.570 Dr. Erica Elliott: very, very spiritually oriented asking brother sheep to give us life so that people can go on living I learned how to share sheet castrate I learned how to cart the world spin.
00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:17.280 Dr. Erica Elliott: die, the wall i'd already.
00:36:17.310 --> 00:36:24.390 Dr. Erica Elliott: they'd already taught me how do we so I wove Navajo rugs on a stand up loom attached to a tree.
00:36:25.260 --> 00:36:41.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: And, and then, after that, I decided that I wanted to learn more about other native people and that's when I went into the peace corps and work high in the Andes but separating from the navajos was a very painful.
00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:44.370 Dr. Erica Elliott: heartbreaking experience.
00:36:44.760 --> 00:36:53.790 Dr. Erica Elliott: That I I did, but I knew I had to do it because, if I didn't do it i'd be there, the rest of my life being married to my boyfriend having six children.
00:36:54.030 --> 00:36:57.000 Dr. Erica Elliott: And I knew, since I was a little girl I had.
00:36:58.110 --> 00:37:07.350 Dr. Erica Elliott: A purpose and I knew I hadn't found it yet, even though this was one of the most rewarding thing I could ever imagine in my life and.
00:37:08.580 --> 00:37:11.340 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: i'm curious so when you went to the Andes you went to Ecuador right.
00:37:11.430 --> 00:37:11.940 Dr. Erica Elliott: Yes.
00:37:12.210 --> 00:37:27.600 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So i've actually been tagged where do I love that have been to Quito and banjos and the Galapagos Islands, when you went there, and you learned about sort of the indigenous cultures in the Andes did you find any similarities with the Navajo people.
00:37:27.930 --> 00:37:29.700 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Not none.
00:37:30.630 --> 00:37:35.010 Dr. Erica Elliott: Except that they were land face, and they were very connected to nature.
00:37:35.250 --> 00:37:35.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: that's that's.
00:37:35.970 --> 00:37:36.600 Dr. Erica Elliott: that's where.
00:37:37.860 --> 00:37:39.120 Dr. Erica Elliott: that's where it ended.
00:37:39.540 --> 00:37:47.340 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So, so when with all this experience what made you decide to become a doctor, it was it just that genetic DNA in your DNA.
00:37:47.340 --> 00:37:55.680 Dr. Erica Elliott: Was genetic but I didn't honor that because I didn't want to do something, just because it's in my genes, I want to find my purpose not.
00:37:55.710 --> 00:37:56.730 Dr. Erica Elliott: my ancestors.
00:37:56.730 --> 00:38:09.240 Dr. Erica Elliott: purpose, I want to find my purpose, and I also had a miss huge misconception about what it took to be a doctor, because my only role model.
00:38:09.900 --> 00:38:17.010 Dr. Erica Elliott: which I talked about all this and memoir to which i'm just finishing up and about my search for purpose and.
00:38:17.520 --> 00:38:37.230 Dr. Erica Elliott: My uncle erickson Switzerland, I visited him after college and he was a total genius I mean he was 50 years ahead of medical establishment and I was so blown away he taught He treated people from all over the world, he even treated.
00:38:39.660 --> 00:38:48.180 Dr. Erica Elliott: Conrad add an hour and some of the people in the Vatican all overcame him because he could get people well we're nobody else could.
00:38:48.540 --> 00:38:55.260 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I had this very inflated idea and about what takes to be a doctor and.
00:38:55.680 --> 00:39:06.960 Dr. Erica Elliott: he's a genius and I thought i'm not a genius there's no way I could be like that i'm not smart enough, and so I just dismissed it and and went all over the place, but.
00:39:07.260 --> 00:39:22.050 Dr. Erica Elliott: All along the way, I was gathering information about what I needed for my life purpose and what I got from the nebulous is I, I learned that whatever I do, it has to be involved with teaching, but not just teaching facts.
00:39:22.650 --> 00:39:44.040 Dr. Erica Elliott: Teaching empowering the person empowering them and done with love, which I ended up doing as a doctor, so all along the way, I learned things that led me towards being a doctor and then I had a revelation when I was teaching for our bound and.
00:39:45.750 --> 00:39:58.800 Dr. Erica Elliott: And, being an emt and stuff like that I decided to take some advanced placement biology and chemistry, because I had in college, because I had such a good German education.
00:39:59.340 --> 00:40:00.690 Dr. Erica Elliott: I tested out of all those.
00:40:00.690 --> 00:40:09.240 Dr. Erica Elliott: requirements, unfortunately, so in my class of advanced placement every one of them were pre MED students and to my shock.
00:40:10.350 --> 00:40:11.670 Dr. Erica Elliott: They were not geniuses.
00:40:12.120 --> 00:40:13.050 Dr. Erica Elliott: And I thought.
00:40:13.290 --> 00:40:16.740 Dr. Erica Elliott: Oh, my God you don't have to be a genius to be a doctor.
00:40:17.190 --> 00:40:18.000 Dr. Erica Elliott: Right, I mean.
00:40:18.060 --> 00:40:19.710 Dr. Erica Elliott: There was no critical thinking.
00:40:20.040 --> 00:40:20.880 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: they'd never asked.
00:40:20.910 --> 00:40:24.540 Dr. Erica Elliott: Why is this true and how do we know no critical thinking.
00:40:24.870 --> 00:40:27.390 Dr. Erica Elliott: Excellent memorization skills they could.
00:40:27.930 --> 00:40:32.970 Dr. Erica Elliott: Back reins of information, I thought she can.
00:40:34.710 --> 00:40:35.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: And, and so.
00:40:36.060 --> 00:40:37.710 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Then you eventually.
00:40:37.890 --> 00:40:39.780 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: The but you did eventually go back.
00:40:39.840 --> 00:40:40.080 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: To.
00:40:40.260 --> 00:40:43.080 Dr. Erica Elliott: The Navajo people so yeah after I got my degree.
00:40:43.170 --> 00:40:43.980 Dr. Erica Elliott: I went back.
00:40:44.580 --> 00:40:45.120 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: To how long.
00:40:45.210 --> 00:40:47.580 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Was the total gap in years from when you.
00:40:47.580 --> 00:40:49.740 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Lacking 1313 years.
00:40:49.800 --> 00:40:55.560 Dr. Erica Elliott: Yes, I had a debt of gratitude, so I went back to serve the Navajo people because I.
00:40:56.040 --> 00:41:09.870 Dr. Erica Elliott: love them so much and they they made such a profound impact on me and fake it was the beginning of my search for purpose and what I learned there profoundly affected me the rest of my life.
00:41:10.320 --> 00:41:16.110 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And, and when you came back to them, though, you came back to a different Navajo community.
00:41:16.110 --> 00:41:17.250 Dr. Erica Elliott: Correct yes.
00:41:17.520 --> 00:41:26.220 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: So, so they didn't know that you had a background, when you came back to them, they didn't know you had a background it with the with Navajo people they didn't know you had.
00:41:26.310 --> 00:41:27.990 Dr. Erica Elliott: That they learn very quick.
00:41:29.280 --> 00:41:31.950 Dr. Erica Elliott: start talking now to the grandmothers who.
00:41:32.130 --> 00:41:42.330 Dr. Erica Elliott: didn't speak a word of English, I would say wish they young enough that come on in and have a seat grandma and pay with just me in total shock.
00:41:42.750 --> 00:41:42.930 and
00:41:45.300 --> 00:41:47.640 Dr. Erica Elliott: Where are you from are you Navajo.
00:41:50.550 --> 00:41:55.380 Dr. Erica Elliott: It was so they all knew about me they all knew about my past.
00:41:56.490 --> 00:42:15.390 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And then, when you came back and we just have a couple of minutes before break um so when you came back in how did it feel to be back with the people that you had spent time with before What was it did it feel like a coming home or did it feel more like a.
00:42:17.730 --> 00:42:22.350 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: you're ready for this part of your life I don't know if i'm explaining that right.
00:42:23.520 --> 00:42:25.350 Dr. Erica Elliott: It felt like.
00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:33.660 Dr. Erica Elliott: I was ready for this part of my life and and I wanted to use this part of my life as saying thank you.
00:42:34.050 --> 00:42:39.600 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I serve two years and it was an underserved area, it was terribly rough day.
00:42:39.960 --> 00:42:40.740 Dr. Erica Elliott: They didn't have.
00:42:41.550 --> 00:42:54.420 Dr. Erica Elliott: A times I was the only doctor of a busy outpatient clinic a little hospital and little emergency room, I was way over extended and I wasn't trained as an er Doc I was trying to his family practice.
00:42:54.900 --> 00:43:09.120 Dr. Erica Elliott: I was flying by the seat of my pants but the Navajo people normally were very critical at this place this hospital of white doctors, because they felt they were being used as guinea pigs, because they come there, right after their training.
00:43:09.780 --> 00:43:26.790 Dr. Erica Elliott: And, and I was in that category, but they were always very, very tolerant of me and and they brought me little gifts and everything and nobody criticize me, for you know, using a book to set a compound fracture.
00:43:27.390 --> 00:43:28.500 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: that's crazy.
00:43:28.530 --> 00:43:40.020 Dr. Erica Elliott: But I wasn't I was putting a situation that was way over my head and I had no choice, I had no choice I had to do the best I could I was delivering breech babies, nobody does that.
00:43:40.320 --> 00:43:41.790 Dr. Erica Elliott: They can see sections.
00:43:41.880 --> 00:43:43.080 Dr. Erica Elliott: They get C sections.
00:43:43.410 --> 00:43:54.660 Dr. Erica Elliott: And it was terrifying for me, but and that's why I couldn't stay longer than two years, because I was working 100 hours a week, I was so profoundly sleep deprived.
00:43:55.050 --> 00:43:57.570 Dr. Erica Elliott: plus the University of new Mexico and offered me.
00:43:57.990 --> 00:44:05.790 Dr. Erica Elliott: A position as assistant professor in there, because they said, my experience at Cuba was the equivalent of 10 years elsewhere.
00:44:06.090 --> 00:44:16.320 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: wow wow okay it's time believing in our time for take our last break so when we come back I would love to get some insights from you about what.
00:44:17.190 --> 00:44:33.870 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Really, what kind of experiences with an EVO people really changed you from the inside out like what really opened you up from a an emotional a spiritual and energetic point of view that really surprised you in the process okay.
00:44:34.050 --> 00:44:35.460 Dr. Erica Elliott: Yes, yes i'd love to.
00:44:35.670 --> 00:44:43.260 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Wonderful Dr Erica so everyone, please stay tuned you're listening to the conscious consultant our awakening humanity we're speaking this hour with Dr.
00:44:43.530 --> 00:44:51.120 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Erica Elliot author of the book medicine and miracles in the high mountain and we'll get to some of those miracles when we come back right after this.
00:46:20.190 --> 00:46:28.770 we're listening to talk radio nyc at www talk radio dot nyc now broadcasting 24 hours a day.
00:46:53.370 --> 00:47:09.780 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: and welcome back to the conscious consultant our awakening humanity so so Dr Erica when you came back to the the Navajo people and even the first time you really had an opportunity to immerse yourself in their culture in their way of life.
00:47:10.380 --> 00:47:29.700 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: What about the way of life, I mean obviously very different from us as Westerners indigenous cultures are so different they're so rich in different ways, but what for you, was the most profound part of it, what really um you know shook you up from the inside out of your experiences.
00:47:29.850 --> 00:47:46.260 Dr. Erica Elliott: Okay, it was all profound but what really shook me up is the miracle that I experienced because my poor little brain was trying to explain logically how this could happen and I couldn't possibly so it was so shocked me up.
00:47:46.920 --> 00:47:55.920 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so what happened was several Navajo families said they wanted to quote adopt me not literally and.
00:47:56.190 --> 00:48:16.200 Dr. Erica Elliott: They call me by kinship terms, which is in the Navajo way, a form of expressing affection, because kinship is everything it's more important than money or your career, or you know how brilliant you are it's kinship and clan and so forth, so so they called me my daughter my sister.
00:48:16.620 --> 00:48:17.400 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: so forth.
00:48:17.490 --> 00:48:25.320 Dr. Erica Elliott: And I was supposed to call them by kinship terms, meaning, we were really bonded, and so this one family.
00:48:27.210 --> 00:48:41.100 Dr. Erica Elliott: The mother shema means my mother ship my mother and mother said we would like to tell you about something that's kind of secret because white people are not supposed to participate you're not allowed to.
00:48:41.580 --> 00:49:00.060 Dr. Erica Elliott: And they said we belong to the native American church and I didn't know what that was back then and and they said it's using plant medicine, I didn't know what they meant by that either because remember I just arrived i've been on the reservation about a month and.
00:49:01.320 --> 00:49:20.220 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I was just learning Navajo and I could only speak, a few words, and so they had to explain everything to me and she's she's finally said it's pod that they gather in Texas, every year, and they they said she said they use it for prayer and for spirituality and.
00:49:21.240 --> 00:49:25.800 Dr. Erica Elliott: The guy who leaves it is not called a medicine man is called a roadmap.
00:49:25.920 --> 00:49:26.730 Dr. Erica Elliott: Because this is.
00:49:26.790 --> 00:49:29.250 Dr. Erica Elliott: Our road from the plains Indian the lakota.
00:49:30.360 --> 00:49:35.910 Dr. Erica Elliott: found this plant medicine during times of great suffering in the 1860s when they're decimated.
00:49:36.510 --> 00:49:44.970 Dr. Erica Elliott: And they were in such grief and so this was a form of consolation and prayer and.
00:49:46.080 --> 00:49:59.100 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so the other tribes adopted it in the Navajo is adopted it, too, and so, so that the person who runs, it is a roadmap, whereas the traditional ceremonies that run by medicine and so.
00:50:00.690 --> 00:50:02.100 Dr. Erica Elliott: So she said that.
00:50:03.210 --> 00:50:13.680 Dr. Erica Elliott: She would like to invite me to the next one, and I was kind of scared because I thought oh my God, this is gonna make me kind of crazy hallucinate and everything that kind of.
00:50:13.680 --> 00:50:17.970 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: thing it'll make you a real hippie i'll make it real happy.
00:50:20.040 --> 00:50:32.280 Dr. Erica Elliott: So I was scared and she said that I had to get rid of white men's clothes and I was dressed so regally in in their traditional clothing, with the Velvet certain the sentence skirt and all the.
00:50:32.340 --> 00:50:34.890 Dr. Erica Elliott: Turquoise and silver I look.
00:50:34.980 --> 00:50:48.270 Dr. Erica Elliott: gorgeous and and then the hair long hair was made into napa not with the yarn around it, I looked like I was ready to go to a Navajo prom and so anyway, I we filed in there and.
00:50:49.530 --> 00:51:05.340 Dr. Erica Elliott: She sat right next to me on her pendleton blanket and she said don't worry i'll tell you everything what to do, and it was all in Navajo occasionally you'd hear the word Jesus, but that was it everything was Navajo so I didn't understand anything and.
00:51:06.510 --> 00:51:23.490 Dr. Erica Elliott: In the pod went around in three different forms the bud the powder and the team it tasted terrible and I had to try really hard not to throw up because my shema told me that when you throw up it's the evil coming out.
00:51:24.750 --> 00:51:28.890 Dr. Erica Elliott: What people know of evil, so I tried i'll get back and.
00:51:30.810 --> 00:51:43.320 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so anyway at the ceremony was for baby and I saw across the circle, the baby was very sick and hadn't responded to Western medicine antibiotics nothing and.
00:51:44.760 --> 00:51:52.950 Dr. Erica Elliott: So I was watching the baby get better the whole evening, but they were praying and singing, and so one of the things that.
00:51:53.400 --> 00:52:00.720 Dr. Erica Elliott: happens and pod ceremonies you take these hand roll cigarettes made of herbs that are gathered on the San Francisco peaks in Arizona.
00:52:01.350 --> 00:52:05.310 Dr. Erica Elliott: And you inhale, then you exhale and then you said prayer.
00:52:05.910 --> 00:52:19.860 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so, everybody did that and then my Navajo shimano next to me did it and then she handed me the handheld cigarette and she said, in English, she whispered just pass it on and.
00:52:20.400 --> 00:52:34.170 Dr. Erica Elliott: I didn't just pass it on I inhale exhale and I said a prayer in Navajo that I never heard before in my life and.
00:52:34.260 --> 00:52:35.700 Dr. Erica Elliott: While I was praying.
00:52:36.000 --> 00:52:49.800 Dr. Erica Elliott: part of my brain was talking to me and saying this isn't real this is impossible, you cannot be saying a prayer in Navajo, this is a big hallucination this isn't real.
00:52:50.370 --> 00:53:06.930 Dr. Erica Elliott: don't take it seriously it's just like a dream, and so I so mixed up and then I pass it on OK, the next thing that went around was the water drum it's in a metal container with water and a deer hide stretched over it, and the sound is very.
00:53:07.980 --> 00:53:16.470 Dr. Erica Elliott: serial and then the beat is like the beat of your own heart and people would say, and the same thing happened after shema.
00:53:16.980 --> 00:53:28.560 Dr. Erica Elliott: Saying she passed it to me and said the same thing just pass it on and I didn't and I started drumming hey young hey yo yo.
00:53:29.280 --> 00:53:40.050 Dr. Erica Elliott: yo I was singing a song, I never heard in my life, and I said the same thing this isn't real you're you're hallucinating this couldn't be possible it's.
00:53:40.590 --> 00:53:50.250 Dr. Erica Elliott: Forget it and so anyway, by the end of the ceremony we file that you kneel down touch the earth with our forehead we found ourselves with the eagle feather fan.
00:53:50.580 --> 00:54:00.630 Dr. Erica Elliott: And we went into the nearby cinderblock house and we sat on a sheet on the floor with the huge spread for breakfast months to fry bread can peaches.
00:54:01.440 --> 00:54:17.280 Dr. Erica Elliott: And the medicine, the road man started looking right at me and start talking and then he paused like he's waiting for me to say something and then he talked again and pause and I felt really uncomfortable the period long worn off.
00:54:17.760 --> 00:54:18.990 Dr. Erica Elliott: I didn't know what.
00:54:19.050 --> 00:54:22.350 Dr. Erica Elliott: He was talking about, and he kept talking.
00:54:23.670 --> 00:54:25.170 Dr. Erica Elliott: I sheepishly said.
00:54:26.340 --> 00:54:39.510 Dr. Erica Elliott: You know I I don't speak now but I i'm so sorry I can't understand what you're saying and everybody burst out laughing and he said, you should talk up a storm last.
00:54:39.510 --> 00:54:39.870 night.
00:54:43.710 --> 00:54:50.940 Dr. Erica Elliott: And that was what and then another miracle that totally blew my socks off was a healing miracle.
00:54:51.240 --> 00:55:05.190 Dr. Erica Elliott: And that was that one of the kids my classroom said Elliot Elliot you have a goiter I didn't have a goiter quarters, or when your thyroid gets swollen from lack of iodine which was calming them.
00:55:05.250 --> 00:55:06.390 Dr. Erica Elliott: But I had a look.
00:55:06.390 --> 00:55:15.870 Dr. Erica Elliott: Here, that was really big and I had felt it it felt like a rock and it was big enough so so the children were noticing like.
00:55:15.960 --> 00:55:29.610 Dr. Erica Elliott: there's something wrong with you, and so I was so scared the way my patients are they tried to ignore it, and think it's going to go away, well, obviously it was getting bigger and it was rock hard and in mobile.
00:55:30.210 --> 00:55:30.810 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: And so.
00:55:31.200 --> 00:55:36.270 Dr. Erica Elliott: Finally, I thought I better go do something, so I drove two hours to a charity hospital.
00:55:38.370 --> 00:55:46.470 Dr. Erica Elliott: And sage memorial hospital and I hated hospitals, who would guess, I never be a doctor they smell bad like.
00:55:47.640 --> 00:55:58.200 Dr. Erica Elliott: And they're very sterile and everybody was very serious no sense of humor and I didn't like it being there at all, and so the internist came in.
00:55:58.650 --> 00:56:09.090 Dr. Erica Elliott: And he felt it, he said this this feels like cancer like nope no bedside manner at all this feels like cancer we're gonna have to do a biopsy.
00:56:09.810 --> 00:56:23.490 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so, he said i'll schedule that for you, so I I walked out of there with no intention of ever coming back and because I was so scared and it's a good thing, I followed my inner compass because.
00:56:24.030 --> 00:56:40.140 Dr. Erica Elliott: I would have never had what i'm about to tell you, if I gone the Western way, and so my teacher, he said, oh I know a medicine man who can help you so she gave me these very typical Navajo instructions you go down the wash and then.
00:56:41.430 --> 00:57:01.500 Dr. Erica Elliott: Then you'll see a big sagebrush on your left and then you go to bill for then you'll see two pinion trees you turn right there and then you go, in other words, I got completely lost I finally found the medicine and to my dismay after he heard my story, he said this isn't my special.
00:57:04.410 --> 00:57:06.960 Dr. Erica Elliott: He told me about a hopi medicine man.
00:57:07.500 --> 00:57:08.580 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so I spent.
00:57:08.610 --> 00:57:19.860 Dr. Erica Elliott: A whole day another whole day looking for this medicine man and he was out herding sheep, it took me a whole day to find him and he said the same thing, so I thought oh my God.
00:57:20.130 --> 00:57:22.170 Dr. Erica Elliott: So I told my Navajo family.
00:57:22.290 --> 00:57:32.160 Dr. Erica Elliott: I told shema that it was hopeless I I couldn't find help she said no problem we'll have a ceremony for you, they can help you.
00:57:32.460 --> 00:57:43.530 Dr. Erica Elliott: wouldn't get rid of this, and so, she said, but we'll have to share the ceremony with somebody else because very expensive to put on a pod ceremony, you have to butcher sheep and.
00:57:43.590 --> 00:57:45.570 Dr. Erica Elliott: In there, she is there money in the bank.
00:57:45.660 --> 00:57:47.430 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: that's their savings yeah.
00:57:47.490 --> 00:57:57.030 Dr. Erica Elliott: We don't have money in the bank, these are their their livestock and so butchering a sheep is a big deal, and then they have to pay the roadmap on top of it and so.
00:57:57.390 --> 00:58:04.920 Dr. Erica Elliott: They shared it with a family who had another sick baby that didn't respond to Western medicine and so during the ceremony.
00:58:05.670 --> 00:58:12.150 Dr. Erica Elliott: I I sort of forgot that it was for me and I was focused on the baby, I was watching the baby.
00:58:12.420 --> 00:58:23.940 Dr. Erica Elliott: The change color from copper red to more brown color the eyes from being on mukasey and glazed over to clear and start gurgling looking at its mom I was just.
00:58:24.210 --> 00:58:40.530 Dr. Erica Elliott: blown away watching right in front of my eyes this baby getting better completely forgot about me and anyway to jump ahead when the pod ceremony was over, and we're back having our breakfast in the nearby cinderblock house.
00:58:42.210 --> 00:58:46.380 Dr. Erica Elliott: Everybody stared at me nobody touched their food.
00:58:47.040 --> 00:58:48.330 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: They just stared at me.
00:58:48.900 --> 00:58:57.000 Dr. Erica Elliott: And I didn't know why they were staring at me and is really uncomfortable what are they looking at and then.
00:58:58.230 --> 00:59:02.550 Dr. Erica Elliott: I remembered my hand flow to this place and it wasn't there.
00:59:03.090 --> 00:59:03.300 Dr. Erica Elliott: and
00:59:03.600 --> 00:59:15.690 Dr. Erica Elliott: This day this day you'll sometimes see me going like this, so this is 50 years later, it was so shocking to me that I kept going like this, to see if it would come back.
00:59:16.080 --> 00:59:23.730 Dr. Erica Elliott: And it never came back and I I don't know how to explain it I could make up a story about quantum physics and so.
00:59:23.730 --> 00:59:38.610 Dr. Erica Elliott: forth, but the truth is, these things happen, even if we can't in our limited brain explain it, and so it told me that we are living in a tiny, tiny reality.
00:59:39.060 --> 00:59:41.760 Dr. Erica Elliott: And so much more is capable.
00:59:42.210 --> 00:59:46.320 Dr. Erica Elliott: But we're living in a box and we can't see beyond the box.
00:59:46.590 --> 00:59:59.130 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: yeah well Eric unfortunately we're over time we're going to have to leave it there, thank you so so much for coming on the show today again if you want to read more and learn more of it miracles.
00:59:59.790 --> 01:00:10.770 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: medicine and miracles in the high desert available and all the major booksellers Amazon all over the place Erica just people want to learn more about you or get in touch with you do you have a website.
01:00:10.980 --> 01:00:21.060 Dr. Erica Elliott: yeah I have two websites one is inactive but they'll learn a lot about me there but it's an active because i'm not taking new patients that's simply Erica Elliot md.com.
01:00:21.660 --> 01:00:30.810 Dr. Erica Elliott: But the website that they really might get a lot out of is called musings memoir and medicine calm musings with an s.
01:00:31.260 --> 01:00:49.200 Dr. Erica Elliott: And on the blog site you'll see lots of tabs that show videos and all sorts of things, but the blogs themselves the medical posts, if you click under categories medicine your your listeners will learn all sorts of medical information that they will not get from their mainstream.
01:00:49.200 --> 01:00:55.080 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: doctor and that's that was musings memoir and medicine calm.
01:00:55.230 --> 01:00:58.050 Dr. Erica Elliott: Yes, musings all one word all one word.
01:00:58.290 --> 01:01:04.170 Dr. Erica Elliott: And it's a public service, because of all the people I have to turn away i've 1200 patients.
01:01:04.440 --> 01:01:05.670 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: I can't keep.
01:01:05.760 --> 01:01:09.390 Dr. Erica Elliott: Taking more patients, so instead I do this as a public service.
01:01:09.720 --> 01:01:22.800 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Wonderful well Dr Erica Thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule for coming on my show today it's been a real delight and pleasure i'd love to have you back, let me know when you come out with your next book i'd love to have you back on the show.
01:01:23.070 --> 01:01:24.390 Dr. Erica Elliott: Thank you, thank you, Sam.
01:01:24.600 --> 01:01:32.280 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Thank you, thank you so much, and I also see my audience really loves you that they find you very inspiring from the comments I say on the Facebook live so.
01:01:32.550 --> 01:01:42.990 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: Thank you for the work you do, and thank you for being open to the experiences that you've had, and thank you, my loyal listeners for tuning in for commenting on the Facebook video.
01:01:43.680 --> 01:01:52.980 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: If you missed any part of today's show you can always find the replay on talk radio dot nyc and you can find us on all of the popular podcasting platforms.
01:01:53.340 --> 01:02:05.130 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: apple Google stitcher spotify I heart radio Pandora were everywhere Thank you so much, remember, we have all the great shows frank Harrison, with the show frank about health later today, tomorrow.
01:02:05.520 --> 01:02:23.070 Sam Liebowitz | The Conscious Consultant: philanthropy and focus always Friday wise content creates wealth and then we kick off Monday again with with Graham at his new time mind behind leadership at 6pm on Monday, followed by Sandra with her show the edge of every day at 7pm and we will talk to you next week.
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