Goodpain Podcast S03E03: Dr. Patricia June Vickers – Making a Way Back Home, Part 1 | Candid Conversations. Underdog Wisdom

What happens when we reach the end of ourselves and surrender to the Great Mystery?In this episode of Goodpain, hosts Tyler is joined by Indigenous psychotherapist, educator, and survivor Patricia June Vickers, PhD. Born into the Eagle tribe in Kitkatla with ancestral ties to the Heiltsuk and Haida nations, Patricia shares her journey of unlearning institutional church conditioning, moving past the shadow of residential school trauma, and discovering a creative process rooted in creativity and self-discovery. Moving away from rigid dogma, she illustrates how everyone is a maker of their own path when guided by the sacred lifecycle of ancestral law (Ayaawx). Through her story, Patricia explores how honoring our innate compulsion to create brings us to surrender deep personal wounds to be reclaimed as sacred.Inside This EpisodePatricia & Tyler hold a conversation about stepping into the "great unknown," unpacking how living creatively requires surrendering the need for complete control: Unlearning (Releasing & Forgiving) Church Conditioning: Patricia reflects on growing up in the Anglican church as an Indigenous woman, navigating the oppressive "false truths" of institutional religion and learning to step outside rigid theological structures. The Deception of Control & The Garden: How the primal human struggle stems from the deception that we can dominate knowledge and control our destiny, rather than accepting the uncertainty of the Great Mystery. Neurobiology, Seeking Systems, and Trauma: Drawing on Jaak Panksepp's seeking systems and Frank Corrigan's Deep Brain Reorienting, Patricia explains how trauma locks us into despair, and how we can reorient our attention toward love and truth. Moments of Complete Collapse & Surrender: Facing sub-zero cold in an RV when her furnace failed, Patricia shares how coming to the end of oneself opens the door to genuine transformation without a rigid formula. Forgiveness as Daily Practice: Why true forgiveness is not forgetting or pardoning abuse, but releasing the toxic desire to punish oneself or others, turning daily choices toward healing.Rather than giving a prescriptive checklist on how to be more creative, Patricia offers an invitation into artful living, demonstrating the creative courage required to navigate deep grief and overcome creative block. By anchoring our daily creative practice in breath, presence, and ancestral connection, we discover that making art and expressing truth is ultimately a journey of finding your creative voice and embracing artistic expression as a form of sacred ceremony.Notable Quotes"Forgiveness is no longer the need to punish the other person, or to punish myself... It's accepting that I can't change what was done." — Patricia Vickers"That state of collapse is really me coming to the end of me." — Patricia Vickers"All I have to do is just slightly turn my head, delight in truth and love." — Patricia VickersPATRICIA'S LINKSRaven's Call Canada | Dr. Vicker's Website