A little about the owner and caretaker of Walking Bear Holistic Medicine…

I am a 17-year veteran of the United States Army in various components and capacities, a wife to a Marine turned retired federal marshal, a mother of two wonderful young men and an energetic black Labrador Retriever.

I am a nationally registered and Arizona state certified EMT.

I am a certified EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Brainspotting practitioner.

I am a behavioral health technician with more than 15 years’ experience in the field, working with a variety of populations ranging from DDD and exploited adolescents to adults with serious mental illnesses.

I have more than 20 years’ experience in the field of somatics or mindbody medicine, being set upon that path back in 2004 as a licensed massage therapist, a student of Qi Dao and Tibetan Bon shamanism.

I am completing my PhD in Functional Medicine and fully expect to be licensed, boarded and in active practice within the next twelve months.

I am an initiated Bear Shaman.

I carry teachings from the Americas — both reflecting my own bloodlines from the Menominee and Wisconsin Oneida nations, and some teachings from the Andes Mountains of Peru. I also walk with shamanic teachings from Siberia and the Bon tradition of Tibet.

A person with short hair and glasses wearing a maroon sweatshirt sitting on a couch with a black dog lying across their lap. The person appears to be looking at a phone placed beside them on the armrest. The dog is relaxed, and one of its front paws is extended. There are pillows, a blanket, and a piece of clothing on the couch, with a carpeted floor and a black cabinet in the background.

Dawn E Gilbreath, Owner / Caretaker

Walking Bear Holistic Medicine

I have also been given the Sioux name

Mato Thasunke Winyan “Bear Claw Woman.”

(Oh…that picture up there? That’s just a candid at home snapshot…just me and my 16-month-old Labrador Retriever mix pup curled up on the couch, enjoying a day off.)

A bear standing on rocky terrain near a hot spring surrounded by steam.

So who am I? A sort of spiritual mutt and wanderer.

One could say I’m a well-traveled bear, indeed.

Lots of rocks and clouds under my paws these days…

I’ve traveled to nearly every state across North America and to several other regions of the world. I’ve met and gotten to know medicine peoples from many nations and regions of the planet. It’s truly been an adventure…and an honor to get to know those elders and to be trusted with the teachings I’ve received.

As a part of receiving those teachings, I have been asked and have committed to being an active participant in various ceremonies and to offer teachings on a consistent basis to keep precious lifeways and knowledge alive and thriving.

I am also just months away from completing my own more formal Western search for knowledge, in the field of Functional Medicine. Once I complete my PhD in Functional Medicine, I will be offering those services.

I take pride in keeping my practice a safe space. Please know everyone is welcome, a cherished individual, honored and safe here in my camp.

And I look forward to getting to know you and walking with you as you travel along your journey to wellness.