Dr. Chris O’Banye PhD, is the founder of the International Institute for Wellness and Integrated Healing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Dr. O’Banye is an expert in mind, body spirit healing. Dr. Chris O’Banye  also delivers lectures on Mind-Body Medicine, integrated healing and assessment of past life traumas in healing process. Dr. O’Banye’s unique approach to healing is setting a paradigm shift in mind-body medicine and deeply influencing the direction of clinical healing practices. Institutions, general public and organizations can contact Dr O’Banye for healing, lectures and training at

http://www.internationalinstituteforwellnessandintegratedhealing.com

Autobiography by Dr. O’Banye:

The most important credentials I have are not that I was a professional banker; a college educated and professionally trained business man; a professional Career Development Counselor; a Corporate Training Manager; Corporate Executive; Director of Overseas Market for Oil and Drilling Equipment Company; Former President and CEO of UNICO Group of Companies Inc; a Chartered Investigator; and a published award-winning business man. It’s not that I am a Jack of many trades and master of a lot. My most valued credential is that every human being I come in contact with may not like everything about me but they all tell me I am beautiful soul. For me, that is my most valued credential! For me it means I give every single soul I come in contact with one thing I owe all human beings—my love.

I was born in Onitsha, Nigeria into the royal family of Eze (King) Aroli. I have two wonderful sisters and three brothers. I am the fourth child.

This baby picture of Dr. O'Banye is one of the few personal possessions that survived his country's civil war.

I have the most amazing mother God ever created—strong minded, very hard working, kind, giving, nurturing, and take-no-nonsense personality. My mom loves all her children and every child that crossed her path.  My life story cannot be complete without a large part of it dedicated to my mother. I have two wonderful children, Chris Jr and Crystal Devon.

I have always known as a child that my destiny is healing. Traditional healing runs in my mother’s side of the family.  I wanted to be a neuro-surgeon. However, my life journey even as a child had several twists and turns. My father passed when I was a little boy. Growing up without a father at that early age changed so many aspects of my life and that of my siblings. We had to grow more focused about our futures than most kids.

One of the amazing aspects of the part of the world I was born in is that it takes a village to raise a kid in every sense. Kids like me who grew up without a father minimally lacked fatherhood role in their life growing up. Every single responsible father and the elders of our community took responsibilities of fatherhood for those children.

One of the greatest gifts of life given to me and kids like me who grew up in my culture was the ones given by the elders of our communities. One of those gifts came in the form of child and adolescent rite of passage. The psychological and Psycho-physiological growth and transformation from this particular gift cannot be described in words. It cannot be purchased with any amount of gold or silver anywhere on earth. For me and so many kids like me who grew up in my community that growth and transformation laid the foundation of what most of us become.

As one can see, I am not in any of the professions mentioned at the beginning of this text. At every crossroad in my life, I was redirected to healing. These re-directions came in the forms of either failed projects, lack of personal and spiritual fulfillment from whatever it was I was doing. In some instances these spiritual redirection came in the form of strong internal command to take a decisive no-turning backs step toward healing profession.

About fifteen years ago, I answered my call. I gave up my holdings in my company and began a journey into the healing profession. I reflected deeply on cross-cultural perspectives on mental health, illness, wellness, health and traditional healing practices across cultures, particularly that of my ancestors. History clearly showed that African ancestors lived very long and healthy life before the coming of the European style medicine. They were physically strong, emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy into their final stage of growth—death.  African ancestors maintained health and wellness by eating nutritious foods. They nurtured and healed the body using medicinal foods (herbs), and maintained mental health practicing spirituality.

For whatever reasons, African medicine is yet to receive clinical recognition most others have such as the Oriental/Chinese medicine. In many case when African healing practices are use in clinical settings references are not made to the origin—Africa, as it is the case for example in Chinese medicine.

A classic example is the Sand tray therapy which in my opinion is an excellent tool for probing or assessing deep psychological issues berried in the deep levels of the mind. When I took Sand Tray Therapy course in graduate school, there was no indication from the course material that this therapeutic model originated from Africa. I did not find out until I took the lab component of the course. The moment I came into the lab, I instantly related with the symbols in the lab set up. I felt at home. I went to the professor who is an African American and said to him “I am from Africa. There is no way this therapeutic modality did not come from Africa.” The professor said to me “It could have.”

After I come home from that residency, I researched the origin of Sand Tray Therapy. I found out the origin indeed was Africa. A British lady Physician who worked in African for a long time learned the therapeutic model from African clinicians and brought it to the Western world.

When the British and other Europeans primarily the British, came to Africa and colonized it, they brain-washed the Africans into believing that almost everything about Africa was bad and in some cases evil especially, our spiritual, healing practices and belief system . The British conducted psychological war fare that dismantled African system. At the same time they were dismantling African system, they were also tapping into African wealth, knowledge and intellectual resources, integrated them into their practices and claimed complete ownership with minimal, if any credit to the African People.

Even though, Africans and Black people all over the universe are some of the most intellectual and wise people on the face of the earth, and have studied in all the world’s highest institutions of learning, this psychological wound stay with us. As health care professionals, we show minimal interest in researching and documenting clinical healing practices that originate from us. We shy away from our clinical heritage, who we are as clinicians, and our deep conviction and knowledge about us as healing professionals. We apply clinical principles and therapeutic modalities on our people even when we know those hats do not and will not fit us.  It is a fact that Africa has the richest healing tradition in the world. Some of most potent medicinal plants on earth have their homes in Africa.

Here is the truth. African healing modalities are practiced in every healing institution all over the universe. Whether we want to acknowledge this fact is not important. What is important to acknowledge is that these healing practices are not credited to Africans and African clinicians. For example, every music therapy of all types and for every therapeutic purpose originated from Africa. What I find grossly disappointing however, is that African healing professionals do not seem to care about claiming their healing heritage. They do not seem to care about research into their rich healing traditions. I want to make it very clear that when I say Africans, I mean black people in every corner of the universe.

The truth of the matter is every healer of all healing orientation—MD, PhD, Masters level healers and others who do not have formal healing education cannot be effective in their healing practice without embracing completely their own healing heritage. This is what makes the Eastern—Chinese, Japanese and the East Indian healers effective in their healing practices. They stay true to their healing heritage as they practice other healing traditions. It does not matter if they are Western trained MD. Their healing tradition always comes first. Their healing tradition remains their foundation as they integrate and practice others healing modalities. Today, Eastern healing traditions are acceptable and recognized in the mainstream healing profession. Eastern Healing traditions are widely studied in some Higher Institution of learning around the world.

As I began my formal education and training quest in the healing profession, it was important for me to study extensively cross-cultural perspectives on health, wellness and healing practices around the world particularly, that of my ancestors.  It is very important for me that I have an in-depth and holistic knowledge of the individual seeking healing services from me. I needed an institution that approach healing training from my perspective. I needed an institutional that has the history and tradition of training healers like me. I searched all over for a perfect fit for me and found that tradition in Saybrook University.

The academic stability of coming into a Graduate Program and have a giant in the field of Clinical Psychology such as Dr. Art Bohart, Diplomat APA took a personal and academic interest in my education and training mission was very reassuring for my choice of coming to Saybrook.  Dr. Bohart knew I was very interested in Evidence-base Interventions. He helped in my program planning and structure to make sure I receive that training.

Saybrook University Graduate program gave the richness and diversity of experience brought by Educators and clinician such as Dr. Ann Bernhardt, Dr. Jay Wagner, Dr. Lesleigh Franklin, Dr. Charles Cannady. all of whom I am privileged and blessed to have studied under.

In my Post Graduate program at Saybrook University it is priceless to study under the who is who in the field of Mind-Body Medicine such as Dr. Jeanne Achterberg, Dr. Stanley Krippner, Dr. Donald Moss, Dr. Lyn Freeman, Dr. Eric Willmarth and others.

It was difficult for me to embrace the title of a” healer” until about three years ago. I was one of those educated Africans who remained brain washed into believing it was derogatory for a Western educated health care clinician like me to embrace that title. In my soul, I have always felt I am a healer in every sense because of what I know the title means and represents.  But that changed a few years ago in one of my residency intensives at Saybrook. Clinical Psych Department (with concentration in Integrated Health Studies), now named the College of Mind-Body Medicine, conducted a pilot study using Bio-feedback technology. The National Library of Medicine videotaped the process.  Dr. Lyn Freeman, who was then the Faculty Chair, Dr. Stan Krippner, Dr. Dan Moss, and so many other professors and visiting professors in Mind-Body Medicine, were the teaching professors conducting the studies and lecturing the students in Integrated Health Studies on the subject. Dr. Sal Nunez was one of the visiting professors.

I came to Saybrook to gain educational training and strength to accept and ground myself in various healing modalities. It is an understatement to say that this intensive experience took me to that space and time where I felt I had arrived to embrace not only my ancestral healing practice but also other healing modalities. I originally went into ND program seeking an avenue to validate my native healing practice and have a legitimate academic authority to practice it. Yet I kept feeling something was missing.

Something very mystical happened during drumming with Dr. Nunez. The intensity and power of music filled every space in the room and charged my spirit like a positively charged ion. I had an out of body experience and my spirit left the room. Somehow Dr. Nunez followed me and we both arrived at the same place. We spiritually connect in such a wonderful way that is difficult to describe. During break, he approached me and asked that we meet. We met and continued where left off. We shared the most dramatic experience that is difficult to put in words. He told me that I am a true healer in every sense and that I will do very well in all areas of healing especially, integrating my native healing practice with Western approach. He pledged his support and friendship to me. What I found also amazing was that every soul present in that room, professors and students echoed the same message Dr. Nunez delivered to me.

Dr Nunez. and I became very close friends. Couple of months after the residency, Dr. Nunez passed on to me a healing tool bag that was handed to him ten years ago by healers in his family and elders he met along his healing path. It is one of the most treasured gifts I ever received from anyone outside my family.   Dr. Nunez is a Spanish American and comes from a long line of healers. His father was a Dentist. He has a very successful practice in San Francisco grounded on the values and healing traditions of his ancestors.

In that residency, Saybrook University community helped me embrace and celebrate a deeper and treasured part of me I had been running away from. They helped me claim my professional and inherent freedom to give the gift of life to the world.  Even though I received my Doctorate at Ashburry University, Saybrook University gave me my healing mantle.

I have been healing souls since then in just about every healing setting in my community. I have worked in hospitals and other in-patient treatment Centers with individual suffering from all levels of mental illness, psychosocial rehabilitation, Sex offending treatment program, Psycho and socio pathology treatment, Conduct and other complex behavioral disorders, Chemical dependency and addiction treatment for adult and children. I trained in Evidence-Based children and Adolescent disorders. I have served as a Clinical Director for an outpatient Youth and Family services.  I was one of the original clinicians who opened from ground-up the very first Children Crisis Unit in the State of Oklahoma. I have served as a member of Advisory Committee for Oklahoma Health Care Authority. I have worked in every conceivable treatment setting and with every population, from every day citizens and their families to hard core criminals, right out of prison.

My Joy as a healer is seeing my healing consumers challenge themselves, reach for the greatest power in them, regain their health, sanity and joy of life, maintain wellness and become everything they knew they could be but lost to the other side of life. At International Institute for Wellness and Integrated Healing we are waiting to hold your hand for a new happy, healthy and prosperous journey for life.  What are you waiting on?

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