Dedicated to Helping Others

"I am who I am because of where I've been. I'm the happiest I've ever been right here and right now, so why would I change a single second of my past? Those scars make the stripes of my tiger (his spirit animal)." - Revelation that came to him during an intense peyote medicine session with a Diné (Navajo) healer.

Born a crack baby who spent 6 days in the NICU in the 80's, Luke has faced many challenges from a very early age. Luke was abused emotionally, mentally, physically, and sexually by the people closest to him, and who he trusted the most. He had to grow up early at the age of 7 when his oldest sister was born, and he had to raise her because of his parent's drug addictions. By the age of 8, he was picking up odd jobs for elderly neighbors to help buy formula for his sister after the welfare ran out. His family moved from city to city avoiding law enforcement, and staying in some of the worst areas of the US. 

By the young age of 12, he fell in with a bad group and started stealing his parent's drugs to sell so he could buy basic necessities like food. He ended up succumbing to the temptation of using the supply he had been selling at the age of 16. He quickly became addicted, expelled from school, and was sent off to a secondary boot camp school for troubled teens. After several years of heavy addiction that took everything from him (yes those are dentures) and living on the streets, he realized that he needed to get sober. Knowing that he would check himself out of rehab, he joined the Army at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom as an infantryman. The Army provided structure and got him sober, but it left him with even more emotional scars. He internalized all this pain for years into his adulthood, which ultimately hurt his relationships with others.

Things had finally starting to look good after he met an amazing woman willing to look past his dark history. They quickly fell in love, and had a beautiful baby that is still the light of his world to this day. This was brief as his unresolved traumas soon caught up with him. Haunted by his past PTSD, he found it hard to trust anyone, including his wife. This, along with the violent night terrors, led to many issues in their marriage. Afraid that he might lose everything, he resorted to his parent's example of creating fear and became very controlling. This didn't last long, and after 4 years of torture, she left with their child. 

Devastated about losing everything again, he turned to a bottle of whiskey to drown his pain. This only made it worse, and finally one night he put a loaded gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The hammer clicked, but the round was a dud that didn't fire. This marked the 4th failed suicide attempt he had made in his life... He took this as a sign from a higher power that he was meant for more, and this is where his journey of self-discovery begins. Needing to change scenery, he packed what he could into a truck and moved to Colorado.

Shortly after moving, he met some amazing people, and went to his first EDM music festival that forever changed his life. Using the pseudonym Sam, he went in filled with judgement and distain for the brightly-colored, half-naked people there, and the world as well. Despite his judgment and ignorant comments, they accepted him as he was, and showed him unconditional love on a scale he had never seen before. Their love, combined with the psychotropics he took for fun, sparked a fire inside him. He vowed to change his life and to emulate that love.

After several years of using psychotropics for mental healing, he decided to join his First Nations Brothers and Sisters at the Standing Rock pipeline protest in North Dakota. It was here that he met leaders, and healers, from many different Nations. It was one of these leaders from the Diné Nation that gave him eagle feathers that are given to warriors, and convinced him to leave before the final raid by the US National Guard. The Naatʼáanii (Chief) insisted that Luke/Sam had a higher calling, and gave him the contact info for a healer in his tribe. 

Taking the Naatʼáanii's advice, he contacted the healer and arranged a peyote ceremony to help with his PTSD. The medicine gave him clarity and insight unlike anything he had taken to that point. It was like a switch got flipped in his brain and suddenly he understood what he needed to do to heal. He went back to visit the Diné healer several times, and stayed with them to learn for a while. 

After leaving the reservation, he traveled to music festivals working in the trip sitting and harm reduction space. Sitting with people going through "difficult experiences" at an overstimulating music festival led to many people asking questions about his healing journey, and subsequently if he could help lead them on a healing journey. Not having the decades of training First Nations healer's have, he refused at first. Eventually a close friend came to him in dire need of healing. He consulted his Diné healer who said he should help her.

After sitting with her through a psilocybe cubensis ceremony, he realized how much good he can do for people by sharing this medicine with them. He continued sharing the medicine with those in need wherever he traveled, and eventually found himself in his ancestral homelands, Ani'-Yun'wiya' (Cherokee) Nation. He spent quite a bit of time there working the land and learning from several healers about different methods for holding space for natural medicine healing ceremonies, including an Ani'-Yun'wiya' healer from his own tribe. 

Armed with the knowledge of how to help people with natural medicines and given a blessing by his healer, he set out to help as many people as he could. He traveled the US for several more years helping as many people as possible while working festivals. His healing travels eventually led him to his ex-wife so they could heal their wounds. Noticing a major change in his attitude and overall demeanor, she asked what changed him. After sharing his healing journey with her, she asked to sit in ceremony with him. They both cried for hours as they relived, and finally healed from, their past together. 

Luke/Sam continued to travel spreading the message of Love and Healing the medicines had shown him for several more years until the pandemic hit. With everything shut down except nature, he invited his ex-wife and their son to join him in the Redwoods Forest in Northern California where he had one of his most powerful experiences with natural medicines. After that camping/road trip, they decided to move to Denver and live together as co-parents in a non-traditional home for the sake of their son. They still live together to this day!

He has made it his personal mission in life to bring healing to as many people as possible, while spreading the message of Unconditional Love and Unity the medicines have shown him. Now that Colorado has implemented a regulated natural medicine program to help the mental health crisis our nation is facing, Luke/Sam has an opportunity to help even more people than ever before with NHCA, and to fulfill his calling as a healer! 

Next you will hear from his ex-wife and co-parent that is NHCA's bilingual facilitator who specializes in working with couples and relationships!

His healing story is coming soon!