Sacred Cycle is healing our community by empowering survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault, through therapy and mountain biking; creating a sacred cycle of recovery.
WHAT WE DO
Sacred Cycle's "Frame Program" uses psychotherapy, non-clinical outdoor therapeutic modalities, mountain and road bike coaching, group activities, and community engagement for female-identifying survivors of sexual assault ready to begin their recovery journey.
Sacred Cycle's programming improves the health and wellness of female survivors by providing in-person and online one-on-one and group curriculum.
Survivors disassociate from their bodies due to trauma. Sacred Cycle provides a bicycle, provides counsel and bike coaching, introduces participants to alternative and group therapies, and repeats this cycle during a 5-month span.
Testimonials
"Sacred Cycle is irreplaceable in my life. The women of Sacred Cycle carry such power. Each conversation and story brings me hope and connection to the spirit of thriving through survival. There are such layers within each of us and the bond we hold doesn't actually need to be spoken. Your words will ground and guide me through the next place in my journey." ~ Sacred Cycle Participant
"I found the program so helpful and empowering. The equine therapy work was so powerful in reminding me about boundaries and giving me a firsthand experience of how it feels to create and have them respected. The yoga therapy taught me about the power of yoga and breathwork to pull myself out of a possible trigger or stressful situation and also create solid boundaries. " ~Participant
"I'm so grateful for Sacred Cycle. It's really helped me get focused on things I've avoided". -Participant
"It was amazing to see the impact that Community Rides had on our community. #HealingOurCommunity came to life as we were able to see riders at the beginning of the season share their experiences with their friends and bring them to our rides. The relationships and community that were built around the joy of mountain biking, Sacred Cycle's mission, and our community were inspirational. " ~ SC Coach
It is wonderful for me to share and interact with other survivors. I feel validated, empowered, uplifted and inspired hearing about others' stories of struggle and healing through trauma. ~ SC Participant
"My body has been processing a lot of trauma this year. I started to have PTSD symptoms over a trauma that had been shoved down deep. My body was ready to let it go. I have been getting EMDR treatments and it's helping clear it, but I get bad EMDR hangovers. Biking really helped. I was so happy afterward and present at work, so I just kept biking. Last week I biked a total of 28.2 miles! I'm so proud... each time I went, I had less and less PTSD symptoms that day!" ~ SC Participant
"I am astounded, humbled, and ecstatic. Since the retreat, I've been in a very thoughtful place - reflecting on my own progress and struggles in healing. When I got home, I had a huge cry, and I'm still feeling the weight of the unsettled pieces in my history. The retreat reunited me with the strength to continue to push through healing." ~ SC Participant
DONATION IMPACT
$7,000 - Sends one participant through entire 2023 programming (May to Oct)
$1,000 - Sends all participants through three group therapy sessions
$500 - Host one mountain bike skills clinic for the group or a scholarship for one participant
$350 - Host one group therapy session for all participants
$100 - Send one participant to one month of private mtn bike coaching
We appreciate any level of donation and appreciate any gift!
With Gratitude,
Sacred Cycle Board of Directors
Sacred Cycle is a female-identifying founded and led organization that aspires to empower sexually abused and assaulted survivors, residing in Colorado, by providing a safe community to support their healing. Through a combination of therapy and wilderness therapy, clients discover and break through barriers to become more confident in their personal recovery journey. Through this community-based healing cycle, survivors become an empowering force to help other survivors heal and advocate for non-clinical paths to finding strength and to re-associate with their bodies.
Not surprisingly, Sacred Cycle was born on a bike. About half-way through a long mountain bike training ride, Sacred Cycle's founder, Heather Russell, had the idea to combine the benefits of cycling with other healing modalities to help treat the complexities of sexual trauma and the subsequent side-effects that ensue. As she pedaled, slowly but surely, the program that exists today unfolded.
Sacred Cycle works to fill the gap between traditional or stigmatized therapeutic practices with alternative and individualized mental health connective services, unique to vulnerable survivors of sexual trauma. Specifically, Sacred Cycle programming uses trauma-informed practices and the medium of a mountain bike to create a holistic cycle of healing designed to help prevent poor community health outcomes, higher rates of chronic illness, chronic PTSD, and increased rates of substance dependence.
Organization name
Sacred Cycle
other names
SC
2015
Tax id (EIN)
81-1114192
Category
Mental Health & Crisis Intervention, Recreation & Sports, Education
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
PO Box 2116Eagle County, CO, US