Healing Room Initiative

Community wellness

Welcome to the Healing Room Initiative

A culturally grounded, tech-enabled wellness space for First Nations Health Centres.

Explore a pilot What is a Healing Room?

About the Initiative

The Healing Room Initiative is co-led by Nene Kraneveldt of ImaginationFX and Tanja Yardley of the Brainnovation Network—two leaders committed to strengthening community wellness through culturally aligned, tech-enabled, community-operated healing spaces.

Together, we bring a partnership that honours culture, lived experience, clinical innovation, and community-driven design. Our shared approach blends Indigenous worldviews, modern wellness tools, and the wisdom of Elders, Youth, and community members to create safe spaces where people can reconnect, regulate, and heal close to home.

Our team

Nene Kraneveldt is a respected Indigenous community consultant, facilitator, and wellness advocate known for her work supporting Nations in reclaiming cultural identity, strengthening governance, and building community-centered programs. As founder of ImaginationFX, she specializes in designing initiatives that uplift Youth and Elders, strengthen cultural connection, and embed community vision into long-term planning.

Nene brings decades of experience working with First Nations governments, health teams, schools, and cultural leaders to co-create spaces that support healing, safety, and holistic well-being.

As Community Integration Lead, Nene ensures each Healing Room reflects the heart of the Nation—guided by community voices, led by local champions, and grounded in culture every step of the way.

Tanja has been a Physiotherapist and Brain Health Researcher for 30+ years, and her company, Brainnovation Network, is a global ecosystem designed to help communities access tools for brain health, mobility, aging, and emotional well-being. Her work spans diverse populations—from professional athletes to military veterans to Indigenous communities—reflecting her belief that everyone deserves access to tools that support brain health across the lifespan.

Tanja received the Canadian Physiotherapy Association's Centenary Medal of Distinction for national impact and innovation in 2021.

As Clinical Innovation Lead, she works with communities to design, implement, and sustain Healing Rooms using culturally aligned, low-barrier wellness tools supported by training, coaching, and wellness pathways that strengthen brain, body, and emotional health.

Together, we support First Nations in building Healing Rooms that are culturally grounded, future-ready, and community-led from day one.

The Healing Room Initiative

A culturally grounded, tech-enabled wellness space for First Nations Health Centres.

What is a Healing Room?

A Healing Room is a quiet, calming space inside a community health centre that blends Indigenous knowledge with modern wellness tools. It uses gentle, non-invasive modalities—light, sound, vibration, breath, balance training, and brain-body regulation—to help people feel clearer, calmer, stronger, and more connected.

Why it matters

Communities are seeking ways to support Youth facing stress, isolation, and attention challenges, and to honour Elders by helping them stay strong and independent. The Healing Room is one answer—offering proactive, restorative care before a crisis happens.

Community benefits

Elders receive care without leaving community

Reduced pressure on hospitals and emergency services

Local staff gain skills and certifications

A safe, welcoming space that reflects community values

A pathway for Youth to participate meaningfully in wellness

A culturally aligned model that strengthens health sovereignty

Healing Room tools and technologies could include

Assessment tools (these are the most common, but we have many others available):

Lab quality brain health assessments (brain fog, memory or attention problems)
Nervous system assessments (mood, coping styles, fight-or-flight responses)
Digital movement assessments to assess movement quality
Force plates to test balance and assess risk of falls
General wellness assessments

We can train community teams to administer these simple tools, or we can support by bringing a team in for regular “wellness assessment days.”

Health and wellness interventions (these are most common, but we have others available):

Pressure wave therapy for sensory input and nervous system regulation
Light therapy (photobiomodulation) for improved blood flow and energy
Electromagnetic field therapy for improved microcirculation and tissue repair
Balance training for fall prevention
Low impact vibration therapy for bone density and strength
Heart-brain coherence tools for emotional balance and resiliency
Neurofeedback to train various brain states
Personalized music therapy

Most of these modalities are easy to operate, low risk, and many are designed for individuals to operate at home, so some sites also have rental/loan programs. We also have a comprehensive list of research studies on each of these modalities in addition to lived experience as clinicians.

Funding options

One of the most affordable options is a lease-in/rental model, where the monthly cost of the lounge can be written off as an operating expense. There are also several applicable grants available to communities, and we have a grant-writing team to assist where needed.

Person in forest with traditional drum and drumstick, arms raised among trees

Why now?

The epidemic of emotional dysregulation, numbing behaviours and climbing rates of ADHD, anxiety and depression is affecting humanity globally, and it's crucial that we find ways to support individuals, families and communities.

Indigenous Elders face higher rates of certain health conditions, frailty, fall risk, and early cognitive decline, often without access to proactive tools that support independence.

Nations are calling for community-operated, culturally aligned systems that blend ancestral teachings with modern technologies. Together, we can answer that call.

The Healing Room answers that call—grounded in culture, powered by innovation and care.

Healing Room lounge concept

Next steps

We are inviting communities to explore a pilot Healing Room, including installation, training, clinical support, and culturally tailored program design.

Email us Call 250-897-5430

[email protected]