From Calling to Practice: Bob Vetter on Indigenous Wisdom, Curanderismo, and the Art of Soul Healing

Anthropologist-turned-healer Bob Vetter shares how decades with Indigenous elders—and a life-changing story from a Comanche medicine man—shaped his path from academic study to hands-on healing. We talk about vision, story as medicine, curanderismo, energy work, and Bob's framework for helping people move from calling to an ethical, grounded healing practice.

In this conversation, we explore how your soul's whispers can become a trustworthy path. Bob Vetter traces his journey from seventh-grade meditation and Eastern philosophy to ethnographic fieldwork in Oklahoma, where he was adopted into Native families and mentored by elders. A profound healing story he received—about a "visitor" of fire and the return to order—reframed everything he knew about illness, power, and service.

We also get into how to ethically bridge traditions, what "healed vs. cured" really means, and Bob's Soul Medicine: The Journey from Calling to Healing Practice—a practical container for people who feel the pull to serve but don't know where to start.

What we cover

• Following a spiritual calling and letting it unfold one step at a time
• Bob's formative years in anthropology, India, and "participant-observer" fieldwork
• Being adopted by Native families and learning through community and story
• The life-changing healing story from a Comanche medicine man and its meaning
• Healed vs. cured: moving from chaos to order (and why both outcomes matter)
• Curanderismo (Mesoamerican folk healing), sound healing, medical qigong & energy work
• Dream symbolism (white & red roses) as a metaphor for re-patterning a life
• Bridging Western & Indigenous frameworks with humility and integrity
• Story as medicine, technology as a tool, and the importance of community

Listener takeaways

• Your hardships can become the source of your medicine for others
• You can be healed without being cured—and cured without being healed
• A workable session framework needs a beginning, middle, and end
• Start your path by discerning the shape of your calling and your own healing

Connect

• Website & free resources: bobvetter.com
• Program: Soul Medicine — The Journey from Calling to Healing Practice (details on his website)
• Blog & podcast archive: on bobvetter.com
• Connect with Heather: www.heathereck.com or www.heathereckstudios.com