The Institute for Healing of Memories-North America (IHOM-NA) is an affiliate of the Institute for Healing of Memories in South Africa, founded by Fr. Michael Lapsley to promote healing and reconciliation in the post apartheid years. In 1990 he survived a letter bomb sent by the apartheid regime, and has since devoted his life to facilitating the healing of others. He began the Healing of Memories methodology while working at the Trauma Center for Victims of Violence and Torture in Cape Town, South Africa, which supplemented the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who continues to be a patron of the Institute.As the value of Healing of Memories workshops were increasingly recognized, the South African Institute was invited by partner organizations and governments in many other countries to conduct workshops, train facilitators, and consult on issues of healing and reconciliation. Since the 1990s, the Institute has provided Healing of Memories workshops around the world, enabling participants from diverse ethnic groups, races, and religions to reach a better understanding of themselves and each other.In March 1999, the first Healing of Memories workshop in the United States was held at Riverside Church in New York City. Its enthusiastic reception demonstrated that the methodology and message of the Institute were as relevant in North America as in South Africa. Soon thereafter facilitators were trained to offer workshops in the United States. The Institute for Healing of Memories-North America was incorporated in April 2009 in Delaware as a nonprofit corporation.
