Merging Indigenous Healing with Western Therapy

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 03:43:57 GMT

I am a Métis-Cree woman who stands barefoot and humbled by my experiences and those of my ancestors. Indigenous people have faced mental health struggles at an exponential rate since colonialism began. Growing up I saw the impact of the loss of culture through the events around me as a child on reserve land. I knew that something was wrong, but I was not able to identify it as I was living it myself. I leaned into academics to empower the future of my family. The Sto:lo Nation gave me guidance and support through my academic journey. Now as an Indigenous woman with academic knowledge in psychology and counselling, I look back at what truly helped me heal. I participated in Indigenous healing and Western counselling through different resources. However, what happens if these services were to come together? What happens if Indigenous people could heal not just part of their being, but heal as a whole individual?

I am grateful for the Canadian Mental Health System and the service they offer. I am grateful for the hard work and dedication mental health professionals put into maintaining a high level of care. I am saddened that there is limited room in the current mental health system for other cultures, and ways of healing. Currently, graduate-level psychology within academia does not have much room for Indigenous healing methods even though these methods have been around much before academia was created. There are benefits to integrating culture with Western counselling methods. The most effective tools from both worlds could be joined, and mental health services may become less intimidating and less colonial.

Western psychology within the academic enterprise has developed two long standing, effective treatments for mental health being Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT). To achieve a high level of rigor in the scientific community these methods were tested, and the results quantified using comparative statistics. It is fabulous that CBT and DBT have shown successful treatment results for decades through repeated experiments. Thus, CBT and DBT have been used to treat range of populations including Indigenous communities.

The challenge is that there has been little to no research done on how effective CBT and DBT are when working with Indigenous populations. The topic is multifaceted and convoluted as CBT and DBT do not leave room for spirituality or culture. There has been little to no research done regarding Indigenous healing because much of academia is based on receiving funding through observing quantifiable results rather than qualitative results that can capture the impact of healing on the individual. Qualitative results can be useful for documenting the impact of trauma. One traumatic event experienced by two individuals will have unique effects, thus using the same quantitative measure for the effects of trauma results in inaccurate depiction. Qualitative analysis would probe into each event and outline the individual experience offering validity of experience to the individual and reduce chances of minimising the trauma. If qualitative research was done with Indigenous communities, increasing/facilitating the understanding of the impact that Western counselling methods and TIH have on the daily life of individuals, this would open up the opportunity for Indigenous people to feel heard and understood. They could share with academia what helps their people heal, and what inhibits the healing process. This is a form of reconciliation. Bridging the gap in mental health after generations of cyclic trauma.

There are great similarities between TIHM and WCM. The goals of TIH and Western Counselling align. CBT and TIH both focus on changing unhealthy thoughts. This is done by the individual doing their best to maintain logical thought and utilising a reasoning process. Uncomfortable emotions are acknowledged by TIH and WCM. Both methods work on emotion identification that leads to understanding emotions and behaviours that relate to emotions. Physical sensations that accompany emotions are explored with the individual bringing a higher sense of self understanding. This can be done in a room with a counsellor, one on one with an Indigenous healer, or in a group or sacred circle. When the individual is aware of their emotions and their physical sensations, they are more likely to have logical behavioural changes that are conducive to a higher quality of life through changes in their mental health.

DBT and TIH both focus on the mind, physical state, communication and balance. Both methods use mindfulness techniques such as meditation. Meditation aims to calm the mind and bring the individual into the present. Some common meditations used in TIH are the Eagle Feather Meditation and the Releasing Addictions Meditation. Distress tolerance is addressed through self-soothing techniques which can include grounding or artwork. Both methods use distraction which can include physical exercise or engaging in artwork. Living in the moment is an important part of healing for DBT and TIH as it promotes the individual to be mindful of their current actions, the world around them and the consequences of their choices. Emotional regulation is at the heart of DBT and TIH, as both underline that the individual benefits from having balance in life and not exhausting their mental health in any one area of their life. Emotional expression is encouraged in both methods making room for and normalising emotional states and the sharing of emotions. Interpersonal effectiveness is an overarching goal of both methods to improve quality of life through communication and the connectedness with others. This includes learning ways to communicate with others to promote stability in family, friendships and professional relationships.

If front line mental health professionals were exposed to methods outside of Western counselling psychology, the field of counselling could make room for culture within healing. This could include integrating cultural perspectives and understanding into academic coursework. This could also include making culturally sensitive coursework as part of continuing education for registered clinical counsellors. Integrating scientific qualitative research with traditional qualitative research gives hope for the birth of culturally sensitive mental health practices that are all inclusive. This approach would be an important way to break down walls of oppression that Indigenous people may face when they seek mental health treatment, being that they can bring all their being into the treatment rather than having only a portion of their life being treated.

Chi-miigwech

Shannon

The Healing Space Counselling News

Merging Indigenous Healing with Western Therapy