Ceremonial approaches essential to healing in Native American community

“Collateral damage” is defined as a general term for deaths, injuries or other damage inflicted on something other than the intended target. The “other” in this definition can easily be expanded on to include emotional, psychological, spiritual and cultural effects. The impact of collateral damage does not simply begin and end with the individual originally subjected to the event—that person is damaged along with those directly and indirectly a part of their lives. The impact of this event may constitute an ongoing, potentially endless struggle for the victim and his/her immediate relationships, affecting generations to come.

When evidence is gathered to consider the effects of addiction, for example, researchers have presented study after study regarding the effects on the user as well as on family members and friends. It is from this research that we hear terms such as codependency and adult children of alcoholics.¹

Research on the violence against Native Americans living on tribal lands has shown that victims of violence often reported manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, chronic pain, substance abuse, promiscuity, suicidal ideation and communal deterioration. It also was reported that those close to the victim experienced similar symptoms.² The impact of this damage is felt in all areas of the victim’s life, as well as in the lives of those around them.

The impact on future generations can be seen in the consequences of trauma and abuse experienced in the residential and day schools that many American Indian children attend. The impact affects every part of the person. These children never learned how to play, to be a friend, to be a member of a family, to be a member of their culture, or how to participate in their ceremonies and become a member of their community. Therefore, they did not have the knowledge to pass on to future generations. A vast amount of research has shed light on the painful influences of these schools and their overall agendas. Even after two, three or more generations of federal and mission schooling and assimilation, it has not taken away the interest and learning that Native people desire.³

This challenge for Native people involves how to be Indian and also how to deal with the severe pain from these experiences. In many, what is experienced, felt and lived is what has been referred to as the wounded soul or the “soul wound.”⁴ This concept also is referred to as historical trauma and intergenerational PTSD.⁵ The impact is seen in all areas of the victim’s life and affects all relationships, as it is always present. The result is what we have referred to as collateral damage.⁶

This state of being in which the victim lives is then passed to those around them, and what they experienced has created a person often unable to be the parent, spouse, grandparent, sibling and so on because they never had the teachings, lessons or role models to take on those responsibilities. Instead, they pass on the emotional struggles that they live with to everyone in their circle. This loss has gone unspoken and undefined, but the impact can be seen in the high rates of addiction, depression, anxiety, suicide, PTSD and other emotionally laden disorders so commonly seen in many Native communities. It has been documented that of the 1.2% of the U.S. population identified as Native American or Alaskan Native, 21% had a diagnosable mental illness in the past year. Rates of PTSD are also twice as high as that seen in the general population.

Treatment and intervention

In order to change these behaviors in a healthy manner and to begin any healing, the trauma must be faced from a ceremonial perspective. It is only then that a new attitude and life can be passed to the next generation. Just as the collateral damage has affected so many generations, this healing can then begin to affect the generations to come. It is only through tradition and ceremonial ways that this will occur.

This can be viewed directly at the Lone Eagle Treatment Center in Elsipogtog, New Brunswick in Canada. The treatment center provides short-term substance use treatment focused on traditional and cultural teachings, with direct involvement with one of the largest Sun Dances in Eastern Canada. As people in treatment begin their healing journey, they are involved from the beginning with the standard Western society approach to addiction treatment along with a Native ceremonial approach.

The typical day begins with breakfast, daily chores, smudging, prayers and a talking circle. The treatment members attend groups on the physical effects of alcohol and drugs, family dynamics, dysfunctional family units, anger management, relapse prevention, personal and spiritual development, individual recovery planning, recreational therapy and crafts. Everyone is provided with a treatment orientation, case management services, assessments, aftercare planning and life skills development. The Native treatment focus includes talking circles, instruction from elders and therapists, pipe ceremonies and sweat lodges. There also are groups on the history of Native American people, as well as crafts focused on Native culture.

Once a person has successfully graduated the program, they can begin to participate in the White Eagle Sun Dance, at first by helping and eventually as a dancer. The requirement for this is that the person continues with their commitment to the Sun Dance and to their new drug- and alcohol-free life. A Sun Dance ceremony usually involves a community gathering together to pray for healing.

The Sun Dance includes many dancers who may never have had struggles with addiction, but believe in the traditional ways of the Sun Dance and are committed to the ceremony. This particular Sun Dance has been occurring for more than 18 years, and the positive impact can be seen throughout the community.

In a personal communication with Sharon Morris earlier this year, she reflected on her experiences of attending Sun Dance ceremonies for more than 20 years in the U.S. and now for the last 14 years at the White Eagle Sun Dance, which is led by the Sun Dance Chief William Nevin along with the constant support of his wife Connie Francis. Sharon reminisced about how the Sun Dance began, the early struggles and how it has now become an intricate part of the Elsipogtog community. She further discussed that her first encounter with the Sun Dance was when it was still in the beginning stages and how she was very impressed at how involved the community was.

Initially the community had a huge alcohol and drug problem, along with high suicide rates among children and adults. Being involved and seeing the growth and healing has been very rewarding. Children who once were in unhealthy families and struggling with their own issues with alcohol and drugs are now becoming Sun Dancers themselves as they witnessed the healing of their parents. Sharon discussed how she has watched people who were addicts go through treatment and become Sun Dancers, and who now have a strong commitment to the community, to the Sun Dance, and to Creator.

There now are children and adolescents who have never used alcohol or drugs and who are looking forward to becoming Sun Dancers. In the early years, children are with their families in the arbors that surround the Sun Dance, and later they begin to support the ceremony by becoming tree choppers and helping with smudging and attending sweat lodges, later becoming Sun Dancers themselves.

Sharon discussed how at one time children were not allowed to play outside without adult supervision, but now the children are out playing, helping the elders, and helping those who may be dealing with the plight of addiction. Society often sees the reservation as a place of dysfunction and addiction. Instead, what is seen when healing occurs from one generation to the next is a community where there is a sense of spirituality and faith as people are taking care of their families, seeking out educational opportunities, and actively engaging in the community's political well-being. Whether a person completely supports the Sun Dance or not, they have access to sweat lodge ceremonies, the Sun Dance tree as a place to pray, and the Sun Dance itself along with the entire Sun Dance community.

The Sun Dance community is not just a part of New Brunswick. It reaches out into the states and across Canada as people from all over from various denominations can pray and be part of a community that is determined that the next generation will be healthy and will know how to be Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, and active members of a community. The teaching is that we as a people need to take care of one another and to understand the power of prayer and to help one another without judgment. From all of this it can be seen that there is a way to save communities and families and to touch the children, showing them there is a way to live that is healthy and available to all.

Future recommendations

From the above discussion. the primary goal is to begin an open dialogue in regard to the essential need for American Indians with addictions and their families to have available to them traditional ceremonies when treatment options are being offered. For recovery to occur, a traditional treatment approach is needed to begin the process for the addict, the family and the community. The awareness and recognition of the damage that has occurred must be openly and honestly discussed in order for the healing to begin. After this awareness, traditional ceremonial ways can be introduced and built upon as the individual advances and personal recovery increases. It is recognized that through the individual’s healing, the people and places connected to them will begin to heal as well.

The data collected in this discussion were primarily observational in nature and were based on personal and professional interviews and experiences. The goal is to begin a discussion on the importance of ceremonial ways in regard to treatment for American Indian clients and their families and communities. As awareness is raised, this may increase interest in conducting additional research that further advances the understanding and acceptance of those outside Native communities regarding the tremendous value of Native American ceremonies as an essential part of Native American treatment. From this development and acceptance, true healing in a much broader scope is anticipated.

Jesse J. Morris, PhD, LPC, is the chair of the human services program at Central Maine Community College in Auburn, Maine. He has worked on reservations as a mental health and substance abuse clinician. William Nevin is a substance abuse counselor at Lone Eagle Treatment Center in Elsipogtog, New Brunswick. He has worked in the addiction field for more than 25 years.

References

1. Cermak T. Children of alcoholics and the case for a new category of codependency. Alc Health Res World 1984;8:38-42.

2. Hardy A, Brown-Rice K. Violence and residual associations among Native Americans living on tribal lands. Prof Couns 2016;6:328-43.

3. Lomawaima K, McCarty T. To Remain an Indian: Lessons in Democracy from a Century of Native American Education. New York City: Teachers College Press; 2006.

4. Duran E. Healing the Soul Wound: Counseling with American Indians and Other Native Peoples. New York City: Teachers College Press; 2006.

5. Brave Heart M, DeBruyn L. The American Indian Holocaust: healing historical unresolved grief. Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res 1998;8:56-78.

6. Morris J, Nevin W. Collateral damage and collateral healing in our American Indian communities: what needs to occur and where to begin. Eur Sci J 2014;10.