Indigenous healing : exploring traditional paths

Ross, Rupert 1946- (Author).

Summary: Imagine a world in which people see themselves as embedded in the natural order, with ethical responsibilities not only toward each other, but also toward rocks, trees, water and all nature. Imagine seeing yourself not as a master of Creation, but as the most humble, dependent and vulnerable part. Rupert Ross explores this indigenous world view and the determination of indigenous thinkers to restore it to full prominence today. He comes to understand that an appreciation of this perspective is vital to understanding the destructive forces of colonization. As a former Crown Attorney in northern Ontario, Ross witnessed many of these forces. He examines them here with a special focus on residential schools and their power to destabilize entire communities long after the last school has closed. With help from many indigenous authors, he explores their emerging conviction that healing is now better described as "decolonization therapy." And the key to healing, they assert, is a return to the traditional indigenous world view. The author of two previous bestsellers on indigenous themes, Dancing with a Ghost and Returning to the Teachings, Ross shares his continuing personal journey into traditional understanding with all of the confusion, delight and exhilaration of learning to see the world in a different way. Ross sees the beginning of a vibrant future for indigenous people across Canada as they begin to restore their own definition of a "healthy person" and bring that indigenous wellness into being once again. Indigenous Healing is a hopeful book, not only for indigenous people, but for all others open to accepting some of their ancient lessons about who we might choose to be.

Record details

ISBN: 9780143191100 (pbk.)
Physical Description: xxi, 322 pages ; 21 cm
print
Publisher: Toronto, Ontario : Penguin, 2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Part One: Stumbling into a World of Right Relations. Chapter 1. Learning to See Relationally -- Chapter 2. Seeing Justice Relationally -- Chapter 3. Moving into Right Relations ; The Embedded Indigenous Soul ; Ethical Responsibilities toward All of Creation ; Languages Built on Spiritual Connections ; Place, Space and the Medicine Wheel ; The Centrality of the Circle and Ceremony ; The Fundamental Posture of Thankfulness ; The Notion That Humans Are Fundamentally Good ; Right Relations and True Knowledge -- Part Two: Colonization. Chapter 4. The Many Sources of Harm ; Diseases ; The Denigration of Women and Their Roles ; Legal Discrimination ; Relocation of Families and Communities -- Chapter 5. The Residential School System ; The Children Were Prisoners, Not Just Students ; They Suffered a Deep Sense of Abandonment ; They Lived with Poverty, Disease and Sometimes Death ; Everything about Them Was Denigrated ; Their Relationship with Staff Was Often Abusive ; Their Relationships with Other Students Were Often Abusive -- Chapter 6. Exploring the Psychological Damage ; The Phenomenon of Silence ; Learned Helplessness ; Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ; Emotional Suppression ; Socio-Cultural Shame ; The Attraction of Alcohol and Drugs ; The Damage Done to Aboriginal Society -- Chapter 7. Going Home -- Chapter 8. Continuing Disconnection ; The Sixties Scoop ; The Impact of Jail -- Part Three: Healing from Colonization. Chapter 9. How to Begin -- Chapter 10. Three Healing Programs ; Hollow Water's Community Holistic Circle Healing Program ; The National Native Alcohol and Drug Addiction Program (NNADAP) ; The RedPath Program -- Chapter 11. Aboriginal Healing: Twelve Striking Differences ; The Special Focus on Spirit ; The Definition of a "Healthy Person" ; The Reliance on Group Healing ; Individual Healing Grounded in Social Healing ; Restoration of the Emotional Realm ; Ceremonies and Catharsis ; The Uniqueness of Aboriginal Healers ; Respect for the Worth of Everyone ; The Belief That It's Not Always Necessary to Talk Your Way Back to Health ; The Importance of Land in the Healing Journey ; The Adoption of Complementary Western Therapies ; Healing as a Lifelong Effort.