Abstract
This Chapter centres mental health and an understanding of healing from within particular aural/oral traditions of Indigenous North America that the authors have direct experience with. These understandings are primarily rooted in Anishinabi traditions but also extend to other Indigenous Nations within the Algonquian language family. Lived experience is critical in being able to begin to humbly articulate a perspective of the mind and healing that arises from within particular traditions of Indigenous Knowledge. In this Chapter, the mind is presented and understood holistically (i.e.: interrelatable with physicality and spirituality). In addition, the Chapter further outlines the importance of holistic relationship through noted connections between the individual, the community and the natural world. As an example of ‘restoring mental health’, the sweat lodge ceremony, practiced by some First Nations in North America, is described as a tool to help one return to a balanced state of being.
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Thrasher, M., Robbins, J. (2018). Respect and Relationship: A Perspective on Indigenous Mental Health from Turtle Island/North America. In: Fernando, S., Moodley, R. (eds) Global Psychologies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95816-0_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95816-0_11
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