Spiritual healing part of addictions recovery

By Lethbridge Herald on July 11, 2024.

Tipis are set up in Galt Gardens during National Indigenous Peoples Day last month. Those working to help in the midst of the drug crisis say returning to culture has a profound impact on Indigenous people suffering through addiction. Herald photo by Justin Sibbet

Editor’s note: This is the second part of a three-part series looking at the southern Alberta opioid crisis through an Indigenous lens

Alexandra Noad – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The last Canadian residential school closed in 1996. These schools were just one of the many attempts by the Canadian government to assimilate Indigenous peoples.

Because of these attempts, many Indigenous people feel lost without an identity.

Rachel Bush was adopted by a white family when she was a baby. It wasn’t until she was an adult and reconnected with her biological mother, that she realized she was Indigenous. When Bush was a teenager she found herself in some vulnerable situations, but was able to pull herself out when she had her daughter.

“I’ve seen people I was close to in high school become addicted to stuff. So that was hard to watch. And really, after having my daughter, I had to smarten up. So I’m just glad it never went anything more hardcore than alcohol,” said Bush.

Bush says she has had to work hard on herself to not pass her intergenerational trauma on to her daughter. While she has the desire to reconnect with her culture she has had her share of difficulties with finding the right resources.

“My biological mother isn’t like that into our culture. So it’s hard to learn more from her and then try to learn as much as I can from my ancestors because everyone lives so far away or different kind of lifestyles, it’s hard to get connected as much as like you want to,” said Bush.

Leslie Wells, Blood Tribe opioid response coordinator, had her share of addiction, but was able to recover through help from the leaders in her culture.

“I am someone with lived experience in all aspects of that, falling into addiction because of past traumas. Reaching out to services to help me was great about what would really help was my culture, my support and my elders support from them was very, it was very empowering,” said Wells.

“That’s how our culture feels when you’re in the midst of your culture. When you’re in ceremony you begin to feel hopeful. You begin to start feeling that healing aspect and you feel balanced within yourself and your spiritual, your physical, emotional. Our culture just provides that for us. And in turn it gives you hope and gives you back your identity, gives you back that strong sense of belonging to Creator and to the land,” said Wells.

Charles Weaselhead, former Blood Tribe Chief and Treaty 7 Grand Chief, has devoted many years to helping people who have suffered addiction because if inter-generational trauma. Weaselhead says returning to culture has a profound impact on Indigenous people suffering through addiction.

“During that early period, I think our communities were unable to bring back the cultural values that we see today as part of the most important components to addiction and training, which regards to that,” said Weaselhead.

“I’m very, very glad over the course of time that our people have come back and really, as you know, a deep cultural that the spiritual aspect of healing is the most one of the most natural series modes of healing our people and we’re beginning to see our people coming back to that foundation of who we are with regards to our traditions and our cultures,” said Weaselhead.

Troy “Bossman” Knowlton, Chief of the Piikani Nation, says he hopes by sharing how overcoming his addictions by returning to his Blackfoot culture will help others follow suit.

“I always talk about the ceremonial part of it and how it changed my life and it was right for me and all Blackfoot people and (the) opportunities for all of us if we of choose to be that way, said Knowlton.

Wells echoed the same sentiment of the Blackfoot people are welcoming with opens arms for those who need help.

“The hardest thing to do, was ask for help. But once I was able to overcome that and ask for help, it was open arms from everybody. As Indigenous people we are a very collective we work together. We accept everybody, everything. And so once I knew I was accepted the culture that the ceremonies, everything just came naturally. It’s in our DNA. It’s never lost within us, our DNA, but it’s lost because we’ve had so much trauma that’s suppressing it.”

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