To First Nations, the term healing has a much broader meaning than in Euro-Canadian society. According to traditional teachings, health can most simply be defined as “living your life in balance according to the natural laws of the Creator.” First Nations believe that there are four aspects of man – Emotional, Mental (intellectual), Spiritual and Physical and they must be maintained in balance to be healthy. This difference in the definition of health reflects the different way the two groups view illness and disease. In First Nations belief, disease is a manifestation of a person’s imbalance between these four aspects.
Culture as Healing
This concept is based on the belief that the human body is an organism with self-healing and strong recuperative capabilities which when maintained properly is capable of ongoing health and longevity. Where disease does exist, a Traditional Healer aims to correct both the internal and external imbalances for the patient. In First Nations cultures healing is the process of bringing aspects of one’s body-mind-spirit to a deeper level of inner knowing that leads to integration and balance. Where Euro-Canadian Physicians seek to cure the disease, First Nations traditional healers do not claim to cure the disease, but work to facilitate the body's own recuperative powers.
Ceremonies are usually passed down from generation to generation. It must be pointed out that every First Nation has its own traditions and ceremonies, but the purpose of these ceremonies is the same: to promote balance, and harmony. As well, ceremony also focuses the participant's attention and energies inward to promote the body's own natural healing powers. Some, such as the sweat lodge, serve to cleanse the body of chemical impurities and clear the mind. Traditional healing acknowledges that healing occurs as a result of the connection with the spirit world and that the interconnection of life and healing is a natural phenomenon.
The Role of Healers
As stated earlier, among First Nations people healers are not viewed in the same way as physicians are in Western society. Healers do not focus on simply one aspect of healing. Using a holistic method that treats the mind, body and spirit, Healers treat the whole person. Like their medical counterparts, traditional healers follow a code of ethics that include:
- Identify and Treat the Causes - Identify and to remove the underlying causes of illness, rather than to merely eliminate or suppress symptoms.
- First Do No Harm - Use methods which minimize the risk of harmful side effects, using the least force necessary to diagnose and treat; Respect the Patient's right to chose the treatment modality that meets his needs; Avoid, when possible, the harmful suppressing of symptoms; and Acknowledge, respect and work with the individual's self-healing process.
- Treat the Whole Person- Treat each patient by taking into account individual physical, mental, emotional, genetic, environmental and social factors.
- Support the Healing Power of the Body- Act to identify and remove obstacles to healing and recovery, and to facilitate and increase this inherent self-healing process.
Integrating Traditional Healing in Clinical Settings
The intent of Traditional Healers is not to replace mainstream methods of healing, but rather to complement clinical treatment. Across Canada, interest is growing in the integration of these methods with the contemporary biomedical model. It must also be pointed out that this is not exclusive to First Nations healing but many different complementary or alternative healing methods. Science is starting to recognize the value of using culture as healing and the fact that the mind, body and environment also play a role in illness and recovery. It is by working with Traditional Healers that patients can receive the care that many are seeking.
