Indigenous Healing Approaches

Western traditional medicine often seeks one cure to treat as many people as possible. Indigenous traditional healing, by contrast, usually works in a more holistic way to restore the relationship each person has with the earth, plants and animals, the community, and the spirit world. Imbalances in any or all of these areas can combine to bring illness. Indigenous traditional healing approaches tend to focus on the spirit, healing of the heart, collective healing, healing of the land, and clearing energy. Traditional ceremonies, music, dance, song, storytelling, food and drink preparations and spaces, such as sweatlodges play important roles in Indigenous traditional healing practices and approaches.