The healing lodge sits at the edge of a northern Alberta lake, its wooden beams weathered by countless seasons. Inside, the scent of sage and sweetgrass fills the air as Cree Elder Margaret Whitecalf guides a healing circle for survivors of intergenerational trauma. This scene represents a growing movement across Canada – the integration of Indigenous cultural practices into mental health treatment.
“When we talk about healing complex trauma, we need to understand that for many Indigenous communities, culture isn’t supplementary to treatment – it is the treatment,” explains Dr. Leigh Sheldon, a psychologist of Métis descent who splits her practice between Edmonton’s urban Indigenous population and remote communities across Alberta’s north.
My conversation with Sheldon took place on a crisp autumn morning at her office, where dreamcatchers hang alongside her credentials, a visual representation of her professional approach bridging Western psychology and Indigenous healing traditions.
“For generations, our communities have understood trauma differently than Western models,” Sheldon says, adjusting her glasses. “When colonization disrupted our cultural practices, it also disrupted our natural healing systems. Now we’re reclaiming those systems.”
The statistics paint a sobering picture. According to Health Canada data, Indigenous peoples experience post-traumatic stress disorder at rates nearly twice the national average. The 2019 First Nations Regional Health Survey found that 74% of respondents identified access to traditional healing practices as important to their wellbeing.
What distinguishes Indigenous approaches to trauma recovery is their holistic nature. Rather than isolating psychological symptoms, traditional healing addresses the whole person – spirit, emotions, mind, and body – while also recognizing the person’s place within family, community, and the natural world.
Elder Robert Cardinal from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, who partners with mental health professionals at Edmonton’s Indigenous Wellness Clinic, explains the difference: “Western medicine asks ‘what’s wrong with you?’ Our way asks ‘what happened to you, and who are the people who can help you heal?'”
This distinction proves crucial for patients like Sarah (name changed for privacy), a 34-year-old Cree woman who struggled with complex PTSD after surviving residential school impacts that rippled through her family for three generations.
“I spent years in therapy, taking medications, but still felt disconnected,” she told me during a community healing gathering in St. Paul. “It wasn’t until I participated in a traditional sweat lodge ceremony that something shifted. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, like my pain was seen and held by my ancestors.”
The growing recognition of culture as medicine has sparked innovative programming across the province. The Nechi Institute near Edmonton now offers accredited counsellor training that integrates Indigenous knowledge with clinical psychology. Meanwhile, Alberta Health Services recently expanded its Indigenous Wellness Core program, which employs cultural helpers alongside medical professionals.
Sherry McKay, director of the Institute’s trauma recovery program, shares that their approach blends traditional protocols with evidence-based practices. “Our participants engage with Elders, participate in ceremonies, and reconnect with language while also receiving clinical support for symptoms like flashbacks or anxiety.”
This integration hasn’t come without challenges. Funding structures often fail to recognize traditional healing practices as legitimate health services. Dr. James Makokis, a Two-Spirit Cree physician practicing in Enoch Cree Nation, points to systemic barriers.
“We still fight for recognition that paying an Elder requires the same respect as paying a psychiatrist,” Makokis notes. “These knowledge keepers hold centuries of wisdom about human wellness, yet our systems struggle to value this expertise properly.”
Another challenge lies in research methodology. Western academic standards often demand types of evidence that don’t align with Indigenous ways of knowing. However, this is changing. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research now funds community-based participatory research that honors Indigenous perspectives on what constitutes valid evidence.
A groundbreaking 2021 study published in the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health demonstrated significant improvements in well-being measures among participants in culture-based healing programs. Researchers found that regular participation in ceremonies correlated with reduced depression symptoms and improved social connection.
“The medicine wheel teaches us that balance is essential to wellness,” Sheldon explains, sketching the four quadrants representing spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental dimensions. “Complex trauma disrupts this balance. Cultural practices help restore it.”
Importantly, cultural approaches to trauma don’t reject conventional therapy. Instead, many practitioners advocate for what Elder Albert Lightning calls “two-eyed seeing” – using the strengths of both Indigenous and Western healing traditions together.
For Sheldon, this integration represents the future of trauma treatment. She recalls working with a young man who had attempted suicide multiple times before finding healing through a combination of traditional ceremony and targeted therapy.
“He told me that ceremony gave him purpose and connection, while therapy gave him tools to manage flashbacks and regulate emotions,” she says. “Together, these approaches helped him reclaim his story.”
As our interview concludes, Sheldon emphasizes that cultural healing isn’t just beneficial for Indigenous peoples. “These approaches offer wisdom for everyone. In a society where disconnection feeds much of our collective trauma, practices that restore our sense of belonging and meaning have universal value.”
The sun streams through her office window as she offers a final thought: “The journey of decolonizing mental health isn’t just about recognizing harm. It’s about honoring the resilience and wisdom that have sustained Indigenous communities through unimaginable challenges. That wisdom has much to teach us all about healing.”
As Canada continues its reconciliation journey, the integration of Indigenous healing practices into trauma treatment represents more than clinical innovation. It embodies a profound acknowledgment that the path forward requires honoring ancient wisdom alongside contemporary science, creating healing spaces where culture isn’t just included – it leads the way.
