Indigenous Trauma and Dissociation: Healers, Psychotherapies, and the Drum

By Sandra Lee Paulsen and Shelley Pompana Spear Chief

This book is offered by two seasoned psychotherapists, one indigenous and one dominant culture, to help dominant culture therapists bridge the gap in provision of psychotherapy services to indigenous clients. Because trauma is complex and ubiquitous for First Nations/Native American/indigenous peoples, the need is great for healing methods, whether traditional tribal methods or psychotherapeutic methods. Dominant culture therapists may want to help but are unsure how to proceed and reluctant to make basic errors from lack of cultural understanding. This book summarizes the history of historical and inter generational trauma, and reviews some of the traditional ceremonial healing methods available to indigenous clients who wish to learn or participate in them. Avoiding cultural appropriation errors, there is still plenty of means by which dominant culture therapists can support clients in their healing journeys. Trauma therapies, and specifically Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, require some modifications to be culturally relevant and appropriate for those with complex trauma and dissociation. Dissociation itself is normalized in many traditional healing methods as trance states, but can also manifest as pathological dissociation for those with unresolved historical and current trauma, including attachment trauma.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DCHYL7CL
• ISBN13: 9798884551787
• Release Date: August 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.5" x 8.5"