healing through ancestral modalities

Healing intergenerational trauma and living in in connection with our ancestors can liberate their departed souls.  “Indigenous ancestral wise practices differ from western best practices in that they elevate ancestral and Indigenous ecological knowledges and may hold more promise than western approaches for improving health” (Johnson-Jennings, et. al, 2020).  Engaging with ancestral imagery became a greater invitation to integrate psychotherapy with spiritual connection. Remembering the ancient practices of our ancestors increases “cultural continuity” while “transforming narratives of trauma into hope and resilience” (Johnson-Jennings, et. al, 2020).  In the pursuit of developing an applicable process for psychological well-being, the application of indigenous healing traditions became fundamental to my work.  “Settler colonialism, combined with historically traumatic events, has fueled historical trauma responses and corresponding health disparities.” (Johnson-Jennings, et. al, 2020).  Practices that enrich our connection to the Earth and appreciation for life offer the legitimacy of engaged spirituality.  Disruption to land, effects the “relationships with the land” and ability to connect with a “spirituality related to place” (Johnson-Jennings, et. al, 2020).  Considering the historical context of indigenous identity, healing modalities should support the balancing between inner connection and self-knowledge.  The concerns of the mind manifests through emotional discomfort on our biological, cultural, and spiritual bodies.  In understanding the entirety of the soul’s journey, we can then recognize the role our ancestors played in the forming of our existence.  For our ancestors, being denied cultural practices and removed from intellectual traditions “further exacerbated current environmental stressors; e.g., food deserts; environmental distress, land loss, and systematic marginalization/discrimination” (Johnson-Jennings, et. al, 2020). While Jungian shadow work involves narrative therapies that acknowlede the unconscious, ancestral work seeks to understand and forgive inherent past transgressions.  My ancestors created meaning, they were

healers who held sacred space, while also inviting the presence of ancestors, spirit guides, angels, and saints.  Mindfully, with reverence I an advocate for alternative healing modalities that identify, acknowledge and heal family patterns.

Citations

Michelle Johnson-Jennings, Shanondora Billiot, & Karina Walters. (2020). Returning to Our Roots: Tribal Health and Wellness through Land-Based Healing. Genealogy, 4(3), 91. https://doi-org.libproxy.calbaptist.edu/10.3390/genealogy4030091