Toward an Aboriginal paradigm of healing: addressing the legacy of residential schools.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma experienced repeatedly over generations by Aboriginal people reverberates through tight-knit community networks and has laid down layers of psychic pain and community disruption. Healing methods that touch both individuals and communities are required. The Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF) has sponsored and evaluated community initiatives to address the legacy of Indian residential schools over a 7-year period. The analysis contained in its final report begins to create an empirical base for healing approaches grounded in Indigenous knowledge. The AHF commissioned quantitative and qualitative research on community projects and their impacts over the 7 years of its first mandate. This article extracts key themes from the resulting analysis.
RESULTS: Individuals and communities engaged in healing from the legacy of residential schools move through four stages that are both sequential and recurring. Data from projects and individual participants identify promising approaches to support progress. Key findings include: (i) community healing is a necessary complement to individual healing; (ii) culture is good medicine; (iii) reservoirs of resilience in individuals and communities can be tapped; (iv) it takes time to heal; (v) service infrastructure and continuity are necessary to consolidate individual healing and assist communities who are 'hitting the wall' in their healing journey; and (vi) as individuals and communities heal, the depth and complexity of needs become evident, generating demand for training.