Vancouver/CMEDIA: Indigenous knowledge is key to exploring how psychedelic substances can help treat a variety of disorders related to mental health, say researchers at Vancouver Island University, media reports said.
Georgina Martin, the co-lead of the Naut sa mawt Centre for Psychedelic Research, says she was captivated by this work because of the possibilities offered by it for treatment of intergenerational trauma.
Martin who is Secwepemc, and a professor of Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies at Vancouver Island University said Indigenous people have been using medicines like psychedelics for millennia.
“I think in relation to the spirituality, there are many of our people that are very connected to that realm,” Martin was quoted saying.
“They can understand how our spirituality is very significant and it’s very key to our healing.”
A “two eyed seeing” approach, combining Western-style science with Indigenous perspectives is being used by the centre, Martin who has been working with the Snuneymuxw First Nation was reported saying and added that the centre builds relationships with communities to ensure collaboration is mutually beneficial.
Working on her psychedelic assisted therapy certificate through the research centre, Martin studies how different types of psychedelic medicines could be used to help heal trauma.
Martin said she knows psychedelics can carry a stigma and some of the First Nations communities approached by the centre have refused to work with them.
The chair of the Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Education and research programming at Vancouver Island University, Shannon Dames said what heals people are connections, reconnection to themselves, reconnection to other humans or group members.
#Psychedelics; #healingTool; #IntergenerationalTrauma; #FirstNationsResearch
