The Dene Wellness Warriors are working on starting a trauma healing lodge for the NWT. Woohoo, yahoo, sign me up as a client too.
Why is this such good news? Partially because people drink and do drugs to help forget about or to deal with trauma. So, dealing with trauma will help with not wanting to drink or do drugs. Also, most people who stop drinking still have to deal with the traumas that caused their addictions.
This project has been greeted very favorably by everyone contacted so far, and has the support from all regional Indigenous governments as well as the sponsorship of the Dene Nation and funding from the federal government.
A contractor is working with Dene Wellness Warriors to carry out a feasibility study and to develop a business plan and policies for the healing lodge. We have formed an Indigenous Advisory Committee with a member from each region to help guide us. They have already met twice.
The contractor is starting to get the view points on various issues from people who have experienced trauma as well as from Indigenous Governments, the GNWT, and the federal government. They will also be researching and visiting southern trauma treatment centers.
The Healing Lodge
The Healing Lodge will provide a several weeks-long residential program, and clients will have to be clean and sober for an extended period to enter the program. People who have not had addiction problems will also be welcome.
The intention is to use a blend of western and traditional healing methods to work towards holistic healing to attain better mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health. This would include classes, groups, and regular counselling sessions. We want to integrate scheduled physical activity as well as expressive therapies like arts and music.
To encourage healthy habits and have people benefit as much as possible from the program, nutritious meals and snacks will be served and there will be minimum availability of junk foods. We also want to incorporate supplements and vitamins.
What is trauma?
So, are you thinking “What the heck is trauma?” Don’t worry; you’re not alone. A lot of people don’t understand what trauma is and how it affects us.
Trauma occurs when something happens and you or someone close to you is in danger of dying or being seriously harmed. We are overwhelmed, leaving us scared and feeling it’s not safe.
We can be traumatized when something happens, like an accident, being physically attacked or a natural disaster. Or sometimes there’s partying in our homes when we are children and we hear yelling, screaming and see fights with people getting hurt.
Trauma can also happen from ongoing abuse from our partner, being bullied, or even a pandemic like Covid-19 or a long-term illness, like having cancer.
How might trauma affect me?
When something dangerous happens, our survival mechanism kicks in and our body gets ready to fight, run away, or freeze – where we can’t move or make decisions. We have no control over this; its automatic.
Our heart will beat faster and we’ll take quick, shallow breaths. We might be able to see things more sharply, our thoughts can race, feeling dizzy or nausea with cold hands and shaking.
Our body will soon return to normal, but sometimes we get stuck in this danger mode. We can have flashbacks or nightmares, have panic attacks, problems sleeping and always feel edgy, angry, guilty, or upset..
The long-term effects of trauma
If we do not deal with our traumas, we are likely to turn to misusing alcohol and drugs to help us deal with difficult memories and feelings. Some people may do self-harm like cutting themselves.
We will be more likely to develop mental health problems or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even physical health problems. We may find it hard to trust people, which can make it difficult to maintain relationships.
It might be a struggle to look after ourselves, hold a job, or do things we used to enjoy. We may have difficulty managing our emotions, have panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, anxiety, anger, depression, phobias, dissociation, irritability, or hopelessness.
We may also have physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, extreme fatigue, or gastrointestinal distress.
The NWT had the highest proportion of Indigenous people who attended residential schools in Canada, where they were subjected to mental, physical, spiritual and emotional abuse.
Considering the trauma arising from residential schools, and colonialism in general, it’s no wonder we have some of Canada’s highest rates of addictions, mental health issues, sexual assaults, incarceration, and children in care.
The Trauma Healing Lodge we envision should go a long way to help deal with these traumas and social issues. We need your support to get it going. Tell your MLA that dealing with trauma should be a priority of the next Legislative Assembly.