Native American Psychological Healing “My Definition”
To encompass a thorough definition of Native American Psychological Healing (NAPH) at this point in my understanding is over my head, but I can describe what I see. I wanted to preface my “definition” with the fact that it’s most likely a description versus an actual definition.
The first and possibly foremost thing I’ve noticed is that healing whether physical or mental comes through the mind. The mind or one could say the spirit of a person is the rational part of an individual and is the primary control center. Regardless if one is suffering from what appears to be a psychological or physical ailment, healing is going to come through and as a result of their mental faculty. There is no divorcing the mind and the body, it’s all one unit.
Another aspect of NAPH is that healing is dependant on the perspective of the individual. Healing comes through the mind/spirit—as a faculty—and the state of that faculty influences whether true healing can take place. For instance, if a person who apparently needs healing doesn’t think they need healing or does not want to be healed, that perspective will interfere with true and holistic healing. The spirit needs to be inspired and ready to move past its present state. The popular idea, “You are what you think” comes to mind. Lack of belief, lack of desire to be healed and/or not being inspired (ready) results in at best a patching up of one being healed. In addition, belief in the need for healing is a sign of a person giving up the previous belief that led them to be in need for healing to begin with; this belief is also instrumental in seeing that the situation is larger than the individual though their healing is contingent on them.
Finally, healing leaves one psychologically well-proportioned. Being at one with self allows one to be at one with his or her surroundings. This is the desired end of psychological healing, to be in harmony not only with your spirit and body, but also with your environment and those in it. I liken this idea as being well-balanced or well-proportioned.
