Want to know the best way to spend four weeks this summer? You do? K-den, you can sign up for the four-week trauma healing program that the Endacho Healing Society is putting on with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) on Mackenzie Island.
Yes, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 right. Four weeks. On an island. Near Dettah. And you get to deal with the effects of traumas that have been affecting what you do and say. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 going to be totally awesome. The best part is you get to be with Jean and I. Eschia, take it easy, eh!
Just kidding, but Jean and I will be delivering the program with two of our graduate students from the Northern Indigenous Counselling Program.
Many people drink too much and do drugs to help them deal with the effects of traumas that have happened to them. So, this on-the-land program will help people deal with their hurt and pain, which will, in turn, help with addictions.
This does not mean someone can come to the program to help them sober up. They will have to be sober for at least 35 days before the July 13 start date. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 so people will already be over the first symptoms of withdrawal and will be able to work on their issues better.
The program is also open to people who have never had a drinking problem or did drugs. Participants will be able to come to the program right after going to addictions treatment. It would be a form of aftercare, as coming to the program will keep people away from temptation for a longer period of time, while dealing with their traumas. This will make it easier to stay sober after treatment.
The healing program
The program approaches healing as a journey from wound to wellness. Each weekday, there will two healing circles, land-based/cultural experiences, and ways to express participants' experiences through art and develop creative skills for a closer connection with their culture.
Program topics includes reclaiming culture, because culture is stronger than trauma and addictions. Participants will engage in land-based activities and cultural experiences to help them heal and reclaim their identity.
We will confront colonization, as its impact is the origin of most Indigenous peoplesSA国际影视传媒� community, family and personal problems. Participants will learn how trauma has affected them and find healthier ways to cope.
Grief has had a tremendous impact on many of us. People will learn to recognize and avoid the three traps that interfere in healthy grieving and to explore four cultural paths to grieving well.
The program will help participants understand cultural wellness, by exploring how to live in balance, and to contribute to wellness in themselves, their families and the community.
What is trauma?
A traumatic event is when something shocking, scary or dangerous happens. It can affect us emotionally and physically, and it can happen once or it can be ongoing, for instance, being in a violent relationship.
Shocking events include when a party starts with laughter and turns into screaming and fighting. Everybody there could be affected, especially children. Kids may seem OK, if they were not physically hurt, but it affects how they think and act and their ability to learn in school.
Traumatic events include being in accidents, or seeing injured people at the scene. It includes being robbed, physically attacked, screamed at, bullied, frightened, or sexually assaulted while awake or asleep.
People are traumatized from being neglected as children, a sudden or violent death, seeing violence, and from spiritual abuse. DonSA国际影视传媒檛 forget verbal and emotional abuse or the death of a parent.
Of course, many of these things happened to kids in residential schools, where most children were physically, spiritually, mentally or sexually abused. Some of them were abused in more ways than one. And for 60 years, nearly all Northern Aboriginal people were forced to go to residential schools. So much hurt to so many people. This is called intergenerational trauma.
To boot, nearly 70 per cent of the NWT population was evacuated in the summer of 2023 because of fires. Then last summer, Fort Good Hope was evacuated. That makes people afraid it will happen again. This is a good example of the effects of trauma.
What are the effects of trauma?
Right after the trauma occurs, almost everyone continues to think about what happened. Not everyone will react the same way to a traumatic event, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 important to remember that reactions usually get less severe as time passes. Here are some common ways people react to trauma.
Some people feel like there is no hope or like they donSA国际影视传媒檛 care about others. They may also find it hard to concentrate or make decisions.
Others have body reactions like an upset stomach, trouble sleeping, feel tired or shaky, or have a pounding heart. We might have more emotional troubles, such as anxiety, depression, feeling numb, not able to feel joy or happy, feel nervous, fearful or sad. We might also get mad easily.
Unresolved trauma can also lead to post-traumatic stress-disorder (PTSD). The main sign of PTSD is that the person has a hard time doing everyday things they did before the traumatic event.
People who have PTSD may have symptoms like flashbacks or thoughts that upset them. They may avoid things that remind them of the event, feel jumpy, find it hard to concentrate, or not be interested in things they used to enjoy.
If you are having some of the symptoms described above and want more information about the program, call the YKDFN Wellness Office at 867-920-2925 and ask for Violet Sangris.
