scholarly journals Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety: A Blended Implementation Project for Intergenerational Trauma and Substance Use Disorders

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Naseba Marsh ◽  
Sheila Cote-Meek ◽  
Nancy L. Young ◽  
Lisa M. Najavits ◽  
Pamela Toulouse
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Seeking Safety ◽  
Aboriginal Populations ◽  
Traditional Healing Practices ◽  
Sharing Circles ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background: As with many Indigenous groups around the world, Aboriginal communities in Canada face significant challenges with trauma and substance use disorders (SUD). Treatment for intergenerational trauma (IGT) and SUD is challenging due to the complexity of both disorders. There is strong evidence that strengthening cultural identity, incorporating traditional healing practices, encouraging community integration, and inviting political empowerment can enhance and improve mental health and substance use disorders in Aboriginal populations. Methods: The purpose of this study was to explore whether the blending of Indigenous traditional healing practices and the Western treatment model Seeking Safety, which is used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and SUD, resulted in a reduction of IGT symptoms and SUD. Twelve Aboriginal men and 12 Aboriginal women were recruited into this study—all of whom resided in Northern Ontario and self-identified as having experienced IGT and SUD. The Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety (IHSS) group (conducted as sharing circles) were offered twice a week over 13 weeks. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews as well as an end-of-treatment focus group. A qualitative thematic analysis was performed to depict themes. Results: Out of the 24 Aboriginal people who entered the program, nine women and eight men completed the program. Analysis from the qualitative thematic data identified four core themes. Furthermore, the sharing circles and the presence of Elders and Aboriginal helpers increased the benefits of the blended approach. Conclusion: Evidence from this qualitative study suggests that it could be beneficial to incorporate Indigenous traditional healing practices into Seeking Safety to enhance the health and well-being of Aboriginal people with IGT and SUD. This implementation project, if replicated, has the potential to enhance the health and well-being of Aboriginal peoples. The use of blended implementation can be an important option for clinicians and health-care professionals when working with Aboriginal populations. Only the qualitative results will be discussed in this article; quantitative results will be published separately.

scholarly journals The Impact of Training Indigenous Facilitators for a Two-Eyed Seeing Research Treatment Intervention for Intergenerational Trauma and Addiction

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Teresa Naseba Marsh ◽  
David C. Marsh ◽  
Lisa M. Najavits
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Intergenerational Trauma ◽  
Seeking Safety ◽  
Traditional Healing Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sharing Circles

Intergenerational trauma in Indigenous Peoples was not the result of a targeted event, but rather political and governmental policies inflicted upon entire generations. The resultant effects of these traumas and multiple losses include addiction, depression, anxiety, violence, self-destructive behaviors, and suicide, to name but a few. Traditional healers, Elders, and Indigenous facilitators agree that the reclamation of traditional healing practices combined with conventional interventions could be effective in addressing intergenerational trauma and substance use disorders. Recent research has shown that the blending of Indigenous traditional healing practices and the Western treatment model Seeking Safety resulted in a reduction of intergenerational trauma (IGT) symptoms and substance use disorders (SUD). This article focuses on the Indigenous facilitators who were recruited and trained to conduct the sharing circles as part of the research effort. We describe the six-day training, which focused on the implementation of the Indigenous Healing and Seeking Safety model, as well as the impact the training had on the facilitators. Through the viewpoints and voices of the facilitators, we explore the growth and changes the training brought about for them, as well as their perception of how their changes impacted their clients.

scholarly journals The Sweat Lodge Ceremony: A Healing Intervention for Intergenerational Trauma and Substance Use

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Naseba Marsh ◽  
David C Marsh ◽  
Julie Ozawagosh ◽  
Frank Ozawagosh
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Intergenerational Trauma ◽  
Seeking Safety ◽  
Sweat Lodge ◽  
Traditional Healing Practices

Many traditional healers and Elders agree that strengthening cultural identity, incorporating traditional healing practices, and encouraging community integration can enhance and improve mental health and reduce substance use disorders (SUD) in Indigenous populations. Despite the fact that traditional healing practices have always been valued by Indigenous Peoples, there is very little research on efficacy. Recent research by one of the authors in this group (T. Marsh) has shown that the blending of Indigenous traditional healing practices and a Western treatment model, Seeking Safety, resulted in a reduction in intergenerational trauma (IGT) symptoms and substance use disorders (SUD). This article focuses on the qualitative evidence concerning the impact of the traditional healing practices, specifically the sweat lodge ceremony. Participants reported an increase in spiritual and emotional well-being that they said was directly attributable to the ceremony. This study demonstrates that it would be beneficial to incorporate Indigenous traditional healing practices, including the sweat lodge ceremony, into Seeking Safety to enhance the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples with IGT and SUD.

scholarly journals The impact of poly-traumatization on treatment outcomes in young people with substance use disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidsel Karsberg ◽  
Morten Hesse ◽  
Michael Mulbjerg Pedersen ◽  
Ruby Charak ◽  
Mads Uffe Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Treatment Entry ◽  
Trauma Types ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Drug Use Disorder

Abstract Background It is believed that clients with psychological trauma experiences have a poor prognosis with regard to treatment participation and outcomes for substance use disorders. However, knowledge on the effect of the number of trauma experiences is scarce. Methods Using data from drug use disorder (DUD) treatment in Denmark, we assessed the impact of having experienced multiple potentially traumatic experiences on DUD treatment efficacy. Baseline and follow-up data from 775 young participants (mean age = 20.2 years, standard deviation = 2.6) recruited at nine treatment centers were included in analyses. Results Analyses showed that participants who were exposed multiple trauma experiences also reported a significantly higher intake of cannabis at treatment entry, and a lower well-being score than participants who reported less types or no types of victimization experiences. During treatment, patients with multiple types of trauma experiences showed a slower rate of reduction of cannabis than patients with few or no trauma experiences. The number of trauma types was not associated with number of sessions attended or the development of well-being in treatment. Conclusion Overall, the results show that although traumatized youth in DUD treatment show up for treatment, helping them to reduce substance use during treatment is uniquely challenging. Trial registration ISRCTN88025085, date of registration: 29.08.2016, retrospectively registered.

scholarly journals Substance Use Disorder in Early Midlife: A National Prospective Study on Health and Well-Being Correlates and Long-Term Predictors

2015 ◽  
Vol 9s1 ◽  
pp. SART.S31437 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Schulenberg ◽  
Megan E. Patrick ◽  
Deborah D. Kloska ◽  
Julie Maslowsky ◽  
Jennifer L. Maggs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Senior Year ◽  
Cognitive Difficulties ◽  
Monitoring The Future ◽  
Health And Well Being

This study used national multicohort panel data from the Monitoring the Future study ( N = 25,536 from senior year classes 1977–1997 followed up to the age of 35 years in 1994–2014) to examine how early midlife (age 35 years) alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are associated with adolescent and adult sociodemographics and health and well-being risk factors. Survey items adapted from DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were used to identify individuals who (a) showed symptoms consistent with criteria for AUD or CUD at age 35 years, (b) used the substance without qualifying for a disorder (nondisordered users), and (c) abstained from using alcohol or marijuana during the past five years. At age 35 years, the estimated prevalence of past five-year AUD was 28.0%, and that of CUD was 6.1%. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to identify variations in the relative risk of disorder symptoms as a function of sociodemographic characteristics, age 18 educational and social indices and substance use, and age 35 health and satisfaction indices and substance use. In the full models, age 18 binge drinking and marijuana use were found to be among the strongest predictors of age 35 AUD and CUD, respectively. Among age 35 health and well-being indicators, lower overall health, more frequent cognitive difficulties, and lower satisfaction with spouse/partner were consistently associated with greater risks of AUD and CUD. Some evidence was found for a J-shaped association between age 35 AUD or CUD status and health and well-being indices, such that nondisordered users were sometimes better off than both abstainers and those experiencing disorder. Finally, nondisordered cannabis use, but not CUD, was found to be more common in more recent cohorts. Implications are discussed regarding the importance of placing early midlife substance use disorder within the context of both adolescent substance use and adult health and well-being.

scholarly journals Community-Engaged Research (CER) as the Avenue to Promoting Well-being and Recovery in Drug Court

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Robert Gallagher ◽  
Anne Nordberg ◽  
Raychel Minasian ◽  
Sydney Szymanowski ◽  
Jesse Carlton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Drug Court ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Drug Courts ◽  
Recidivism Rate ◽  
Criminal Recidivism ◽  
Community Engaged Research

Drug courts are an alternative to incarceration for individuals who have substance use disorders and have been arrested for drug-related crimes (e.g. possession of a controlled substance). The first drug court began in 1989 in Florida and it is estimated that there are over 3,000 drug courts now operating throughout the United States.  This community-engaged research (CER) evaluated the St. Joseph County (Indiana) drug court by identifying who was most likely to graduate, who was most likely to recidivate, and whether drug court or probation was more effective at reducing criminal recidivism.  Furthermore, although drug courts are found in many communities, research rarely describes the process used to develop and implement CER.  Therefore, this article also highlights the collaborative process used in this drug court evaluation.   The findings from this study suggest that the St. Joseph County (Indiana) drug court is an effective program at reducing criminal recidivism and a valuable resource for individuals who have substance use disorders, the community, and other stakeholders. Drug court participants were less likely to recidivate than probationers, and a lower recidivism rate clearly equates to many benefits to the community.  The article concludes with community-based implications, such as starting recovery support groups that are welcoming to individuals who receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT), marketing drug court to racial and ethnic minorities to increase their representation in drug court, and disseminating research findings throughout the community via local news stories and public lectures.

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