Introduction
Often, the field of Psychotherapy encourages clinicians to be culturally-informed, especially towards indigenous and First Nations perspectives. I found, though, that unless I took up specific training courses, my understanding is limited only to acceptance and nonjudgment towards indigenous practices. I did have an understanding of connection to the land, but was unsure of how to connect this to therapy unless the client themselves brought up their own experiences to nature. Through my supervisor, however, I was introduced to an amazing indigenous framework called Hope, Purpose, Meaning, and Belonging. This post will explain my understanding of the framework, and how it can be so helpful to bring into therapy. I’d like to think this is a way for you to understand parts of indigenous culture, especially through their meaning of mental wellness.
The Indigenous Definition
Firstly, what do indigenous and First Nations cultures mean by hope, purpose, meaning, and belonging in relation to mental wellness? Let’s start first with hope – wellness can come from having hope for the future. It’s a general optimism for tomorrow, whether for oneself or for their loved ones. Then, a sense of belonging, or connection to community and to the land. Finally, people find wellness in finding meaning and purpose in life, through being and doing. Purpose, to me, was the most interesting concept. I initially thought purpose would mean something like “grand purpose”, similar to existential questions such as “what is my purpose of being here on earth”. However, purpose here means what really drives you in your day to day, such as work, education, or even caregiving and cultural practices. So, for example, a person’s daily purpose could be waking up to go to work and then going home to their kids to be a parent.
According to the Thunderbird Foundation, indigenous Elders and Knowledgekeepers from different groups generally understand and agree on hope, meaning, purpose, and belonging being essential to human mental well-being. A whole and healthy person is expressed through spiritual, mental, emotional, and bodily balance. However, it’s also necessary for the person not to be focused on themselves, but also connected to other people and to nature.
Applying this in Therapy
I enjoy using this framework to not only understand clients, but also help them understand their own distress and eventual goals towards mental wellness. I find it especially helps with folks struggling with despair or anxiety in life. For example, I have clients describe to me they feel constantly depressed in life, and have nothing to look forward to. That already tells me there’s a lack of hope in the client’s life. From there, I explore other aspects of the client- does the client have social support? Does the client have things to do in their day or week that they feel compelled to do? Does the client’s actions align with their values? From there, I explore where the client is lacking in meaning, purpose, or belonging.
I find this framework also can go in hand with other approaches, such as Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) or Internal Family Systems (IFS), where there is in-depth exploration of the client’s emotions and past experience. This is because often clients tend to struggle with tools to deal with their distress, which leads to other issues in life, such as relationships, education, work, etc. Through therapy, I can use specific techniques, such as parts work or emotion coaching, to help the client cope with their problems. Then, with the indigenous wellness framework, help the client understand that wellness can be achieved in a more holistic manner, not just coping.
Conclusion
Indigenous frameworks are truly underrated! I think human wellness really is centered on these four core aspects, and healing can come through centering back on this. It’s even an amazing way to reflect on our lives, whether as therapists, clients, or just as regular people. Even when life is overwhelming, we can always go back to the things that bring us hope, meaning, purpose, and belonging.
