A Theoretical Analysis of the Impact of Colonization on the Native American Substance Abuse Epidemic
A Theoretical Analysis of the Impact of Colonization on the Native American Substance Abuse Epidemic
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Issue Date
2004
Authors
Reustle, Dody Jo Ann Marie
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Abstract
This theoretical study is an analysis of Traditional Native American healing modalities, and it examines the impact that the trauma of genocide and colonization has had on Native American alcohol and substance abuse and the multiple effects it has had on the individual, the family, and the community. This study suggests that the epidemic of alcohol and substance abuse among Native Americans is, in fact, a symptom of much deeper psychological issues such as PTSD and intergenerational secondary PTSD. (Duran & Duran, 1995) These problems are directly related to and result from unresolved grief, the horrendous loss of people, culture, and land, the disintegration of family and tribal identity, and the forced acculturation and assimilation of all Native American people. For the purpose of this study a review of traditional Native American healing practices and an examination of Western psychological theories was done. The Western theories examined specifically include Judith Herman's' Trauma and Recovery, Kohut's' Self Psychology, and Boszormenyi-Nagy's Relational and Family Systems theory. Discussions and comparisons of these two worldviews revealed the limitations of a single theoretical approach and provided insight into the complexity of problems endemic within this population. The goal of this analysis was to enhance our understanding and the relationship between the different aspects of trauma, and the multiple factors contributing to and maintaining the substance abuse epidemic.