Two-Eyed Seeing and Trauma Healing: Adapting EMDR to Heal Trauma-Based Addiction in Indigenous Communities
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Authors
Bosch, Marla
Issue Date
2025-03-22
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
Indigenous healing , trauma-focused therapy , eye movement desensitization and reprocessing , EMDR , Two-Eyed Seeing , substance use disorder , SUD , cultural adaptation , traditional healing practices , addiction treatment
Alternative Title
Abstract
The historical and ongoing effects of colonization have contributed to disproportionate rates of trauma and substance use disorders (SUDs) within Indigenous communities. Although traditional healing methods remain central to resilience and recovery, they are often dismissed or underutilized in mainstream therapeutic approaches. This capstone examines whether trauma therapy, specifically eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), can be adapted to support Indigenous communities battling SUD. Using the Two-Eyed Seeing framework, which integrates Western clinical knowledge with Indigenous ways of knowing, it explores how EMDR can be culturally adapted in alignment with Indigenous healing methodologies. The first step in honouring this methodology is a testimony from Blackfoot Elder Eric Crowshoe, whose insights guide an understanding of overcoming addiction with traditional healing. Next, research on culturally adapted mental health therapy for trauma and addiction is examined, alongside literature on how EMDR—originally developed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—is now being used to treat addiction and how it has been culturally adapted. Cultural adaptation in this study encompasses both protocol modifications and the integration of Indigenous practices, including land-based healing, ceremonial grounding, and spiritual frameworks. This capstone highlights two cultural adaptations to EMDR and explores the ethics, responsibilities, and possible benefits and risks of adapting therapy to treat complex trauma and addiction within an Indigenous community. The final chapter critically examines how Traditional Indigenous healing wisdom might inform the effective use of EMDR in addiction treatment.