Reconnecting with Traditional Ways of Knowing with Dr. Marie Mihalicz
Dr. Marie Mihalicz is a respected researcher, consultant, and founder of White Lightning Consulting, an organization committed to community-based healing and wellness retreats. She completed her Ph.D. at Royal Roads University, where her dissertation focused on Indigenous methods of healing and their potential for addressing the high rates of suicide and mental health issues in northern Saskatchewan communities. Her research findings have been used to influence policy change, with the aim of supporting sustainable, culturally relevant mental health services for Indigenous youth and families.
Dr. Mihalicz and her team at White Lightning Consulting offer evidence-based healing and education programs that combine Western science and Indigenous healing methods. Through their collaborative community-based approach, they aim to empower Indigenous youth and families to pick up their knowledge bundles in today's world, strengthening and mobilizing community processes from the inside-out. In the face of the challenges posed by the pandemic and the complex intergenerational trauma experienced by Indigenous communities, Dr. Mihalicz and her team continue to work towards enhancing sustainable counseling supports and delivering effective leadership training workshops.
“We’ve got something here that works, and it’s not fitting into the system that they have setup. That’s a good example of what their system is dictating, for how mental health services are offered… It’s not through a reginal healthcare… it’s all been dissolved into a provincial one… We don’t say no, you help them, its pickup your pen or pick up your shovels, that’s what I tell these ministers. Because you either sign something that’s going to help us, or you go dig a grave over there. People are waking up to that… we need to work together… because a lot of these systems have divided us. ”
In this 8th podcast of a nine part series, Marie Mihalicz discusses the importance of decolonizing trauma and healing the soul. She highlights how traditional ways of knowing are not recognized, and there are gaps in the mental health system that need to be addressed. Mihalicz emphasizes that trauma is passed down through blood, but so is healing, and it is essential to understand the historical links to trauma. She suggests that healing is in our DNA and that the delivery of mental health needs to change to include outdoor therapy, such as art therapy, breathwork, and hands-on ceremonies.
Mihalicz believes that the biggest barriers to healing are the spiritual loss and the fact that traditional healing methods are not recognized by the current system. She emphasizes the need for protocols and boundaries around ceremonies, as well as space to sit down and talk about how we are doing. Mihalicz advocates for the use of traditional Indigenous practices in mental health treatment, such as prescribing ceremonies and mentorship through ceremony. She encourages people to learn about their history, stories, and intergenerational trauma, to talk about it and create safe spaces to heal. Finally, Mihalicz emphasizes that healing starts with the self, and one needs to heal oneself first before helping others.