American Indian Culture as Substance Abuse Treatment: Pursuing Evidence for a Local Intervention

Abstract

Contemporary tribal commitments to traditional cultural reclamation and revitalization find continued expression by recent generational cohorts of American Indians who, when it comes to matters of recovery, healing, and wellness in the context of substance abuse, routinely assert that "our culture is our treatment." And yet, empirical investigations of this culture-as-treatment hypothesis--namely, that a (post)colonial return to indigenous cultural orientations and practices is sufficient for effecting abstinence and recovery from substance use disorders for many American Indians--have yet to appear in the scientific literature. Preliminary activities of a research partnership dedicated to the empirical exploration of this hypothesis for reducing Native American substance use disorders are summarized. Specifically, collaboration between a university-based research psychologist and a reservation-based substance abuse treatment program staff has thus far resulted in a detailed blueprint for a radically alternative, culturally-grounded intervention developed for reservation residents. This proposed alternative intervention--a seasonal cultural immersion camp designed to approximate the day-to-day experiences of prereservation ancestors--was designed for eventual implementation and evaluation with adult clients referred for residential treatment on the Blackfeet Indian reservation. It is anticipated that the proposed intervention will eventually afford empirical evaluation of the culture-as-treatment hypothesis.

Growth and Empowerment for Indigenous Australians in Substance Abuse Treatment

“…The culture as treatment hypothesis (Brady 1995) suggests that a return to traditional Indigenous cultural practices is sufficient for effecting recovery from substance abuse for many Indigenous individuals. There has been limited empirical research to support this hypothesis to date (Gone and Calf Looking 2011). More detailed data regarding participation in therapeutic cultural activities and clearer descriptions of the mechanisms of these cultural components in relation to specific treatment goals is needed.…”

Rethinking cultural competence: Insights from indigenous community treatment settings

“…The first case is the implementation and evaluation of a cultural immersion survival camp-currently in an early stage of development-as an alternative to inpatient substance abuse treatment on the Blackfeet Indian reservation in Montana (Gone & Calf Looking, 2011). The motivation for the survival camp is to craft a substance abuse intervention for community members that emphasizes Blackfeet cultural tradition much more heavily than global psychotherapeutic approaches to addiction problems.…”

Acceptability of a Web-Based Community Reinforcement Approach for Substance Use Disorders with Treatment-Seeking American Indians/Alaska Natives

“…Most evidence-based practices for treatment of substance abuse have not been examined among AI/AN communities – urban, rural or reservation-based (Gone & Looking, 2011; Lucero, 2011; Thomas, Donovan, Sigo, Austin, & Marlatt, 2009). More specifically, there is a significant shortage of culturally relevant interventions that can be integrated into treatment program curricula (Dickerson, 2011; Greenfield & Venner, 2012).…”