THE MEDICINE WHEEL
Developed by First Nations people, the nonlinear model emphasizes that every aspect of the life is interrelated to each other.
The wheel is developed according the compass points and each direction supports the development of the person in a balanced way by offering lessons and gifts. It takes a holistic approach in balancing the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical aspects of a person.
By incorporating the medicine wheel with Aboriginal youth substance use treatment, it assists in making positive life choices and developing respect for their traditions and culture. It also encourages them be accountable for their own actions (Crooks, Chiodo, & Thomas, 2009).
Achieving BALANCE is the key.
Photo credit: Connectability.ca
Developed by First Nations people, the nonlinear model emphasizes that every aspect of the life is interrelated to each other.
The wheel is developed according the compass points and each direction supports the development of the person in a balanced way by offering lessons and gifts. It takes a holistic approach in balancing the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical aspects of a person.
By incorporating the medicine wheel with Aboriginal youth substance use treatment, it assists in making positive life choices and developing respect for their traditions and culture. It also encourages them be accountable for their own actions (Crooks, Chiodo, & Thomas, 2009).
Achieving BALANCE is the key.
Photo credit: Connectability.ca
Why use the Medicine Wheel in Substance Recovery Treatment?
- Using the Medicine Wheel as a teaching tool for First Nations teens may be beneficial and help in a greater understanding of the mind - body connection.
- One imbalance in the quadrants of the Medicine Wheel may lead to further addictions. Thinking about the ancestral understanding of health may help teens and communities better understand addictions issues from a traditional point of view.
- Cannabis may be used as a coping mechanism for teens unable to deal with emotional struggles and hardship.
- Like all drugs, cannabis can serve as an ‘escape’ from reality and a way to dull the pains of life.
- "Balance thus equals wellness equals health and requires alignment" (Montour, 1996, para. 26).
Spiritual - Connection
Lessons and gifts from the NORTH, the place of winter and elders, include:
Intellectual wisdom
Ability to complete tasks that began as a vision
Detachment from hate, jealousy, desire, anger, and fear
Ability to see the past, present, and future as interrelated (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'spiritual' aspect to balanced health?
Lessons and gifts from the NORTH, the place of winter and elders, include:
Intellectual wisdom
Ability to complete tasks that began as a vision
Detachment from hate, jealousy, desire, anger, and fear
Ability to see the past, present, and future as interrelated (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'spiritual' aspect to balanced health?
- Cannabis addiction affects every aspect of an individual; mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
- Every component of the Medicine Wheel is connected and inter-playing with each other affecting each component simultaneously.
- Spiritual health results when every aspect of the self is examined; for example, when cannabis is inhaled it affects an individuals thinking resulting in changes to their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being; therefore, spiritual healing requires a holistic approach.
- Cannabis dependency creates a syndrome referred to as "Amotivational Syndrome." A psychological condition involving the diminishing of motivation.
- Difficulties with learning, memory and attention spans.
- Strong link between cannabis abuse and psychosis.
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Suicidal thoughts
- Personality disturbances
- Paranoia
- Poor Self Esteem
- Poor decision making
- Numbness to life
- Retards social and spiritual development
- Inability to cope
- Marijuana use can trigger psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia.
- Disorientation
- Elevated Heart Rate
- Increased Risk of Accidents
- Odd or bizarre thoughts
- Hallucinations (Hearing, seeing, smelling, feeling or tasting things other don't).
- Feelings of social isolation
- Financial problems
- Increased risk of bronchitis and lung and mouth cancer.
Physical - Movement
Lessons and gifts from the EAST, the place of first light, spring, and birth, include:
Warmth of the spirit
Purity, trust, and hope
Unconditional love
Courage
Truthfulness
Guidance and leadership
Capacity to remain in the present moment (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'physical' aspect to balanced health?
Lessons and gifts from the EAST, the place of first light, spring, and birth, include:
Warmth of the spirit
Purity, trust, and hope
Unconditional love
Courage
Truthfulness
Guidance and leadership
Capacity to remain in the present moment (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'physical' aspect to balanced health?
- By making good choices such as not smoking, not drinking, practicing safe sex, exercising regularly, and eating healthy, balance in physical aspect of the medicine wheel can be achieved
- Making good choices can also lead to an increased sense of connectedness to the Aboriginal culture
- See Marijuana Use page for more physical effects of its use
Mental - Thinking
Lessons and gifts from the SOUTH, the place of summer and youth, include:
Generosity, sensitivity, and loyalty
Romantic love
Testing of the physical body/self-control
Gifts of music and art
Capacity to express feelings openly in ways respectful to others (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'mental' aspect to balanced health?
Lessons and gifts from the SOUTH, the place of summer and youth, include:
Generosity, sensitivity, and loyalty
Romantic love
Testing of the physical body/self-control
Gifts of music and art
Capacity to express feelings openly in ways respectful to others (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'mental' aspect to balanced health?
- Most often young people are introduced to marijuana by their peers. First time use is typically out of curiosity, to be sociable and often as a result of peer pressure. Those who continue to use report that they do so to relax, feel good, enjoy music and movies, and as a way to forget their troubles (CPHA, 2012).
- Marijuana hinders the user’s short-term memory and may result in difficulty handling complex tasks. With the use of more potent varieties of marijuana, even simple tasks can be difficult (CPHA, 2012).
- Because of the drug’s effects on perceptions and reaction time, users could be involved in auto crashes. Drug users also may become involved in risky sexual behavior. There is a strong link between drug use and unsafe sex and the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
- Habitual use is most often associated to a combination of problems that includes mental health problems, a troubled home and family environment, or poor school performance.
- Daily use of marijuana is a strong indicator of potential problems and is linked with:
- truancy
- low self esteem
- delinquent behaviour (stealing, vandalism, fare dodging)
- having delinquent friends
- hanging out on streets (boredom)
- other behavioural and mental health issues (for example, those in special education programs tend to use more) (CPHA, 2012).
- Under the influence of marijuana, youth may find it hard to study and learn. Young athletes could find their performance is off; timing, movements, and coordination are all affected by THC in cannabis (CPHA, 2012).
- High doses of marijuana can induce psychosis (disturbed perceptions and thoughts), and marijuana use can worsen psychotic symptoms in people who have schizophrenia. There is also evidence of increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thinking in chronic marijuana users (PDFC, 2013).
Emotional - Feeling
Lessons and gifts from the WEST include:
Dreams, prayers, and meditation
Perseverance when challenged
Balance between passionate loyalty and spiritual insight
Use of personal objects, sacred objects
Understanding of life’s meaning
Fasting, ceremony, self-knowledge, and vision (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'emotional' aspect to balanced health?
Lessons and gifts from the WEST include:
Dreams, prayers, and meditation
Perseverance when challenged
Balance between passionate loyalty and spiritual insight
Use of personal objects, sacred objects
Understanding of life’s meaning
Fasting, ceremony, self-knowledge, and vision (Bopp, Bopp, Brown, & Lane, 1989)
How does cannabis dependency affect our 'emotional' aspect to balanced health?
- According to Louis Montour (1996), a full-blooded Mohawk and physician, “the greatest imbalance in most people's lives is most commonly found in this [Southern] quadrant of emotion” (p.8). This quadrant encompasses important lessons: learning to talk, to trust, and to feel.
- In our emotional self we "touch all other things through feeling" (Montour, L., 1996, p.4) with trust and innocence .
- The theology of the Medicine Wheel described emotionality as the part of self that can touch all other things through feeling. Emotionality on the Medicine Wheel is the direction for learning about honesty and trusting.
- The capacities to talk, trust and feel are damaged if a person is raised in an environment where a loved one is abusing alcohol, if a person has suffered emotional, physical or sexual abuse, or if a person has experienced other major traumatic events (Montour, L., 1996).
References:
Bopp, J.,Bopp, M., Brown, L.,& Lane Jr., P. (1989). The sacred tree: Reflections on Native American spirituality. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Light Publications.
Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA). (2012). Marijuana, is it safe? - part 1 and 2. Retrieved from
http://www.cpha.ca/en/portals/substance/article03.aspx.
Crooks, C.V., Chiodo, D. & Thomas, D. (2009). Engaging and Empowering Aboriginal Youth: A toolkit for service providers. Retrieved from http://youthrelationships.org/documents/Engaging%20and%20Empowering%20Aboriginal%20Youth%20-%20Toolkit%20for%20Service%20Providers.pdf.
Do you know… Cannabis. (2012). Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/marijuana/Pages/cannabis_dyk.aspx.
Montour, L. (1996). The medicine wheel: Understanding “problem” patients in primary care. The Permanente Journal. Retrieved from http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/winter00pj/wheel.html.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2013).Retrieved December 29, 2013 from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/does-marijuana-use-affect-driving.
Partnership For a Drug-Free Canada (PDFC). (2013). Marijuana and mental health. Retrieved from http://www.canadadrugfree.org/drug-info/illegal-drugs/marijuana/marijuana-and-mental-health/.
The Medicine Wheel. (2004). Native Youth Wellness. Tribal Community Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.nd.gov/dhs/services/mentalhealth/prevention/pdf/medicine-wheel-all.pdf.
Verniest, L. (2006). Allying With the Medicine Wheel: Social Work Practice with Aboriginal Peoples. Retrieved December 29, 2013 http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/allying-with-the-medicine-wheel-social-work-practice-with-aboriginal-peoples.
Bopp, J.,Bopp, M., Brown, L.,& Lane Jr., P. (1989). The sacred tree: Reflections on Native American spirituality. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Light Publications.
Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA). (2012). Marijuana, is it safe? - part 1 and 2. Retrieved from
http://www.cpha.ca/en/portals/substance/article03.aspx.
Crooks, C.V., Chiodo, D. & Thomas, D. (2009). Engaging and Empowering Aboriginal Youth: A toolkit for service providers. Retrieved from http://youthrelationships.org/documents/Engaging%20and%20Empowering%20Aboriginal%20Youth%20-%20Toolkit%20for%20Service%20Providers.pdf.
Do you know… Cannabis. (2012). Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/marijuana/Pages/cannabis_dyk.aspx.
Montour, L. (1996). The medicine wheel: Understanding “problem” patients in primary care. The Permanente Journal. Retrieved from http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/winter00pj/wheel.html.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2013).Retrieved December 29, 2013 from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/does-marijuana-use-affect-driving.
Partnership For a Drug-Free Canada (PDFC). (2013). Marijuana and mental health. Retrieved from http://www.canadadrugfree.org/drug-info/illegal-drugs/marijuana/marijuana-and-mental-health/.
The Medicine Wheel. (2004). Native Youth Wellness. Tribal Community Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.nd.gov/dhs/services/mentalhealth/prevention/pdf/medicine-wheel-all.pdf.
Verniest, L. (2006). Allying With the Medicine Wheel: Social Work Practice with Aboriginal Peoples. Retrieved December 29, 2013 http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/allying-with-the-medicine-wheel-social-work-practice-with-aboriginal-peoples.
Presentation created by Nicola Bancroft, Maureen Jenkins, Corrine Painter & Tanya Sutherland