Spiritual Reclamation/Ceremony: Healing from Intergenerational Trauma

Drawing on trauma theory, epistemology, and education for social justice, Suzanne Methot‘s lecture describes how Indigenous spirituality moves us from woundedness to interrelatedness – and how that process becomes a healing story. The Cartesian emphasis on thinking leads us to an individual, alone with their thoughts. Living a spiritual life requires us to look outward, to the world and our place within it. Canada needs a healing story.

Suzanne Methot is a Nêhiyaw (Cree) writer, editor, educator and community worker born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in Peace River, Alberta. Her work has been published in anthologies including Steal My Rage and Let the Drums Be Your Heart. She has worked in the non-profit sector, in the classroom, and in advocacy and direct-service positions in Indigenous community-based agencies. She is co-author of the textbook Aboriginal Beliefs, Values, and Aspirations. Her most recent book is titled Legacy: Trauma, Story, and Indigenous Healing (ECW Press, 2019).