From the Native American perspective, healing rather than curing is the most important aspect of medicine. Healing includes the making whole of the individual through the establishment, enhancement, or restoration of well-being and harmony within the individual. From this perspective when an individual is sick, rather than simply being prescribed an antibiotic, a healer would pray with the patient and ask the Great Spirit for help. The patient is surrounded with love and support as they attend a healing ceremony. Thus connection to peo0ple, nature, and spirit is emphasized. In this manner, the Native American healing is a holistic medicine. For the Native American, healing, spiritual development and quality of life cannot be separated from other life aspects to include politics and economics. Harmony with the Earth is essential for health. Within this perspective, there is a great deal of diversity regarding techniques, ceremonies, and practices that take place in tribal cultures and the talents of healers also vary. However, there are several intervention categories that are universally important among healers such as smudging, prayer, music, counseling, massage, ceremony, herbs, and vision-seeking (Cohen, 2003).
Cohen (2003) presents descriptions of the common therapeutic methods used by the American Indian healer with regard to their connection to the healing process (pp. 146-147). Vision-seeking, dreaming, and fasting are used to help the healer and patient receive guidance, information, and solutions to the illness and to commune with spirits and spiritual power. Smudging with wormwood, sage, cedar, sweet grass, juniper, and pine needles helps to purify the healing space and all involved (healer, patient, helpers, ritual objects), to induce a spiritual mind set, to increase the awareness of forces that are helpful and disease-causing, and to invite and provide respect to helping spirits. Prayer and chant includes...