ONEN KIWAHI: THE ABORIGINAL WORLDVIEW AS THE FOUNDATION IN A PRACTICING FAMILY THERAPY MODEL

This dissertation reflects the past and current clinical research of my family therapy practice as a person of Mohawk and European heritage. The naming of trauma as the underlying issue in Aboriginal lives, communities and cultures began in the 1980’s following the description of the trauma reactions of Viet Nam war veterans. Prior to naming trauma, loss and grief recovery had been the focus.My clinical work has been instrumental in the first residential school court case in Canada, and my therapy work has focussed on the healing recovery of residential school trauma and complex trauma. As I have recentered myself in my Mohawk culture, I found that I reflected my client’s in their search for meaning and rebalancing in a system that went far beyond the mainstream’s psychotherapy tools. This dissertation describes the Aboriginal worldview and the system of the circle or wholeness. This is a multi-level system and a four part system. It moves from the Meta world view to the details of the physical and behavioural. It centres on the spiritual and the multiple levels of spirit. It focuses upon children and their attachment and growth in the physical world.The research contrasts the Aboriginal worldview and the system of the circle with the commonly used and current mainstream system of the box or linear system. The linear system focuses upon the cognitive and the physical realms, while actively suppressing emotions. It contains spiritual realms within religion and the church. Its focus is upon problem solving and the creation of technology. Current psychotherapy models and theories are founded in the box and reflect its focus on the cognitive, the behavioural, the minor inclusion of the emotional, on problem solving and speedy change. Trauma is understood primarily in terms of single events.The clinical model ‘Onen Kiwahi’ describes the use of the Aboriginal circle system as the defining structure of the family therapy model. It includes both traditional healing tools and approaches, while also incorporating tools from the box psychotherapy models. It focusses upon rebalancing trauma, complex trauma, grief and loss, and inter-generational transmission of these issues. Current research names these factors collectively as Native Historical Trauma. It’s primary tool is its structure of the circle and thus it’s parallel with Aboriginal cultures.Outcome of the clinical research shows that clients who experience working within the Onen Kiwahi model have returned intergenerationally for therapy, have been instrumental in speaking publicly and recording their experiences of genocide and trauma at the residential schools, and seek out many forms of healing in order to return to balance. In summary, these clients reconnect themselves to their cultures of wholeness, and their lives of wholeness.