Mental Health, Addictions and Ceremonies.

[Music] Hello everyone, this is Veronica Moonstream Wolf Eagle. Nebalsed Sibusis, Mousomji Blagen. Fire breathing bear speaks, Crystal Woman. Scoot out loud in Moon, Loewest Duck. So we are here now for our next episode. For today I thought I would talk about mental health and addictions and ceremonies that we use for healing. Certainly with our Circle of Life teachings. I just find that being a native counselor and social worker, that when I work with people and being a ceremonial leader, that a lot of times the things I can give people to do are really just different ceremonies based on what they are dealing with. We do know with addictions, not everybody knows. I don't know. I got a DUI driving under the influence and split under a truck. That was a wake up call after a softball game and a night at the bar. They had me go to alcohol education class. It just took a couple films. There was a guy, Father Martin, who did chalk talk. He went through all the emotional and different things that happened when you are using and then they had the disease concept of alcoholism. That basically this doctor had gotten permission to use skid row bombs when they died out on the streets. To use them for research, he found when he cut open their brains that he said, "I didn't know they were all heroin addicts." Then they weren't. They were just alcoholics. What he discovered was that in the bodies of alcoholics, alcohol breaks up differently. A derivative of heroin, tetrahydraquinolin, THIQ, attaches to the brain. It's a derivative of heroin. That's the craving that alcoholics get. A lot of people, social drinkers, as soon as they start to feel it, they stop. A lot of people don't want to lose control. That happens with marijuana a lot too. People get paranoid or they just don't feel like they can control themselves. Certainly with some other drugs. You've got LSD, you've got mushrooms. A lot of people were doing that ayahuasca down in South America in Mexico. That's why we have plant medicine. It is a plant. An alcohol that's made from vodka, a lot of it's made from potatoes. I don't know. Jinn is made from juniper, which is part of the Cedar family. There's a lot of ties, ends between plant medicine and some of the substances that are out in the world. With this THIQ, that's what causes the creation. Cravings. With the cravings, the person doesn't just have one or two drinks. They want more and more, and then they could have 10, 12, whatever. Nowadays, it's scary because they make so much of the drinks. Taste good. People are getting alcohol poisoning because they're doing more and more shots. It's different when you drink in beer, then you're tasting that beer. You get bloated. With some of the shots, you usually get some burning from whiskey, tequila, rum, something like that. Even years ago, they had medallory that tasted like the melvin's. They just came up with all these flavors and then they took it to the 10th level. That even beer now, how much that has lime and citrus and other things in it. It's easier to drink more. Then it still goes back to social drinkers. They don't want to get wasted. Or if they don't want to do it again and they don't have to. Or other people, they like that feeling. They want to escape and get away from their lives and situations that have happened in their lives. There's a lot of abuse in our society. 25% of women are sexually assaulted before they're 18. That is such a high percentage. It's very high like that too for women who have children and bring in partners. I know a lot of women, if they're going to date, if they're not with the father or the child anymore, they don't bring anybody home to that child. They go out and they're dating and separate and things like that because there's a high rate then of sexual abuse for their children. Let alone what goes on in the communities and so much still comes out in the different churches. It could be seen as ritual abuse because you've got the church and you've got the masses and their rituals, ceremonies that they're doing. And so that causes a lot of pain. A lot of people are using to seek to escape the pain that they're in. So when they get that rush from drinking that shot or that beer or taking that talk or whatever they're doing, that's what they want is to get away and escape into another reality. Where social drinkers, that's why it's called social that they have one or two. It loosens them up a little bit. They can talk a little easier. So I think some people are born with that genetics predisposition and certainly people can be heavy drinkers, heavy users. And I think you can then use so much that you create that change in your body and so that you do have that craving and that's what it all starts to. And with a lot of drugs, I mean, you know, with cocaine, you're doing a line, then you do it more, then you're free-basing, then you're crack. You know, that's what it's all about is that people aren't satisfied and then their bodies want more and more. People with a lot of the pain killers, that what happens. They use it enough and then they need more to be able to stop that pain. So that causes a lot of the mental health that goes on then because you're changing your brain chemistry as well with the use of all these different drugs. I mean, people that have gotten addicted to acid. I mean, and there's just so many chemicals that they use to create all this stuff just like, you know, a tobacco leaf isn't as bad on its own. But then when you put all the chemicals to help it burn better and the papers and things like that, then you're just introducing all these other chemicals into the process. And so your body is going to react to that. Certainly a lot of people can get depressed on their own. Then there's a lot of different levels of depression. I mean, one is that anger is turned inward. So for steam, you know, if you're at one spot and where you want to go is, you know, a mile away up in the sky, you know, that's a big gap. So then you're not going to feel that good about yourself. But then if you made stairways to that goal and you take a little step, then that short distance helps you to feel better. And as you go on, you can look back and see your accomplishments. And so that's what recovery ends up being a lot like. And so we can recover from, you know, the addictions, some of the mental health issues. I don't know. Sometimes if you have a lot of stuff going on in your life, it's like, well, of course you're depressed. But it's also then, do you want to see if you can handle it on your own? Do you want to use some natural medicines? I mean, St. John's watch is a big herb that people use. But there's also combinations. of plants and medicines that can help with the depression. So some people can try that route. I certainly did that, but then after my divorce and my first marriage, I just, I knew it wasn't gonna be enough. And I went on antidepressants. And people have to look out for that because a lot of those antidepressants and different medication can give you suicidal thoughts because there's so many different categories and different things, you know, a chemistry per se that goes on. So you have to be in touch with your doctor and then sometimes when you do see a psychiatrist, I mean, that's what they specialize in. So I know it was through the mental wellness team that we had as a psychiatrist and a mental health nurse. We went to the different malice community, the Ulster Quay. And he changed what I was on and it really changed my world. Well, buterin is something that's good for actually even to help you quit some of your addictions. Yet it wasn't good enough for what I was going through when this stuff veneflax and worked a lot better. And people have different feelings. Like I certainly never got any kind of high feeling or giddy feeling or anything like that from antidepressants. It just helped my thinking process. And so I wasn't so down. And if I was, you know, that's why counseling is so important. And if people, even if you don't think much of professional counseling or you haven't tried it, you're not sure how it would be. I mean, there's a lot of people that talk to families, members and relatives and respected people in the community. I mean, even a circle of, you know, people drinking, you're still supporting one another. And that's the main thing, you know, when we're going through through things. Sometimes what helps with professional services is that person is there to treat you and focus on you. So even though your family and, you know, friends or other people can have issues and affect your life, the focus is on you. And it is a confidential setting. And, you know, that's all part of ethics that every professional goes to. So if you tell your story to other people and then you tell your story to a professional, it's not the professionals that's going to leak your story. It's all the other people that you're talking about it too, because with those code of ethics, there's our responsibilities. And sometimes you don't know, you know, sometimes you've got to meet a few different people. Sometimes you click with someone, sometimes you don't. And so, you know, it's always something to keep in the back of your mind. But what is important is that you have someone to talk to. Some of the ceremonies that I've, you know, helped people is, you know, to go dig that hole in the earth and to talk and cry and do whatever they need to get things out. I've talked to the Bataka bats or you get something that won't hurt something else and you're being on a pillow or, you know, use nature. I mean, certainly laying down in the earth, one of the greatest ceremonies, you know, got a different name that I won't necessarily use on the air, but it is kind of the frigate ceremony that you start talking about the things that are you bothering you and you just say frigate, you know. So you get a blanket and someone else to be with you and you just start talking about all this stuff to your stressed out about what you're going through and you get a hole in smudge going with cedar sage, sweet grass, the Bataka, when you just burn it all away and just keep smudging yourselves and you think of something that it's like frigate, you know. And you talk about something else and you say, "Frogate." We also used to drink desert sage tea. First time I did my ceremony. And that's a cleanser for your body and your blood as well. So, you know, when you can finally get to the point that you just talk out, "Oh, that's bothering you." Then you really can say frigate, you know, it doesn't really matter. The bottom line is we have today in this moment and we have friends, we have people we can confide in. And we can laugh. You can start to laugh at those things, you know, that that's sometimes how we find our partners for life, for marriage or, you know, good friends is because we can laugh at those things, you know. To be able to laugh at yourself, you know, a lot of people in my family, we have moose medicine. And, you know, the moose is so graceful. I mean, compare the moose to a deer. And there's the moose clumping around in the swaps at everything else. And, you know, so, you know, I'm rough on things. I certainly use them. I mean, even when I was using, I was like, you know, you work hard and you play hard. And so I've always, you know, kind of carried that through my life and the things I do. And, you know, that's a part of compulsion is too. And you've got people like OCD and, you know, that they start to do things in their mind. Where once again, it's like, well, if they start a pattern, I mean, from the big bang theory, right, Sheldon, bang, bang, bang, Amy, bang, bang, Amy, you know, you had to do those three knocks. And so then, you know, from that, people get different rituals of making sure they lock the door and, you know, and it's the more you focus on something is the more you create. And that's why growing up traditionally, you know, you're taught to have good thoughts. And if you're not having good thoughts, you go hug a tree because there's power in our thoughts, just as there's power in our words. And so what we voice has that much more and it helps to create more energy to manifest things. So if you're taught young enough to have healthy relationships, and a lot of us, you know, we'll always love our families, we'll always love our siblings and our parents. And, you know, a lot of stuff can happen with friends. So it's just the matter of being able to, let that love kind of shine through. A lot of what the 12 steps is all about is, you know, bringing about change, you know, for focusing on negative things, you start focusing on positive things, putting out positive energy, doing affirmations, looking in the mirror, you know, learning to say, "I love you," because a lot of families don't grow up with a lot of affection, you know, that's starting to change now and it's nice to be able to see that as more people in the world are talking where it was, don't talk, don't speak, don't feel, don't area dirty laundry. Now we are breaking those cycles of abuse by talking, by sharing what's going on with us. And so all that helps us in our relationships with our family. And sometimes I even see that in relationship. It's kind of like, once you have an argument, it seems like things always go back to whatever that issue was. And you can be the voice later and see your partner, and then you still end up talking about the same issues. And it's like, oh, you would think after I've analyzed my life and looked back where this came from and that came from that I wouldn't necessarily have to go and, you know, we've firted back to the, you know, the old thing. I mean, a lot of the 12 step programs, AA, narcotics, anonymous, NA, you know, people think you're getting brainwashed. And a lot of the response and early recovery is, well, maybe your brain needs some washing. Because if you've been feeding all this stuff, if we look at all the messages, sometimes we've received from our childhood, from our teachers, from society, you know, a wonderful ceremony was the cage of oppression, a Dr. Fire Jean Gravelin. And it was taking the structures of society and just having a ball of string and people, you would get people that, a couple people that are going to be the ones in the cage. And then to start talking about the different structures, the isms of society. society, the racism, the racism, you know, just all the society stuff that's out there. And those are the bars of the cage. And then when you start talking about how all the different isms of life affect people, you start wrapping that string around. And the cage gets tighter and tighter and those people down there in the bottom, they get smaller and smaller. And so it helps to really to visualize what society is doing. I mean, so many people, yes, we need the police forces to be able to have a healthy wellness checks, you know, so people aren't getting shot and stabbed and all this murder and stuff that goes on. And yet those police, they're also in their own cage because they have the law and they have their bosses and you have the just us system. It should be justice, but it's usually just us. And most of us aren't a part of that us, where the, the isn't part of it, where those things are opposed on us. And we get oppressed. And you know, colonization, you know, all the things that have gone on in the world to take away our resources to, you know, it's like with the bullies, right? You put someone down so you can stand up taller. And that's where it's, you know, relearning that some of the communication, what people do. First of all, if you see it, you've got it. So, you know, people have a lot of those traits themselves, you know, they're just speaking vocally against it. So that happens with oppression then that we're in the last stage of oppression because you don't need an outside force anymore. We're doing it to ourselves. We're doing it to each other. And so to decolonize, it's, it's stopping doing that. You know, how do we stop that behavior? How do we go about through change? And a lot of people don't like the 12 steps, but that's a part of what it is. It's getting honest, being open and developing some faith that of some other people have recovered that maybe you can too. And having some trust that if you do certain steps that other people have done before you, but then you can find a will that you could turn over and start to find that intuition within ourselves. And as I've always said, intuitions are femininity or heart's desire and our masculinity is the things we manifest to do. So when you're willing to trust that if you do certain things that you can change your behavior, you can't stop your drinking and your drug and stop listening to these messages that came through your life. The message is from society, you know, the body images that that goes on. And so all those things that people put upon themselves, you know, it's learning to stop that and be in the present moment, learning to accept yourself as you are. Because if all you have is this present moment, good traits, bad traits, positive, negative, you know, character defects, shortcomings, whatever you want to call things, you are who you are in the moment. And sometimes when we start to learn to just stop for a second, for five seconds, for ten seconds, for a minute, then you can go on to two minutes and, you know, so on and so forth. So you make it through your day. And then yeah, you know, you start to see that if you look at yourself and write down what your life has been and what you're afraid of and what you're angry with and what has to do with your sex conduct, what bothers you. You know, you get out a lot of garbage that you've carried for a long time and you share that with one other person. Then you see the patterns of your life. Then you see that, you know, you can make a list of people and then it doesn't really matter who's on that list because you've done the same thing to a lot of the same people. So then it's easier to start to just see like, okay, well, this is just a defect, you know, it's a shortcoming that I have. You start to learn to ask for help because it's as you were getting through those moments in the beginning. Now you start to do that with your behavior, with your thoughts. You know, that's why counseling helps when you're on different medication because the pills aren't going to be magic bullets. Use that magic bullet and we have to use medications as a tool. We can use ceremony as a tool. We use each other as tools and sounding boards and sometimes when you're saying something that allowed you then hear yourself or if you're listening to other people, then you're here in the guidance that you need. So it's in that process of opening up that we start to learn to ask for help. There's for a lot of people that's the last thing they want to do is help me, you know, because they've been burned, they've been hurt before. But sometimes you could be asking the wrong person to help you. You know, if someone's abusing you, can they help you in that moment? No, they've got to do their own healing. When I did a fast, you know, to look at the methods of healing, you know, that was a part of, you know, the process as well, you look at what's been done to you, but it's also what do you do to others, you know, and sometimes that's where a lot of abuse came from because people had things done to them and they got older and then they started doing those things to other people. And then you know that that wasn't life. I was in college before I learned that people didn't have to fight their way through school, but growing up, as soon as they found out I was Indian, then it's the woo woo woo, and, you know, the slurs come and I was a little, you know, bruiser. I always hit first. I didn't want anybody to touch me. So if you started, you know, verbally that, well, I was good to finish physically. And that was my norm, and that's what happens so much that's, you know, normal doesn't mean it's good or necessary for you. And then we learned to be a little gentler with ourselves and forgive ourselves and start to look at other people that we've heard and make amends. And then there's some things you may have done that the best thing is never to see that person again. Like that's why sometimes we need someone else there to help us sort those things that have gone on in our life to see how can I really best correct, you know, the wrong that I created. And then once you get rid of all that backline of stuff that you've been carrying or your life, there's such a sense of freedom. They have what's called promises, you know, that you can get to the point where you don't regret the past and, you know, you can put things in perspective and find peace. And once you find peace and freedom, you don't want to lose it. That's why I've always said the natural highs and, you know, going out there spiritually, no drug or booze or, you know, thought process can match that. So I don't ever want to go back that way. So now if I'm wrong, then it is about admitting it, okay, I messed up, you know, and sometimes that's what part of the healing process is is slowing things down. So you can see what you're doing, what you're about to do and make a choice. And sometimes you still choose, you know, the unhealthy behavior. And then over time, you know, we start to give change a chance, do something different, the insanity of doing the same thing and expecting a different result. And then that's when we find that then we can listen to that voice within and the positive intuition and messages that we get. And if you do that all the time, then you develop a power to know when it's time to go home, you know, sometimes we have reasons to be in certain places and purposes. And as always that time when it's time to go home, you know, and when you do that on a regular basis, then you start to have a spiritual awakening and realizing that, you know, having help in your life, having a creator in your life and a loving, caring power in your life that. They can do for you what we could not do for ourselves. And that's a wonderful place. And then with all your stuff, your issues that come up, then you take them through that same process. And you know, mental health is a bigger challenge. People that have a lot of mental health issues are dual addicted. They still have their addiction properties. Because you quit smoking and drinking and doing certain things, you can find out, oh, now I'm gambling. You get addicted. You know, you're eating certain things. You get addicted, you know, behaviors. You get addicted. People get addicted to, there's a lot of chemicals that you create when you're angry and when you're fighting and you're yeldering and hollering. And, you know, some of us, that's what we knew growing up and through the years and the stuff that went on when we were teenagers and, you know, can follow us through our life that it's only when you kind of stop that process that you can then have that opportunity to do something different. And just like you can have the genetics of alcoholism addiction, you know, schizophrenia. People that have schizophrenia, you know, they're hearing different, they're not hearing small voices within that is like a personal guidance. They're hearing outside voices that can be seeing things. And so it's kind of hard to concentrate on a conversation with another person when you've got this other outside influences. And so, you know, people that, you know, are manic depressive bipolar, I mean, they've got a lot of names for it. But, you know, it's reaching that depression and being a thousand times worst and we're feeling really elated and being a thousand times, you know, higher. And that they cycle between being down, being up different lengths of terms of cycling. Some can do it in days, some can do it in weeks, you know, some can be months. Years ago, I knew people, they would never diagnose for 10, 15 years. So you could have a whole big part of your life and you never even get your diagnosis. And now they want to diagnose kids as soon as they're in school. And, you know, that is part of the process when you do go to school and you learn about these different things that, you know, you get a different level of understanding and compassion. And so, you know, some people do have some really hard things that have happened in their life. Some people can recover, some people may not. Some people may get stuck in a rut and, you know, they're just going to live in that addiction. So there are always tools that we can use in a round ceremony. There are a lot of people that are in recovery, a lot of ceremony leaders are in recovery because you start off seeking your own healing. And then after you do enough things, then you, you know, have something to share with people and you get that calling to help other people. And it is by giving it away that we keep it. So a lot of times, you know, it's about having gratitude and being grateful. For someone that doesn't have all these flashbacks and things going on and be grateful for what you do have. Honor that child, that you were, that developed whatever they needed to do to survive, to live, to get out of that experience and continue on with their lives. So it's really honoring that resilience and his native people. Just, you know, the main thing our ancestors taught us was resilience because they kept living no matter what happened. And so here we are today, able to move on. But it is still the simple tools, the simple truths that are our culture and that are spirituality. And so that's, you know, what it's all about. How do I live this moment? How do I survive? How do I learn to thrive in my life? How do I get support? How do I support other people? You know, it's simple and no one will say it is easy. Yet, if you do those simple things, then, you know, we do recover. We do heal. We do grow. We do have wonderful feelings again. And so we're never alone. And sometimes that's the biggest thing you're not alone. And you don't have to go through anything alone. So, now I just touched on a lot of things just a little bit, but I'm just hoping that by touching upon things that it helps to open up your heart and your mind and your spirit, your emotions to yourself and to other people in your life, we have family of choice at times that, you know, part of that healing sometimes looking at our family and our parents and our grandparents and that generational trauma and knowing we all do the best we can at this moment. And maybe it's not what somebody wants or needs, but what we can do is our best for this moment. Sure, another moment, maybe we can do better, you know, that's why the more you practice, the more you do things, the more you develop these skills. And we learn from other people that have been doing those skills for a long time. And that's how we learn to move on and find change in our lives. Healing. So I'd like to thank the Nagokok Health Center and the Tobic First Nation for sponsoring our podcast. I am grateful to the Spiritual and Cultural Health Committee, the public Facebook group. We could find our podcasts for being, you know, the awakening part of these teachings that can be shared on Spotify, Spiritual and Cultural Health. And so we will see you again. We'll leave when, thank you. And down the banner, all my relations.