AND I LIVE IT:

Traditional Values, Activism and

Resilience in the Face of Suicide

Darien Thira, PhDdarien@thira.ca * www.thira.ca

King Fisher by Tobias Watts

(Nuu-chah-nulth Nation)

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMResearch Question

What is the experience of Aboriginal men and

women who have been suicidal and have

transitioned from their crisis to a pro-social

active role in their community?

PROCEDURE

Five steps:

(a) arranged invitation into the community and

participated in community-based health

organization’s ethical review

(1 year process),

(b) focus group,

(c) participant recruitment,

(d) research interview,

(e) follow-up interview to discuss

results.

PARTICIPANTS

Four criteria:

(a) previous suicidality,

(b) current social activism/

community contribution,

(c) membership in one of

two specific Vancouver

Island British Columbia

First Nations, and

(d) be over the age of 21.

PARTICIPANTS

ANALYSISGrounded Theory

FINDINGS

(a) Within their integrated self/community life-world

(b) mutually reflexive self/community engagements

facilitated

(c) the healing journey of Aboriginal activists within a

colonized context.

SELF/COMMUNITY LIFE WORLDResolving the Individual-Collective Identity Dichotomy

SELF/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS

SELF/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS

Foundational Categories of Engagement

(a) connection (i.e., harmonious interconnection within

the self/community life-world),

(b) empowerment (i.e., capacity to act within and upon

the self/community life-world),

(c) identity (i.e., the existential internalization of the

self/community life-world), and

(d) vision (i.e., the experiential internalization of the

self/community life world).

SELF/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS ACTIVATING ENGAGEMENTS

Activating Engagements:

propel the participants into action within their self/community

life-world. They include:

(a) care (i.e., the desire for the happiness, health, and safety

of the self/community life-world with which they are

connected),

(b) respect (i.e, the recognition that individuals in the

self/community life-world are distinct, capable of and

responsible for making their own empowered choices,

and worthy of value in themselves),

(c) responsibility (i.e., a sense of duty toward the

self/community life-world with which they identify), and

(d) culture (i.e., the traditions, protocols, and teachings

associated with the community’s unique history and vision).

SELF/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS HEALING ENGAGEMENTS

Healing Engagements:

specifically contribute to the paths of transition from pain rooted in past wounds to a healthy present and a hopeful future. They include:

(a) integration (i.e., intra-psychic or cultural re-connection),

(b) cleansing (i.e., psychological release or spiritual purging

resulting in empowerment in the face of past trauma),

(c) transformation (i.e., personal or spiritual change in

identity), and

(d) transcendence (i.e., contextualization of experience or

spiritual visioning ).

SELF/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTResilience and Reflexivity

Reflexivity of Engagement:

is the simultaneous mutual enhancement of resilience in

both the activist and their community life-world resulting

from either the provision or reception of self/community

engagement experiences and activities (e.g., Schwartz,

1992; Pepper, 1942/1970).

ACTIVISM

HEALING JOURNEY OF ACTIVISMEnhancing the Community’s Resilience

Through the activism of its members, the community itself

has the opportunity to transition to:

- a connected and empowered collective

- with a self-generated identity (rather than one imposed by

the colonizer) and

- a culturally rooted contemporary and hopeful vision of its

future.

HEALING JOURNEY OF ACTIVISM Resilience and Contribution

Wellness:

physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance (e.g.,

Weaver, 2002).

Living in a good way:

living in a manner that promotes harmony across the

self/community life-world (e.g., Favel-King, 1993).

HEALING JOURNEY OF ACTIVISMResolving the Healing-Activism Dichotomy

Three solutions to avoiding assimilation through “healing”:

(a) resistance was promoted by the sanctioned service

providers who served as healers and radicalizers,

(b) all of the activists used the techniques they received

for their own healing to serve as healers and helpers for

others in their community, and

(c) all of the participants pursued deeper solutions for their

bio-psycho-socio-historical-cultural-ecological-spiritual

state of disharmony than was offered by sanctioned services:

- psychosocially contextualization

- pursued local Cultural-spiritual solutions

COMMUNITY RESOURCE MAP

IMPLICATIONS

(a) Self/community Life-world Model: integration and/or

development of many lines of enquiry into Aboriginal

health.

(b) Reflexive Self/community Engagements: opportunity for

policy makers/clinicians to approach Aboriginal suicide in

a manner that enhances resilience through resource

development related to the categories of engagement.

(c) Conflating Healing with Activism: reconsideration of the

definition of and modes of healing in the Aboriginal

community that reduces the risk of assimilation through

“adjustment” focussed treatment.

THANK-YOU!

Hay-ceep q’a siem

Gilakasla