We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors,

we borrow it from our children.

Honoring Indigenous Traditions, Lineage, and Decolonizing Therapy

As a woman in a white body, I carry a responsibility to approach Indigenous teachings with humility, respect, and careful acknowledgment. While I am not Indigenous by body, I am deeply connected to my Canadian Indigenous lineage and roots in Manitouwadge, Ontario, Canada, which ground my understanding of Native American and Indigenous medicine teachings. These teachings remind us that healing is not only personal but also relational, connected to ancestors, community, and the natural world.

Being a woman in a white body within the context of therapy requires conscious engagement with the ways colonial structures have shaped mental health care. Decolonizing therapy means actively challenging these structures, honoring Indigenous wisdom, and integrating practices that are culturally informed, spiritually rooted, and trauma-sensitive. It requires recognizing historical and ongoing injustices, while creating space for ancestral knowledge, ritual, and holistic healing practices to inform the therapeutic journey.

Through this lens, Native American medicine teachings—such as those shared in Jamie Sams’ Sacred Path Cards and other works—offer guidance not only for personal growth, self-reflection, and spiritual awareness, but also for creating ethical and culturally grounded therapeutic spaces. The medicine wheel, ancestral archetypes, and principles of interconnectedness invite us to cultivate balance, compassion, and mindful presence in our work with clients.

Integrating Native American Medicine Teachings

Integrating Native American medicine teachings into therapeutic practice emphasizes the importance of honoring one’s inner wisdom, reconnecting with the natural world, and fostering harmony within ourselves and with others.

These teachings invite individuals to approach healing not only as the resolution of symptoms but as a holistic journey of self-discovery, balance, and transformation. By engaging with the rhythms of nature, ceremony, and ancestral guidance, individuals learn to cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and compassion, gaining tools to navigate life’s transitions, grief, and challenges with a deeper sense of presence and purpose.

Through these teachings, we are reminded that healing is an ongoing process, one that unfolds over a lifetime, and that every experience—whether joyful, difficult, or transformative—offers an opportunity to learn, grow, and align more fully with our authentic selves. The principles of balance, interconnectedness, and respect that are central to Indigenous medicine traditions provide not only personal guidance but also a framework for creating healthier, more mindful communities.

In therapeutic practice, these teachings encourage us to listen deeply, honor each person’s unique journey, and foster a sense of sacred connection—to ourselves, to others, and to the Earth.

By integrating these timeless wisdoms, therapy can become a space where ancestral knowledge and contemporary psychological insight meet, offering a path toward wholeness, empowerment, and enduring well-being.

Native American Medicine Teachings & the Sacred Path Cards

We honor the profound wisdom of Native American medicine teachings, which offer timeless guidance on healing, spiritual growth, and living in harmony with the natural world. These teachings provide a holistic understanding of health, addressing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of life. Central to these teachings is the recognition of interconnectedness: all life is part of a sacred web, and each action we take resonates within it.

As a Canadian Indigenous person with strong roots and lineage in Manitouwadge, Ontario, Canada, I carry deep respect for these traditions and their enduring relevance. Growing up within this cultural context has instilled in me an appreciation for the ways in which Indigenous medicine practices support balance, resilience, and self-awareness. These teachings remind us that healing is not only personal but also relational, linking us to our ancestors, community, and the natural world.

One accessible and profound resource for exploring Native American medicine teachings is Sacred Path Cards: The Discovery of Self Through Native Teachings by Jamie Sams. Sams, a member of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge, has dedicated her life to preserving and sharing Indigenous spiritual traditions. In this work, she distills the essential wisdom of various tribal teachings into 44 illustrated cards, each reflecting a unique aspect of the human experience. These cards serve as tools for self-reflection and guidance, offering insight into personal growth, life challenges, and spiritual understanding.

Accompanying the cards is a comprehensive guidebook that explains their meanings and provides practical methods for interpretation and divination. Together, the cards and guidebook allow individuals to engage with these teachings in a meaningful and personal way. Beyond the Sacred Path Cards, Jamie Sams’ other works—such as The Sacred Path Workbook, Earth Medicine: Revealing Hidden Teachings of the Native American Medicine Wheel, and The 13 Original Clan Mothers—offer deeper explorations into the medicine wheel, archetypal wisdom, and the transformative power of Indigenous teachings.

Acknowledging and honoring my Indigenous lineage, I strive to integrate these teachings with deep intentionality, ensuring that the wisdom I draw upon is approached with respect, humility, and integrity, rather than appropriation.

This conscious practice requires ongoing reflection, openness, and a willingness to learn from the traditions themselves, as well as from the communities and elders who continue to sustain them.

This approach fosters a decolonized perspective in therapy—one that recognizes the value of community, ceremony, and ancestral guidance alongside contemporary therapeutic practices. It emphasizes that healing is not solely an individual endeavor but a relational process that engages the interconnectedness of mind, heart, and environment, inviting clients to reconnect with the deeper threads of lineage, culture, and collective wisdom.

Ultimately, as a woman in a white body working within these traditions, my role is one of learning, listening, and bearing witness. It involves holding space for ancestral voices, acknowledging histories of resilience and trauma, and approaching each session with a spirit of humility, presence, and reverence.

Through this lens, therapy becomes more than a clinical practice—it is a sacred act of healing, restoration, and reconnection, offering pathways to greater self-understanding, empathy, and harmony with the natural world.

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