‘Telling our stories in ways that make us stronger’ by Barb Wingard

November 8, 2013 by

images-1I had a number of pieces of content ready to go on the website, had even organised them in an order. But then I found this powerful piece on Stories. This is an extract from the book Telling our stories in ways that make us stronger by Barb Wingard and Jane Lester (Dulwich Centre Publications, 2001)

‘As Indigenous people of this country, we have faced so many losses due to past and present injustice. Grief’s presence has been with us for a long time. Now we are seeking ways of speaking about Grief that are consistent with our cultural ways of doing things. 

We are remembering those who have died, we are honouring Indigenous spiritual ways, and we are finding ways of grieving that bring us together. We are telling our stories in ways that make us stronger.

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Marion’s Story: Introduction

September 17, 2013 by

Dr. Marion Kickett tells her Story, to help the reader understand her background and why she undertook her PhD research on resilience.

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Marion’s Story: My Family, Father’s Side

September 17, 2013 by

Marion learnt a great deal about her culture, land and spirituality from her father and his side of the family. They had lived in York and surrounds for generations.

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Marion’s Story: ‘My Spirituality’

September 17, 2013 by

Marion’s spirituality is very important to her and is central to everything else that matters in her life.

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Marion’s Story: My Culture

September 17, 2013 by

Marion believes her culture is changing and she has learned to adapt when changes occur.

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Marion’s Story: Conclusion

September 17, 2013 by

Marion’s family have faced adversities, risen above them, and taught Marion to be the resilient person she is today.

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Surviving What?: Experience Surviving Racism

September 16, 2013 by

Most of Marion’s study participants talked about having to survive racism, with some experiencing racism every day.

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Surviving What?: Surviving Colonialism

September 16, 2013 by

All study participants discussed racist policies, arising from colonialism, that excluded Aboriginal people from having any rights or dignity.

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Strategies to Face Adversity: Inner Strength

September 5, 2013 by

A number of study participants spoke about their inner strength, or strong spirit, helping them overcome adversity.

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Strategies to Face Adversity: Learning

August 31, 2013 by

Many study participants expressed that learning about their culture was an important part of survival as an Aboriginal person in today’s Aboriginal society.

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Promoting community led solutions to indigenous youth suicide

August 9, 2013 by

I have just received the email below. Last week, I attended an aboriginal healing retreat and had spiritual experiences that confirmed my commitment to helping the Indigenous people of Australia tackle addiction and mental health problems and other consequences of historical trauma.

This email reminds me of the scale of the problem. The video touched my inner soul. I am so happy I have made this commitment. I know the journey ahead is a long one.

Please support this cause, first by sending this blog and the website link out to as many people as possible. Thank you.

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The culture of addiction: Part 2

August 1, 2013 by

IMG_2586The second part of this series focuses on the impact of legal status on drug culture. Click here for part one.

Society makes judgements about different types of psychoactive drug. As Bill White points out in his book Pathways from the Culture of Addiction to the Culture of Recovery, the social status and value attached to a particular drug by society influence several things:

  • The risks associated with use of the drug
  • The organisation of ‘tribes’ within the culture of addiction
  • The characteristics of each tribe and the impairments that members experience from both the drug and the culture itself.

 Clearly, there are likely to be differences in a variety of factors for drugs that are legal (e.g. alcohol) and those that are prohibited by law (e.g. heroin).

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The culture of addiction: Part 1

July 30, 2013 by

384985_10150365241281765_1866835833_nThis is the first of two blogs on the culture of addiction. I will later look at the culture of recovery, and after that consider how we can help people move from the culture of addiction to the culture of recovery.

These articles are based on the seminal writings of William L White, in particular from his book Pathways from the Culture of Addiction to the Culture of Recovery. In this book, Bill provides key insights into how we can help people move cultures – essential in their journey along the path to recovery.

‘Culture’ generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance. Wikipedia

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The challenges of recovering from heroin addiction

May 30, 2013 by

DSCF2083When you ask people what difficulties a person faces when trying to overcome heroin addiction, most will focus on the early withdrawal symptoms, which comprise both physical and psychological elements.

There are far greater challenges that lie ahead in a journey to recovery from heroin addiction. It is important that people know this (users, family members, family members, etc), although it is also important that people with a heroin problem are not put off by these challenges. Many people have overcome heroin addiction.

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