{"id":40834,"date":"2025-08-20T16:22:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T22:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/?post_type=research-databases&p=40834"},"modified":"2025-08-27T14:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T20:41:32","slug":"traditional-medicine-mental-health-trauma","status":"publish","type":"research-databases","link":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/research\/traditional-medicine-mental-health-trauma\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of Traditional Healing Systems in Mental Health and Trauma Care: A Global Review of Evidence and Integration Models"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Traditional
Salish elders teach youth the traditional processing of salal berries near Olympia, Washington.
Photo: Alma M\u00e9ndez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n

I have spent a significant part of my career living and working among indigenous communities in Mexico, learning and providing methods of care that sustain traditional health, wellness, and medical traditions. That\u2019s why, at the heart of my work\u2014and the founding of my nonprofit, the Center for Traditional Medicine<\/a>\u2014is a deep belief in the power of food, nature, culture, and community to heal trauma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern science is starting  to recognize what Indigenous and traditional practitioners have long known: that health is relational and contextual, and that nutrition, kinship, spirituality, and community are central to mental well-being. That\u2019s why we need to continue developing trauma-informed, culturally rooted resources that integrate Indigenous food systems, plant-based remedies, and holistic care as essential components of healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s review together five recent studies that explore how traditional healing systems are being integrated and studied in mental health and trauma care around the world:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first study <\/strong>is a systematic review from West Africa that paints a realistic but hopeful picture of integration between traditional and conventional mental healthcare. While full-scale integration remains rare, the authors point out that there are emerging successful informal collaborations that lay important groundwork for more structured partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second study<\/strong> reviewed traditional healing practices across sub-Saharan Africa and their role in supporting mental health. It found that herbal and spiritual methods remain widely used, and when integrated with biomedical treatment, they often lead to better outcomes. This review also flags some troubling practices, highlighting the need for ethical, culturally informed standards alongside collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third article<\/strong> presents the Gathering Our Medicine<\/em> framework, developed by a Coast Salish practitioner in British Columbia. It showcases Indigenous values like kinship and community responsibility, and offers an approach to healing that moves away from colonial trauma frameworks and toward relational, culturally-rooted care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth study<\/strong> compared traditional healing systems across Canada, China, Singapore, and the U.S., highlighting their shared foundations such as communal ritual, spirituality, and deep connection to land and ancestry. The authors call for global mental health care to learn from these traditions in building more equitable and culturally grounded practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fifth study<\/strong> reviewed randomized trials and qualitative research on the effectiveness of traditional healers in treating common mental disorders like depression and anxiety. It found promising results for spiritually based approaches, especially when trust, cultural understanding, and shared worldview were central to the therapeutic relationship.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have spent a significant part of my career living and working among indigenous communities in Mexico, learning and providing methods of care that sustain traditional health, wellness, and medical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":40835,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"research-categories":[1574,1529,1531],"class_list":{"0":"post-40834","1":"research-databases","2":"type-research-databases","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"research-categories-cam-therapies","7":"research-categories-mental-health","8":"research-categories-trauma-and-ptsd","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Role of Traditional Healing Systems in Mental Health and Trauma Care: A Global Review of Evidence and Integration Models | Dr. Leslie Korn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Salish elders teach youth the traditional processing of salal berries near Olympia, Washington. 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