For some Aboriginal people, healing is a relatively new word that seems to have emerged and taken on a life of its own only after the 1990 Mohawk Crisis and the ensuing Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP, 1996). In spite of the massive 4000-page RCAP report, some mainstream authorities (Brasfield, 2001) still believe that the meaning of Aboriginal healing has not been fully explained. In this study, an attempt will be made to widen the meaning of Aboriginal healing by examining ancient Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse) philosophy, historical cultural upheaval, and narratives from First Nations survivors of Indian residential schools and a Holocaust survivor. The results have shown a connection between Aboriginal healing and Canadian society. Healing can only occur if the wound is not continuously reopened such as when long-standing land claims remain unsettled, Indigenous language and culture programs are neglected, and a People are ignored.

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This qualitative study informs the literature by bringing two perspectives together: the trauma of residential school abuse and the transpersonal viewpoint of healing. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach explored lived experiences of residential school survivors and their families. Transpersonal psychology was introduced as the focus for a new healing paradigm. The research questions ask, “What has been the lived experience of the trauma of residential school abuse” and “How are traditional and non-traditional healing practices mutually applied in the recovery process by individuals who are impacted by the residential school experience”? Five First Nations co-researchers were interviewed, the data was analyzed, coded, and a thematic analysis was undertaken from which six themes emerged. The results of this study may go on to employ this new healing paradigm to help First Nations people gain spiritual wholeness. Finally, a description and summary of research findings, limitations and implications for counselling were discussed. / x, 193 leaves ; 29 cm. --