What's Up with
What prevents us from healing?
This is what the community says...
Leanne says…
When Traditional ways of healing are offered – we are not open to it because of being institutionalised by government and religious bodies. Over time we think there is more professionalism in non- Aboriginal people. As Aboriginal people we are good learners and we’ve learnt what government and religion has wanted us to learn. Consequently, we as a race of people don’t have what we need to heal ourselves keep ourselves and keep ourselves healthy.
Greg says…
We have a fear of failure and a fear of success, but we don’t know what to do with success.
Joyce says…
As a fair skin Aboriginal person, non-acceptance from both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people adds to our trauma, because at times we are not accepted. We are either too white to be black or too black to be white, and we confuse people as they expect us to act differently than we do.
Nic says…
If we believe we are worthless and inferior and are forced to believe these things because they have been passed down through generations, then whats the point? It becomes a culture in its own right.
Mel says…
The fear of losing more than what we have already lost can stop us from moving forward. The trauma we experience today is already embedded in the loss we have experienced over generations, but to heal may mean experiencing more loss – loss of family, friends and community, particularly if they are part of the changes that need to be made. It’s a difficult decision to remove people from your life….particularly if they are the only ones you have.
Nancy says…
If you are unloved and have never been cherished or nurtured, it’s pretty hard to do that with your own children as you don’t know how to do it. Therefore your practices and choices you make may not be the best ones to pass on to your children, who then grow up and can’t do it to their own children. Down the track our People may have the chance to improve ourselves or go somewhere to make good choices, but quite often it can be a few generations before the healing can happen.