Regenerative (and Indigenous) Healing Practices

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Regenerative Healing Practices is one of the nine components of our Evolved Nest.

Learn more about our evolutionary pathway to wellbeing in the Evolved Nest Learning Center here.

Read why healing practices are important below, by Darcia Narvaez.

Discover the many forms of Indigenous Healing Practices below.

Learn more about the Regenerative Health paradigm here.

 

WHY ARE HEALING PRACTICES IMPORTANT?

No one is perfect. Humans are fallible. We make mistakes, whatever age we are. Sometimes parents make mistakes and sometimes children live for years with primal wounds from those mistakes.

We can get out of balance physically, emotionally, psychologically or spiritually. For example, we can get caught up in thinking too much, striving too much, trying to control others. We can forget how to be present, in the moment and to others. We can be distracted off the path to fulfilling our deeper purpose.

All of us need regular healing of unexpressed or gripping emotions like resentment, anger, grief and sadness. We need to let go of our emotions or else they can inhibit our ability to be present to others, including our children. They can make us do things we regret later.

Healing practices can mend a wounded self or a weakened relationship. So it is good to build routines for relational healing as well as self healing.

Self healing might be needed when one notices distraction and lack of focus (“something is bothering me”) or when one feels emotionally detached from a situation where it would be expected otherwise. In a relationship, signals include bitterness, resentment or contempt, or withdrawal and distrust. One learns to nip these in the bud before they get deep roots and completely destroy the relationship.

We can get out of balance relationally with the natural world, forgetting our partnership responsibilities to the living earth to respect waterways, soil, insects, plants and animals.

WHAT EVERYONE CAN DO

Individuals can practice self-healing, though it may be better started with some help from a therapist or patient friends. Practices include journaling about one’s day or one’s feelings (one might need to practice this for a while if one has learned to “stuff” feelings away). Creative approaches include drawing or painting or singing or dancing out one’s feelings (in safe ways),. Even yelling (so as not to hurt self or others) can help, like yelling out the car window by a freeway that muffles the sound. Sometimes one has to get angry/sad to let go of long hidden old, old wounds.

To heal relationships, we take up practices that participants agree on.

For parents and children, play acting can be a way to work through unmet needs, resentments or fears. Stuffed animals or other toys can be used. Parents should let children lead the way. (See the book, Playful Parenting by Cohen.) Sometimes, playing chase or wrestling can release the feelings and bring about connection.

Creative arts can also be helpful if the child is in charge of the expressions.

For adult relationships, play acting can work too. Try our 28 Days of Solo Play.

Whatever leads the partners to mutual laughter is always beneficial. Giving each other the benefit of the doubt and forgiving each other a dozen times a day can help lower expectations that the other is supposed to perfectly do one’s bidding.

A nonviolent way to solve problems or heal broken relationships and trust is a talking circle. These can be used within the family, among friends or community members. The format is egalitarian. Talking circles have particular rules with the basic assumption that the circle “talks” when everyone listens. In fact, the most important aspect of a talking circle is listening: listening to what others say without judgment or resistance, making room for different truths, without agenda or thinking about what you will say. Everyone has the opportunity to speak when they hold the “talking stick” (or other item) passed around from person to person. No one has to speak when their turn comes. The circle can continue until it feels completed to all members (or until the time frame concludes). What is said in the circle is confidential, not to be shared. Each person expresses their feelings from their “heart,” (e.g., using “I feel” statements).

Talking circles can take some time, but restoring trust among members is vital for successful cooperation on subsequent projects.

 

Here is a list of Indigenous healing practices from around the world, reflecting the diverse cultural traditions and spiritual perspectives on health and wellness:

1. Ayurveda (India)

• An ancient system of medicine that focuses on balancing the body’s energies (doshas: Vata, Pitta, Kapha) through diet, herbal remedies, yoga, and meditation.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (China)

• A holistic approach to health that includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, qigong, and tuina (massage) to balance the body’s energy (Qi) and its interactions with the universe.

3. Acupuncture (China/East Asia)

• Involves inserting fine needles into specific points on the body to restore the flow of energy (Qi) along meridian lines, promoting balance and healing.

4. Shamanism (Global – especially Indigenous cultures of the Americas, Siberia, Africa)

• A spiritual practice in which shamans enter altered states of consciousness to interact with the spirit world for healing purposes, often using drumming, chanting, plant medicine, and ritual.

5. Curanderismo (Latin America)

• A traditional healing practice blending Indigenous, African, and European knowledge. Curanderos or curanderasuse herbs, spiritual cleansing (limpias), prayers, and rituals to treat physical and spiritual ailments.

6. Sweat Lodge (Inipi) (Native American – Plains Tribes)

• A purification ceremony where participants enter a small, dome-shaped structure and use heat from water poured over hot stones, combined with prayers and songs, to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit.

7. Dreamtime Healing (Aboriginal Australians)

• A spiritual healing practice based on Dreamtime stories and ancestral knowledge. Healing ceremonies may involve song, dance, storytelling, and body painting to connect with the land and ancestral spirits.

8. Kambo Ceremony (Amazon Basin)

• A traditional Amazonian practice using the secretion of the giant monkey frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor), applied to small burns on the skin to trigger a physical purge and cleanse the body of toxins and negative energies.

9. Ayahuasca Ceremony (Amazon Basin – Peru, Brazil, Ecuador)

• A plant medicine ceremony using the psychoactive brew ayahuasca to promote spiritual healing and self-exploration. Guided by shamans, participants engage in deep emotional and spiritual cleansing.

10. San Bushmen Healing Dance (Southern Africa – Kalahari)

• A trance dance where healers and community members enter an altered state to access healing energy. This energy is used to cure illnesses, resolve conflicts, and maintain balance in the community.

11. Balneotherapy (Romania, Hungary, Turkey)

• The therapeutic use of mineral-rich waters, such as hot springs, for healing purposes. Ancient practices in Europe, Africa, and Asia use water immersion and mud therapy to promote health.

12. Ho’oponopono (Hawai’i, Polynesia)

• A Hawaiian spiritual practice focused on reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing. Through prayer, meditation, and verbal expressions of love and gratitude, participants restore balance in relationships and within themselves.

13. Jamu (Indonesia)

• A traditional herbal medicine system in Indonesia that combines natural remedies, massage, and spiritual practices. Jamu uses roots, bark, flowers, and leaves for healing purposes, both preventative and curative.

14. Aromatherapy (Therapeutic Use of Plants) (Multiple Indigenous Cultures)

• The use of essential oils derived from plants for healing purposes, common in many Indigenous cultures. This practice harnesses the scents and properties of plants to promote relaxation, healing, and balance.

15. Thangka Healing (Tibetan Buddhism)

• In Tibetan medicine, healing rituals involve thangka paintings (spiritual art) depicting deities and symbols. These paintings are believed to help channel spiritual energy for physical and mental healing.

16. Ubung Nyai (Kenya – Maasai)

• A traditional healing ceremony used by the Maasai people in Kenya, where herbal medicines, animal sacrifice, and prayers to ancestors and deities are performed to treat both physical and spiritual illnesses.

17. Hmong Shamanic Healing (Southeast Asia – Hmong People)

• A healing practice among the Hmong people of Laos and Vietnam, where a shaman interacts with the spiritual world to retrieve lost souls, diagnose ailments, and restore balance to the body and mind.

18. Unani Medicine (Middle East, South Asia)

• A Greco-Arabic medical system based on the balance of the four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile). It includes herbal remedies, dietary treatments, and spiritual practices.

19. Bone Setting (Global – Africa, Asia, Latin America)

• The practice of traditional bone setting exists in many cultures, where healers manually realign dislocated bones, fractures, and sprains using ancient techniques passed down through generations.

20. Rongoā Māori (New Zealand – Māori)

• The Māori system of natural medicine includes the use of native plants for healing, as well as spiritual practices such as karakia (prayers) and wairua (spiritual healing) to restore health and wellbeing.

21. Qigong (China)

• A healing practice combining movement, meditation, and controlled breathing to cultivate and balance the flow of Qi (energy) within the body. It is used to improve health, reduce stress, and promote spiritual development.

22. Herbalism (Global Indigenous Traditions)

• The use of local plants and herbs for medicinal purposes is common among many Indigenous groups worldwide. Each culture has its own knowledge base for using these natural remedies for healing various ailments.

23. Sami Healing (Noaidi Rituals) (Sápmi – Northern Europe)

• The Sami people of northern Scandinavia have traditional healing rituals led by noaidi (shamans). These ceremonies often involve drumming, trance, and spiritual journeying to heal physical and spiritual illnesses.

24. Voodoo Healing (West Africa, Haiti)

• Voodoo practices, originating in West Africa and developed in the Caribbean, involve rituals, the use of sacred objects, and offerings to spirits to promote healing, protect against illness, and resolve spiritual imbalances.

25. Tengrism (Central Asia – Mongolia, Siberia)

• An ancient belief system of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples, emphasizing harmony with nature and the sky deity Tengri. Shamans perform rituals to maintain balance between humans, nature, and the spirit world, often invoking natural forces for healing.

26. Traditional Navajo Healing (Native American – Southwest USA)

• Navajo healing ceremonies include rituals like sings (chantways) to restore harmony, using sand paintings, herbal remedies, and prayers to connect with spiritual beings and ancestors for health and protection.

27. Hilot (Philippines)

• A traditional Filipino massage and healing technique that involves diagnosing imbalances in the body and restoring balance through manual therapy, herbal remedies, and spiritual practices.

28. Balian Healing (Bali, Indonesia)

• Balinese balian healers practice energy healing through touch, herbal treatments, and ritual offerings to restore balance between the physical and spiritual realms.

This diverse list reflects the rich traditions of Indigenous healing practices that emphasize holistic, spiritual, and natural approaches to health and wellness. Each practice is deeply rooted in the culture’s worldview and relationships with nature and the cosmos.

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