Traditional ceremonial practices as a strategy to reduce problem substance use in American Indian communities: A systematic review

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN)* communities have successfully relied on long-held traditional ceremonial practices (TCPs) to survive and recover from historical traumas for generations. Interventions that incorporate TCPs to prevent or treat problem substance use are increasingly replacing the more deficit-based clinical approaches employed by Western science. Beyond merely introducing or strengthening aspects of culture—such as language, foods, games, or arts and crafts—AIAN communities are reviving TCPs in an effort to promote spiritual and emotional healing and, correspondingly, reduce rates of problem substance use associated with historical and intergenerational trauma. (author introduction) #HES4A