The Healing Wisdom That Western Medicine Forgot: How Indigenous Teachings Redefined Wellness for Me

There are courses you take because they fit neatly into your schedule, and then there are courses that quietly — almost imperceptibly — redirect the trajectory of your life. When I first enrolled in an Indigenous Health Studies course many years ago, I saw it as an opportunity to broaden my understanding of the cultural influences on health. It was an elective, a complement to my scientific training, and I expected it to be informative. What I did not anticipate was that the teachings from that course would settle into my consciousness, stay dormant for years, and later return to me with clarity just when I needed them most.

At that time, I was a young student shaped by the structure of Western science. I trusted numbers, evidence, systems, and standardized thinking. I believed strongly that if something mattered, it could be measured, quantified, or validated by a lab result or a textbook. Western medicine had offered me a disciplined framework, and I respected it. I still do. It saves lives, improves outcomes, and advances our understanding of the human body in ways our ancestors could never have imagined.

But even in those early days, something from that class stirred something in me. The teachings did not confront my scientific worldview; they gently expanded its edges. They lingered quietly, never demanding attention, simply waiting for the moment when I would need to remember them.

It was not until years later—after practicing medicine, supporting patients through their darkest moments, managing a career and motherhood, and walking through my own experience of burnout—that those early teachings resurfaced. This time, they came back not as interesting ideas, but as wisdom with weight, relevance, and clarity.

The Limitations of a System That Treats Body and Mind, But Often Ignores Spirit

Western medicine is extraordinary. It has transformed what is possible in diagnosis, treatment, and survival. It identifies early disease, repairs damaged organs, and supports complex chronic conditions. We are fortunate to live in a time when we can detect cancers earlier, understand genetics more deeply, and manage illnesses that once shortened lives.

However, despite its brilliance, Western medicine often overlooks one crucial dimension of health that humans rely on: the spiritual dimension.

This is not about religion. Nor is it about doctrine or theology. In healthcare research, spirituality refers to things that exist within every human being, regardless of belief system:

• a sense of purpose

• meaning-making

• connection and belonging

• grounding values

• The internal narrative that helps us understand our lives

• the unseen threads that anchor us during hardship

Spiritual wellness often makes people uncomfortable, partly because it feels intangible or unscientific. Some fear it will drift into areas medicine cannot measure. Others assume it must be tied to organized religion. However, if we strip away assumptions, what remains is the undeniable truth that humans are wired for meaning and connection.

The research is remarkably consistent:

• A strong sense of purpose is associated with lower mortality and reduced cardiovascular risk (Boyle et al., 2009).

• Spiritual well-being supports resilience, recovery from illness, and shorter hospital stays (Koenig, 2012).

• Loneliness—essentially, spiritual disconnection—significantly increases mortality risk (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010).

• People who feel connected to purpose or community report lower rates of anxiety and depression (Park et al., 2023).

• Meaning-making is a protective factor during trauma and life transitions (Park, 2010).

• Across thousands of studies, spiritual well-being has been consistently correlated with mental health and resilience (Koenig, 2012).

These outcomes do not require belief in anything supernatural. They simply affirm that human beings thrive when anchored by meaning, connection, and purpose.

Indigenous teachings were the first framework that helped me understand why.

The Indigenous Approach: A Framework That Treats the Whole Human

One of the earliest concepts I learned in Indigenous Health Studies was the Medicine Wheel. While interpretations vary across nations and communities, many share a common understanding that wellness has four essential dimensions:

• Physical

• Emotional

• Mental

• Spiritual

Each dimension influences the others. None stands alone.

In contrast, Western medicine tends to prioritize the physical and mental aspects of health. Emotional wellness receives varying levels of attention, depending on the provider. But spiritual wellness rarely enters the conversation, even though it quietly shapes the entire human experience.

Indigenous teachings prioritize spiritual wellness as the foundation of health. Not as an accessory, not as optional, and not as something reserved for cultural or ceremonial contexts. It is foundational.

Spiritual wellness, in Indigenous worldviews, includes connection:

• to land

• to ancestry

• to identity

• to story

• to community

• to culture

• to something greater than oneself

As a young student, I understood these concepts intellectually. Today, as a physician and mother, I understand them personally. Humans do not exist apart from their relationships with others. We are shaped by our connections, nourished by them, sometimes wounded by them, but always influenced by them.

The Medicine Wheel taught me this long before I learned it through experience.

My Ongoing Commitment to Learning as a Non-Indigenous practioner

What I didn’t expect was that my interest in Indigenous health perspectives would grow into a long-term commitment. Over the years, I have continued to learn through formal courses, community lectures, professional development, research, and conversations led by Indigenous scholars and practitioners.

I studied topics such as:

• Indigenous determinants of health

• Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk)

• Indigenous models of trauma-informed practice

• Cultural humility and safety

• Community-led wellness frameworks

• Indigenous perspectives on mental, spiritual, and emotional health

I approached this learning with respect and humility. Indigenous knowledge is not mine to own, teach, or reinterpret. I am not Indigenous, and I do not present myself as an authority on these teachings.

I am a guest in this space. A learner. An ally. Someone who sees the wisdom and recognizes how much Western medicine can grow by acknowledging it.

Indigenous teachings have never replaced my medical training. They have enriched it. They have softened its edges and expanded its possibilities. They helped me see more fully what healing actually requires.

Healing is not just a treatment plan. Healing is relationship.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings: A Human Blueprint, Not Just A Cultural Teaching

Among the teachings that shaped me, the Seven Grandfather Teachings stand out:

• Wisdom

• Love

• Respect

• Bravery

• Honesty

• Humility

• Truth

These are not just values. They are ways of navigating relationships—with ourselves, with others, with our work, and with the world.

Imagine if healthcare leadership embraced humility rather than hierarchy.

Imagine if clinical decisions were anchored in truth rather than convenience.

Imagine if courage guided innovation rather than fear of change.

Imagine if respect and love shaped the way we speak to and about patients.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings articulate what it means to be in right relationship. They offer a framework for living well, healing well, and leading well. Their relevance extends far beyond Indigenous communities because they describe universal human needs.

Healing requires these qualities. Without them, care becomes transactional, and relationships become hollow.

The Moment the Teachings Returned to Me

Years after that first course, when I started experiencing the early signs of burnout—fatigue, disconnection, emotional heaviness—the Indigenous teachings resurfaced. Not in a ceremonial way or as a single moment of revelation, but as a quiet realization that I had been functioning with an incomplete wellness wheel.

Physically, I kept going.

Mentally, I problem-solved.

Emotionally, I held space for others.

Spiritually, I was running on empty.

I had lost connection to joy, purpose, and meaning. I felt misaligned. My work still mattered to me, but the way I was practicing it no longer sustained me. The Medicine Wheel became a mirror, reminding me that healing requires balance, and balance requires all four dimensions—not just the ones we are most comfortable acknowledging.

If one part of the wheel breaks, the whole system struggles.

Why Spiritual Wellness Makes Some People Uncomfortable

When people hear the word “spiritual,” they often jump to conclusions. Some worry they are being invited into belief systems they do not share. Others assume spirituality is vague or unscientific.

But spiritual wellness, defined in broad human terms, simply means this:

• connection to meaning

• connection to self

• connection to others

• connection to values

• connection to purpose

There is nothing mystical about it. These connections influence lifestyle choices, emotional resilience, and the ability to cope with illness or stress.

The evidence is consistent:

• Purpose predicts longevity.

• Meaning supports recovery.

• Disconnection increases mortality.

• Spiritual well-being improves mental health.

• Integrated spiritual care improves coping and stability.

A person does not need religious affiliation to experience the benefits of spiritual health. Some find meaning in nature, others in community or creativity, and others in service, family, culture, or personal values.

The essence is connection.

How These Teachings Transformed My Clinical Practice

As I reconnected with these teachings, my approach to medicine shifted.

I listened differently. Not simply for symptoms, but for what wasn’t being said. I noticed how many patients presented with physical complaints rooted in emotional or spiritual disconnection: insomnia, chronic pain, fatigue, burnout, anxiety. I realized that many of them knew what they needed physically, but lacked deeper support that would anchor their healing.

I began asking questions that invited people to speak about their lives, identities, and experiences—not just their bodies. I noticed that when people felt heard, they healed differently. Their stress decreased, their sleep improved, their boundaries strengthened.

Patients were not just seeking prescriptions. They were seeking connection, validation, perspective, and support. They were seeking balance across the four dimensions of the wellness wheel, even if they didn’t have the language for it.

The more I integrated this lens into my practice, the more human and effective my care became.

What Western Medicine Can Learn Without Appropriating

Engaging with Indigenous teachings as a non-Indigenous practitioner requires responsibility. These teachings hold deep cultural significance. Respect means acknowledging context, not extracting ideas for convenience.

Western medicine can learn from Indigenous frameworks without appropriating by focusing on values and principles such as:

• holistic understandings of wellness

• cultural humility

• relational care

• patient-centered narratives

• community-based healing

• emotional and spiritual determinants of health

• meaning, purpose, and belonging as health factors

Integrating these concepts enhances Western care. It does not dilute science or replace evidence-based practice. It strengthens them by adding dimensions Western medicine often overlooks.

Healing thrives when multiple ways of knowing are honored.

The Future of Healthcare Must Be More Human, More Connected

The future of healthcare will require us to move beyond treating symptoms. It will require us to acknowledge the full human experience. Physical health cannot be separated from emotional, mental, and spiritual health. They are interconnected, always influencing one another.

Healthcare must become:

• more relational

• more compassionate

• more culturally grounded

• more holistic

• more community-centered

• more attuned to meaning and purpose

• more aware of clinician well-being

If Western medicine is the body of healthcare, Indigenous teachings remind us of its soul.

The Teachings That Continue to Guide Me

When I look back on my journey—from that early course to today—I see clearly how these teachings shaped the way I practice, lead, and live. They helped me understand that:

• Healing is connection.

• Wellness is balance.

• Meaning matters.

• Purpose matters.

• Spirit matters.

• People matter.

These teachings have grounded me during difficult seasons and guided me back to myself when I felt disconnected or overwhelmed. They continue to influence the way I support patients, advocate for clinicians, and lead in my community.

I am grateful for this wisdom. I do not claim it. I respect it. I learn from it. And I carry it with humility.

Healing is not something we deliver. Healing is something we participate in, together.

When we recognize the full humanity of the people we care for, we invite a deeper, more transformative kind of healing—one that honours thes body, mind,emotionsn, and spirit.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for guidance on your health.

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© 2026 Dr. Tomi Mitchell / Holistic Wellness Strategies. All rights reserved.

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