Culture as Prevention: Indigenous Wisdom for Mental Health

In this insightful interview, Dr. McCarron speaks with Anthony Guzman, Chief Cultural Officer at the Native American Health Center. Their conversation explores how traditional wisdom and cultural practices can be integrated into modern mental health frameworks to create more effective, holistic approaches to healing.

Anthony's work centers on bridging two different approaches to mental health - traditional indigenous wisdom and Western medical practices. His journey began against the backdrop of systematic erasure of indigenous peoples, which created complex mental health challenges that conventional Western approaches often couldn't address effectively. His perspective is shaped by both his social work background and his cultural heritage. This unique lens allows him to see beyond traditional metrics of success (like number of assessments or sessions) to focus on quality, community-defined measurements, and culturally-informed approaches.

Today, as the founder of Active Path Mental Health and the nonprofit Dark to Light, Dr. Raj is tackling mental health challenges from multiple angles. His research into Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy is showing promising results for treating depression, anxiety and smoking cessation, while his nonprofit work supports children navigating the challenges of divorce – both initiatives stemming from a deep understanding that human connection is central to healing.

One of the most exciting developments Anthony shares is the research-backed "Culture is Prevention" initiative. Working with researcher Angela Snowshoe, they adapted and validated a tool that measures the impact of cultural practices on health outcomes. Their findings were clear: integrating culture into care leads to improved health outcomes across the board.

Building on this research, they created the "Medicine Bundle Survey" to ask community members what cultural activities they wanted access to. The responses ranged from traditional health practitioners to spaces for growing food and practicing ceremonies without restrictions.

This led to their newest innovation: Cultural Wellness Plans. These individualized plans assess a person's cultural connections and integrate specific cultural practices into their overall healthcare approach, working alongside traditional treatments like CBT or EMDR.

Anthony's work reminds us that effective mental health care must consider the whole person - including their cultural identity and connections. His powerful concept of "all my relations" emphasizes our connections to the past, present, and future, creating a framework for healing that extends beyond the individual to embrace community and cultural wisdom.