An Aboriginal experience of transformation
Date
2013
Authors
McDonald, Jack
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Satir International Journal
Abstract
The author presents a personal narrative of a boyhood disconnected from others, and feeling depressed in mood. Rather than a psychiatric intervention, his great aunt convinced his mother to have him follow his undiscovered aboriginal path, which confronted his feelings of low self-worth and low self-esteem. His uncle was a guide of the sweat ceremonies in rural Alberta, and the author participated in these, which included the teachings of his people and regard for the earth and all its creatures. The experience was transformational, and he never again was troubled by feelings of low self-worth. Jack McDonald is an advocate for urban aboriginal people of Canada. He walked barefoot for forty miles along the Trans-Canada Highway during the 1995 Walk Against Poverty. (This article first appeared in Satir Journal: Transformational Systemic Therapy, Vol. 2, no. 1, 2008, pp. 109-115, by permission of author)
Description
Keywords
Aboriginal, transformation, Aboriginal purification rite
Citation
McDonald, J. (2013). An Aboriginal experience of transformation. Satir Journal of Counselling and Family Therapy, 1, 103–106. https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/satir/article/view/12067