Innovation Project
Exploring the possibility of uniting traditional and western healing approaches for the Mixteco Indigenous population in Ventura County.
This service is part of an Innovation project funded by the California Mental Health Services Act and administered through Ventura County Behavioral Health.
Innovation Project
Exploring the possibility of uniting traditional and western healing approaches for the Mixteco Indigenous population in Ventura County.
This service is part of an Innovation project funded by the California Mental Health Services Act and administered through Ventura County Behavioral Health.
Innovation projects provide opportunities to test out new and creative mental health approaches. They have a fixed length with a clear beginning and end and are carefully evaluated. It's a chance to try out new directions that might inform current and future mental health services in communities. The Healing the Soul project is running from 2017-2021.
Healing the Soul – Curando el Alma – Na’ Sanna’e Ini’ e, a Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) / VCBH Innovations Project, has been underway at the Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) since 2017.
The project was conceived in response to the disproportionate language and cultural dissonance that keeps the migrant and Indigenous Mixtec community from seeking out mental health services from Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH).
In response to the disproportionate language and cultural dissonance keeping the migrant and Indigenous Mixtec community from seeking out mental health services from Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), Healing the Soul – Curando el Alma – Na’ Sanna’e Ini’ e, a Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) / VCBH Innovations Project, has been underway at the Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) since 2017.
Healing the Soul – Curando el Alma was tasked with:
Following professional development in research methodology, Reiki Certification, and Mixtec healing modality training with local Curanderas (Mixtec Elder women Healers); the multilingual team of 6, led by Dr. Lorri Many Rivers Santamaría, conducted focus group interviews (N=21), interviews (N=150), and administered traditional healing modalities to community members (N=280) who self-identified as experiencing symptoms.
Following week-long implementation protocols in cohorts of 10, including pre-tests, administration of traditional healing modalities (e.g., live plant teas, use of steam, energy clearing [Reiki]), and post-tests; participants overwhelmingly (99%) reported substantial reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
The complementary Indigenous healing modalities worked in providing relief to the community and could inform our VCBH partners’ practices, rendering them more culturally appropriate and responsive.
Following professional development in research methodology, Reiki Certification, and Mixtec healing modality training with local Curanderas (Mixtec Elder women Healers); the multilingual team of 6, led by Dr. Lorri Many Rivers Santamaría, conducted focus group interviews (N=21), interviews (N=150), and administered traditional healing modalities to community members (N=280) who self-identified as experiencing symptoms.
Following week-long implementation protocols in cohorts of 10, including pre-tests, administration of traditional healing modalities (e.g., live plant teas, use of steam, energy clearing [Reiki]), and post-tests; participants overwhelmingly (99%) reported substantial reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
The complementary Indigenous healing modalities worked in providing relief to the community and could inform our VCBH partners’ practices, rendering them more culturally appropriate and responsive.
Following professional development in research methodology, Reiki Certification, and Mixtec healing modality training with local Curanderas (Mixtec Elder women Healers); the multilingual team of 6, led by Dr. Lorri Many Rivers Santamaría, conducted focus group interviews (N=21), interviews (N=150), and administered traditional healing modalities to community members (N=280) who self-identified as experiencing symptoms.
Following week-long implementation protocols in cohorts of 10, including pre-tests, administration of traditional healing modalities (e.g., live plant teas, use of steam, energy clearing [Reiki]), and post-tests; participants overwhelmingly (99%) reported substantial reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
The complementary Indigenous healing modalities worked in providing relief to the community and could inform our VCBH partners’ practices, rendering them more culturally appropriate and responsive.
Currently, Team Healing the Soul is working with County Mental Healthcare Practitioners in the provision of a professional development training program for those who are interested in working with our community.
Curando el Alma has plans to expand services to other underserved groups and communities (e.g., Latinx, LGBTQ, Black/ African American, those at risk for suicide) experiencing high rates of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Project Final Report
