Indigenous Psychology: Mind, Spirit, and Healing
Psychology — the study of the mind and behaviour — is often framed through Western science. Yet Indigenous peoples of Victoria and across Australia developed psychological systems long before colonisation, grounded in Dreaming, kinship, ceremony, and Country.
Indigenous psychology differs from Western models in one fundamental way: it views the mind not as an isolated entity but as interconnected with community, land, ancestors, and the spirit world (Atkinson, 2002; Rose, 1996). The unconscious, subconscious, and conscious self are woven together through story, law, and ceremony. Though colonisation fractured these systems, they remain resilient, offering profound insights into human wellbeing and healing.
Foundations of Indigenous Psychology
The Self in Relationship
In Indigenous psychology, identity is relational. A person is not only an individual but part of:
Family and kinship systems — shaping obligations, belonging, and roles.
Country — landscapes as living extensions of self.
Totems and ancestors — spiritual guides and protectors linking generations.
This relational model means that wellbeing is tied to the health of both community and environment (Gee et al., 2014; Dudgeon & Walker, 2015).
Conscious, Subconscious, and Dreaming States
Indigenous psychology recognises multiple, overlapping states of being:
Conscious life — daily interaction with kin and Country.
Subconscious states — accessed through ceremony, music, rhythm, and storytelling.
Dreaming states — where ancestral knowledge and spiritual guidance are revealed.
These levels are not separated but flow into one another — a form of holistic consciousness similar to Jung’s collective unconscious (Jung, 1968; Atkinson, 2002).
Wadawurrung Perspectives on Mind and Spirit
On Wadawurrung Country — across Geelong, Ballarat, and the Bellarine Peninsula — psychology was lived through connection and ceremony:
Smoke and fire cleansed spirit, balancing emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Song and dance activated subconscious healing, uniting the body with kinship and Country.
Tanderrum (welcome ceremony) created safe passage for visitors, ensuring emotional and psychological safety (Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, 2023).
Healing the mind or body often required healing Country itself — restoring balance to land, water, and ancestral story (Broome, 2005; Rose, 1996).
Healing, Trauma, and Resilience
Traditional Healing Practices
Smoking ceremonies: purification of spirit and environment, easing grief or conflict.
Storytelling and songlines: moral and emotional frameworks guiding social harmony.
Dance and rhythmic movement: releasing trauma, strengthening body–spirit connection (Isaacs, 1987; Howitt, 1904).
Colonisation and Psychological Disruption
Colonisation brought severe psychological harm:
Missions and reserves fractured families and kinship systems.
The Stolen Generations inflicted intergenerational trauma and disrupted identity.
Suppression of ceremony and language silenced traditional modes of healing (Atkinson, 2002; Yoorrook Justice Commission, 2025).
This produced what modern psychology terms intergenerational trauma, a concept long recognised by Aboriginal Elders through oral histories of suffering, survival, and recovery (Dudgeon & Milroy, 2014).
Contemporary Healing
Victorian Indigenous communities are reuniting culture and therapy through:
On-Country healing camps that integrate ceremony with trauma counselling.
Community-controlled health services combining psychology and culture (VACCHO, 2022).
Truth-telling and treaty processes such as the Yoorrook Justice Commission, addressing systemic grief and restoration (Yoorrook, 2025).
Indigenous Psychology and the Unconscious
Indigenous frameworks of mind parallel depth psychology yet remain rooted in culture:
Dreaming acts as a collective unconscious, where ancestral archetypes dwell (Jung, 1968; Rose, 1996).
Totems are projections of the inner self, guiding moral behaviour and belonging.
Ceremonial trance parallels therapeutic altered states, enabling vision, catharsis, and integration.
Unlike Freud’s focus on repression, Indigenous psychology emphasises balance and integration — harmonising conscious, subconscious, and ancestral worlds (Atkinson, 2002).
Impacts of Colonisation on Aboriginal Psychology
Displacement from Country severed spiritual and emotional foundations.
Western psychiatry often dismissed Indigenous spirituality as “superstition” (Broome, 2005).
Ongoing trauma from racism, poverty, and incarceration compounds historical wounds (Gee et al., 2014).
Yet, resilience continues through art, education, activism, and ceremony — what many Elders call “healing by still being here.”
Indigenous Psychology in Global Context
Indigenous psychology resonates with Indigenous worldviews globally:
Māori wairua (spirit) situates wellbeing in relationship with land and ancestors (Durie, 2001).
Native American sweat lodges parallel Aboriginal smoking ceremonies as spiritual cleansing.
African Ubuntu philosophy — “I am because we are” — reflects Aboriginal relational identity (Nwoye, 2015).
These shared perspectives affirm Indigenous psychologies as holistic systems uniting spirituality, community, and mental health.
Contemporary Ingigenoud Psychology
Today, Indigenous psychology in Victoria blends tradition with evidence-based practice:
Collaborative therapy: Psychologists work alongside Elders, using story, art, and ceremony to inform trauma-informed care.
Education: Universities and community programs integrate Aboriginal frameworks of wellbeing (Dudgeon & Walker, 2015).
Youth programs: Dreaming stories, music, and on-Country experiences reconnect identity and mental health.
This is not a revival but a continuation — one of the world’s oldest living psychological traditions.
Conclusion
Indigenous psychology in Victoria and across Australia reveals an enduring truth: the mind cannot be separated from land, community, or spirit.
For the Wadawurrung and other nations, healing is relational, identity is collective, and dreams are as real as waking life. Colonisation fractured these systems, but they survive through culture, story, and renewal. Today, Indigenous psychology stands as both science and spirituality — a living philosophy offering guidance for healing, reconnection, and balance across generations.
References
Atkinson, J. (2002). Trauma Trails: Recreating Song Lines – The Transgenerational Effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia. Melbourne: Spinifex Press.
Barwick, D. (1998). Rebellion at Coranderrk. Canberra: Aboriginal History Monograph.
Broome, R. (2005). Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, I.D. (1990). Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Melbourne: Monash University Press.
Dudgeon, P. & Milroy, H. (2014). Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
Dudgeon, P. & Walker, R. (2015). Community Psychology and Aboriginal Wellbeing. Perth: UWA Press.
Durie, M. (2001). Mauriora: The Dynamics of Māori Health. Auckland: Oxford University Press.
Gee, G., Dudgeon, P., Schultz, C., Hart, A. & Kelly, K. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health.
Howitt, A.W. (1904). The Native Tribes of South-East Australia. London: Macmillan.
Isaacs, J. (1987). Bush Food: Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine. Sydney: Weldons.
Jung, C.G. (1968). Man and His Symbols. London: Aldus Books.
Nwoye, A. (2015). What is African Psychology the Psychology of? Theory & Psychology, 25(1), 96–116.
Rose, D.B. (1996). Nourishing Terrains: Australian Aboriginal Views of Landscape and Wilderness. Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.
VACCHO (2022). On-Country Healing and Wellbeing Programs. Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (2023). Cultural Healing and Wellbeing on Wadawurrung Country. Geelong: WTOAC.
Yoorrook Justice Commission (2025). Final Report on Truth-Telling and Colonisation in Victoria. Melbourne: State of Victoria.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
Magic Lands Alliance
Sharing the truth of Indigenous and colonial history through film, education, land and community.
Copyright of MLA – 2025
Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.