Friday, November 19, 2021: 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM Eastern
Room: Virtual Room 1

Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness invite you to attend our Distinguished Lecturer Event.

Many thanks to the Association for Indigenous Anthropologists and The Society for Psychological Anthropology for co-sponsoring this event.

As a result of the impact of historical trauma and other cultural- historical forces, Indigenous people of North America are more susceptible to a constellation of psychosocial, behavioral, and physiological risk factors that have contributed, in contemporary times, to a higher rate of morbidity across psychological, cardiometabolic, and functional domains. Prior to these traumatic episodes, Indigenous people were guided by a worldview grounded in a sacred epistemology of ritual and spiritual practices that defined inner identity with a Sacred Wisdom that provided a sense of wholeness, balance, harmony, hope, positive health, and healing.

This presentation will focus on the utilization of Sacred Wisdom as a psychology to promote general wellness and resilience. It is founded upon an understanding of the Diné (Navajo) epistemology of Sa’ah Naaghai Bik’eh Hozhoon, the pathway to a life of Hózhó, the Diné sense of internal beauty, harmony, and balance with the natural and social environments. The Beauty Way and Protection Way form the core for this balanced life and universal harmony. From this perspective, all parts of the Earth are powerfully charged and alive, as the Holy Wind provides the life force for all elements. Disease and dysfunction grow from an imbalance of universal harmony. As we gradually move out of a global pandemic and look to face the challenges of climate change, Sacred Wisdom provides a guide for a future full of hope, balance, and resilience.

About our Guest: Dr. Tommy K. Begay is Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona.

Event Organizer: Dr. Christina Callicott: christina.callicott@gmail.com

Register for the AAA Annual Meeting at their website.