“Harmony between mind, body, and spirit.”
Tohi is the Cherokee word for wellness, the ideal state of being, peace. “You are in good health when your body and mind are at peace.”
“For the Cherokee, health is more than the absence of disease; it includes a fully confident sense of a smooth life, peaceful existence, unhurried pace, and easy flow of time. The natural state of the world is to be neutral, balanced, with a similarly gently flowing pattern… All aspects--physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual--figure into the Cherokee concept of good health.” (Lefler, 2009).
Cherokee culture describes wellness as the “harmony between mind, body, and spirit.” This is the expression of our Indigenous psychology lab. Like the traditional medicine wheel, our work focuses on the physical, spiritual, and psychological health of ethnic and racial minorities.
We incorporate traditional and culturally appropriate interventions and research methods into our exploration to decolonize multicultural research within psychology. We aim to investigate disparities and resilience, advance the field of multicultural psychology, and disseminate our research and education in beneficial ways.
Lefler, L. J. (2009). Under the Rattlesnake: Cherokee Health and Resiliency. University of Alabama Press.