ABSTRACT
American Indian/Native American (AI/NA) people have been exposed to decades of atrocities that have resulted in inconceivable loss of people, land, family, and culture (i.e., historical losses). The theory of historical trauma was developed to understand how the past and current struggles in many AI/NA communities are consequences of historical events perpetrated on the AI/NA people. This chapter incorporates the latest literature and research to examine the relationship between substance use and historical trauma. Strategies for professional counselors to assist clients in dealing with the cultural traumas of the past in their road to recovery are provided.
