Culture As Medicine

Healing starts with remembering who we are.

For Native people, recovery and wellness are deeply connected to culture. It’s not just “nice to have,” it’s medicine. When we return to ceremony, language, songs, and ways taught by our ancestors, we reconnect to identity and that connection becomes power.

At Native C.O.R.E., we believe healing happens when community comes together in cultural spaces. Talking circles, dance, drum, beadwork, storytelling… these aren’t just cultural activities. They are pathways to recovery, self-worth, and belonging.

Research shows that culturally based healing improves treatment outcomes, strengthens mental health, and reduces relapse risk. But beyond studies our people already knew this. Ceremony helped us survive. Culture helped our ancestors carry us here.

Today, culture helps us heal forward.

Whether someone is in active addiction, early recovery, or just searching for grounding, reconnecting to cultural practices can serve as a life-changing step. You don’t have to know everything. You just have to show up.

"Our culture is not lost, it's waiting for us to come home to it."

For info about groups and cultural programming, call 209-451-4755 or visit our Stockton office.