19 Mar 2018

Māori narratives used to heal mentally ill

From Morning Report, 8:55 am on 19 March 2018

A health clinic in Gisborne is using Maori myths and legends to heal their mentally-ill patients and researchers say there's been a dramatic drop in the number of people referred to psychiatric care. Patients at the Kuwatawata clinic are told stories about Maori gods, re-connected to their whakapapa and facilitated through wananga before they're offered traditional medicine. Health workers say this new approach could be one answer to stopping the most vulnerable groups falling through the cracks. Te Manu Korihi reporter Te Aniwa Hurihanganui has more.