Stephen Colmant, PhD

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The Sweat Lodge Ceremony Cultural
Empowerment

• by
• Stephen Colmant, PhD
• Licensed Psychologist
• Analenisgi

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Sweat therapy Group Therapeutic Factors

• (1999) Using the Sweat Lodge Ceremony as Group
  Therapy for Navajo Youth
• (2000) Sweat therapy
• (2005) Investigating the Effects of Sweat Therapy
  on Group Dynamics and Affect
• (2005) The Effects of Sweat therapy on Group
  Therapeutic Factors and Feeling States
• (In review) Sweat Therapy A Holistic Technique
  in Group Work

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Executive Summary

• Sweat rituals offer many benefits to mind, body,
  and spirit. There are many different forms of
  sweat rituals used throughout the world. I
  encourage people to incorporate some type of
  sweat ritual into their weekly or monthly
  routine. The Native American Sweat Lodge
  Ceremony is an especially excellent form of sweat
  ritual and for many Native American people
  promotes cultural empowerment.

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CULTURE

• Culture refers to a system of shared beliefs,
  values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that
  members of a society use to cope with their world
  and with one another, and that are transmitted
  from generation to generation through learning
  (Bates Plog, 1990).

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Alfred Gibson
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Sweat Lodge Ceremony
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Earliest Archeological Evidence

• 400 B.C.
• Quatrin, D. W. and Cremin, W. M. (1988). A
  possible sweatlodge at the Schilling site
  (20KZ56), Kalamazoo county, Michigan.
  Midcontinental Journal of Archeology, 13, (1)
  29-39.

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Significance of the American Indian Sweat Lodge
Ceremony
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Cherokee Sweat House
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CULTURAL VALIDITYThroughout the World Throughout
Time

• Sweat rituals have had a central place in
  societies throughout the world for thousands of
  years in helping people gain more physical,
  mental, and spiritual health.

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The Shvitz
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Basic Physiological Effects of Sauna

• Body temperature rises.
• Profuse sweating.
• Increased skin blood flow.
• Decreased blood flow to internal organs.
• Cardiac output increased 65.

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Sauna bathing causes many changes in hormonal
levels

• Activated are
• Sympathetic nervous system
• Rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
• Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal hormonal axis.

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Hormone Increases

• Adrenocorticotropic hormone, Aldosterone,
  Angiotensin II, Arginine Vasopressin, Atrial
  Natriuretic Peptide, Beta-endorphin, Cortisol,
  Epinephrine, Glucose, Growth Hormone, Growth
  Hormone Releasing Hormone, Norepenephrine,
  Prolactin, Renin Activity, Thyroid hormone, and
  Thyroid-stimulating hormone.

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Medical Benefits

• Improved cardiac and endothelial function
• Reduces Hypertension
• Pain relief
• Helpful with Arthritis
• Adjunct to Cancer Treatment
• Reduces Body Weight and Body Fat

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Sweating can be dangerous for...

• People with high-risk pregnancies and for
  patients with unstable angina pectoris, recent
  myocardial infarction, severe aortic stenosis,
  decompensated heart failure, and cardiac
  arrhythmia (Hannuksela Ellahham, 2001).
• Intense heat exposure may also be dangerous for
  people with severe spinal cord injuries.

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Heat Exposure Exercise

• Same
• sympathetic nervous system
• hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal hormonal axis
• increase in noradrenaline
• Different
• sauna causes an increase in ß-endorphins and does
  not increase the concentration of adrenaline in
  the blood stream.
• Sauna also causes muscle relaxation, whereas,
  typical exercise activities require muscle
  tension and the movement of large muscle groups.

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Psychological Effects of Sweating

• Improved Coping with Stress
• Mood and Affect
• - Relaxation Stress Relief
• - Reduces Anxiety Depression
• Promotes Deeper Sleep
• Reduces Hyperactivity

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Spirituality

• The use of an altered state of consciousness for
  the benefit of oneself and others.
• Responding to intuition
• The ability to grapple with existential concerns.

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Incorporating a sweat ritual into your life.
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Cultural Appropriation Cultural Integration

• The Sweat Lodge Ceremony is a sacred ritual.
• Sweat practices are not unique to any one
  culture, have existed throughout the world for
  thousands of years and continue to be developed.
• Common Practices vs. Culturally Specific
  Practices

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Possible options

• Some people may have direct access to a healer
  using the Sweat Lodge Ceremony.
• Become a participant in an ongoing Sweat Lodge
  Ceremony.
• Use a sauna or steam room at a local health club.
• Create your own sweat ritual.

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Unity
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Amy Walker, MSW

• Since 1981
• SLC every Wednesday Sunday
• Open to anyone who wants to participate
• Hospital
• Therapist Office
• Church

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Iowa Pond Sauna Society
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Sweat Therapy Sauna
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Thank You!

• Comments Questions?
• For more information see
• www.PsychSymposium.com
• To contact Stephen
• COLMANT_at_GMAIL.COM