​Eddie Gough on reconnecting with his Indigenous heritage. Watch Eddie's story above.

When CAMH's Shkaabe Makwa says that traditional knowledge is saving lives today, they mean people like Eddie Gough.

When Eddie came to CAMH to seek mental health treatment including addiction, he was referred to Aboriginal Services, which provided him with an innovative healing model that harmonized traditional Indigenous knowledge of healing the mind, body and spirit and medical expertise.

That journey of recovery not only connected Eddie to his Indigenous heritage in a way he had never experienced before, it saved his life.

"When I walked in there for the first time, I didn't realize what a life-altering experience it would be," says Eddie. "I finally felt that connection to what I had been thinking about my whole life without even knowing that this is what I was seeking."

Born to an Indigenous mother from the Wikwemikoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario, Eddie was adopted by a white family in a Toronto suburb and grew up with no connection to his ancestry. When he came to CAMH, he took part in traditional practices like smudging and healing ceremonies at a Sweat Lodge that is located on the grounds of CAMH.

"When I smudged for the first time, I felt a level of calmness which I can now identify as my spirit awakening," says Eddie. "That moment was the true start of my own healing journey. I understand now that there was a depth to a lot of those hurts and many factors, including intergenerational trauma that began well before my birth. I believe my addiction, that trying to turn down the noise in my head, was a coping tool to repress a lot of those deeper hurts."

Shkaabe Makwa translates to "Spirit Bear Helper" in the Anishinaabe language. For Shkaabe Makwa. Senior Director Dr. Renee Linklater, it symbolizes the centre's approach to healing and recovery.

"For some of us, we acknowledge the Bear as medicine, and others know the Bear as a knowledge keeper, protector and healer," says Dr. Linklater. "We believe that culture is central to healing and wellness—and we are committed to bringing about change in ways that respect and honour traditional knowledge and community expertise."

Shkaabe Makwa plays a key role in connecting with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and service providers across Ontario with a focus on building relationships and collaborative partnerships, providing training to support workforce development, advancing culturally relevant systems initiatives and improving practice through research and knowledge exchange.

Eddie's journey has taken him back full circle, to where it all began – to Manitoulin Island – where he lives on the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation and mentors Indigenous young adults as a mental health and addiction counsellor at a land-based treatment centre. Everything he learned at CAMH about the power of traditional knowledge to save lives is now being passed on to a new generation as he helps them reclaim their Indigenous language and identity and learn traditional skills like hunting and trapping, and traditional medicines while also receiving mental health supports.

"Watching someone come in with emptiness in their eyes and see life come back to them, seeing them learn to love themselves and believe in themselves and have opportunities that they never saw, is a big part of my own continuous healing. It's my passion to help others along their journey with the knowledge and teachings I received from my own."