Decolonizing the psyche: Indigenous spirituality and the interconnectedness of land and well-being

Indigenous communities have long understood the role of spirituality in supporting well-being. However, psychology today has largely marginalized the role of spirituality in well-being. In this article, we seek to recenter spirituality in psychological inquiry, through an exploration of Māori (the Indigenous Peoples of New Zealand) youth articulations of how wairua (spirituality) informs their relationships to tūrangawaewae (ancestral land) and supports their cultural well-being. Drawing upon a Kaupapa Māori (Māori principles driven) methodology and utilizing the notion of the Indigenous researcher as bricoleur, we weave photo-elicitation and pūrākau (Indigenous storywork) together to create four Māori youth case studies. Analyzing these case studies through a decolonizing lens, the study articulates three ways of engaging wairua: communicating with wairua, accessing the immaterial through emotions, and human flourishing. Through participant narratives, this study reveals how young Māori engage wairua to support their well-being, growth, and flourishing. Further, their case studies illustrate the profound insights within Indigenous ontologies currently accessible to psychology. Finally, the article includes guidance for decolonizing psychology, using the lens of Indigenous spirituality, well-being, and healing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).