Abstract
This chapter will introduce the types of traumas experienced in Hawaii historically and in the present day. The three different cultural groups that present for treatment of trauma and dissociation were noted as the indigenous Hawaiians, individuals that have been in Hawaii for multiple generations, but who are from different countries or the Continental U.S., and transplanted peoples that are in Hawaii for a prescribed period of time, i.e., U.S. military and contract employees/workers. The six essential components of working with the different Hawaiian cultures were presented as: (1) Determine the primary and/or mixture of cultural background of your patient; (2) If an immigrant to Hawaii, ascertain the generational status of the patient, i.e., first generation, second generation immigrant; (3) Determine how traditional was the cultural upbringing of the patient; (4) Determine how traditional the patient is in regards to their cultural background; (5) Determine how functional the patient is within their cultural context; and (6) Determine how functional the patient is within the overall cultural context where they have chosen to live. The elements of Hawaiian culture that related to the diagnosis and treatment of dissociative disorders were presented and illustrated with case examples.