Psychology has systematically appropriated knowledge from Communities of Color while erasing their contributions to foundational theories and practices. This article examines historical patterns of intellectual colonialism, from Maslow’s uncredited use of Blackfoot Nation wisdom to contemporary extractive research practices. Drawing on documented examples, including Ancient Egyptian dream interpretation that preceded Freudian theory, Indigenous healing circles that informed group therapy, and African American music innovations, this analysis reveals how psychology built itself on appropriated wisdom while positioning Communities of Color as beneficiaries rather than originators of healing knowledge. The Connecting to Ancestral Wisdom Framework proposes transformation through interconnected processes: Recognition (acknowledging community origins), Restoration (returning power and resources), Relationship (moving from extraction to collaboration), and Renewal (creating sustainable systems preventing future appropriation). This framework offers concrete strategies for transforming psychology from a field that exploits community wisdom into one that honors and credits the ancestral knowledge upon which it was built.
Maryam M. Jernigan (Sat,) studied this question.