Exorcists, psychiatrists, and the problems of possession in northwest Madagascar

Sharp, Lesley A.

doi:10.1016/0277-9536(94)90249-6

Cited by 36 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Explanatory models (EM) is a term introduced by Kleinman, referring to “notions about an episode of sickness and its treatment that are employed by all engaged in the clinical process” [20]. Recent studies in Africa on EM—concerning various common mental disorders such as psychosis [21-24], epilepsy [25], depression [26], or mental illness in general [27-30]—illustrate a wide range of locally used categories and explanations for Western categories of mental illness. It is also acknowledged that traditional healers play an important role in dealing with distress, especially in countries where Western psychological services are extremely limited [31,32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling the spirits’ message: a study of help-seeking steps and explanatory models among patients suffering from spirit possession in Uganda

Duijl

Kleijn

Jong

2014

Int J Ment Health Syst

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As in many cultures, also in Uganda spirit possession is a common idiom of distress associated with traumatic experiences. In the DSM-IV and -5, possession trance disorders can be classified as dissociative disorders. Dissociation in Western countries is associated with complicated, time-consuming and costly therapies. Patients with spirit possession in SW Uganda, however, often report partial or full recovery after treatment by traditional healers.The aim of this study is to explore how the development of symptoms concomitant help-seeking steps, and explanatory models (EM) eventually contributed to healing of patients with spirit possession in SW Uganda. Illness narratives of 119 patients with spirit possession referred by traditional healers were analysed using a mixed-method approach.Treatments of two-thirds of the patients were unsuccessful when first seeking help in the medical sector. Their initially physical symptoms subsequently developed into dissociative possession symptoms. After an average of two help-seeking steps, patients reached a healing place where 99% of them found satisfactory EM and effective healing. During healing sessions, possessing agents were summoned to identify themselves and underlying problems were addressed. Often-mentioned explanations were the following: neglect of rituals and of responsibilities towards relatives and inheritance, the call to become a healer, witchcraft, grief, and land conflicts.The results demonstrate that traditional healing processes of spirit possession can play a role in restoring connections with the supra-, inter-, intra-, and extra-human worlds. It does not always seem necessary to address individual traumatic experiences per se, which is in line with other research in this field. The study leads to additional perspectives on treatment of trauma-related dissociation in Western countries and on developing effective mental health services in low -and middle-income countries.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling the spirits’ message: a study of help-seeking steps and explanatory models among patients suffering from spirit possession in Uganda

Duijl

Kleijn

Jong

2014

Int J Ment Health Syst

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“…Parallels of demonic explanations in depression can be found in other cultures [10,[37][38][39] and religious contexts, such as Islam [40,41] or Buddhism [42,43]. Patients may blame the 'blocking of ancestral spirits' [44] or the influence of the 'Zar' [45] for their condition, and at the same time show no evidence of delusion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demonic Attributions in Nondelusional Disorders

Pfeifer¹

1999

Psychopathology

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Objective: Belief in demonic influence has repeatedly been described as a delusion in schizophrenic patients. The goal of this explorative study was to examine the frequency, as well as the psychodynamic and social functions of such beliefs in a sample of nondelusional patients. Method: The sample consisted of 343 psychiatric outpatients who described themselves as religious. In semistructured interviews they were asked to give their view of demonic causality of their illness. Results: A high prevalence of such beliefs was not only found in schizophrenic patients (56%) but also in the following groups of nondelusional patients: affective disorders (29%), anxiety disorders (48%), personality disorders (37%) and adjustment disorders (23%). Belief in demonic oppression tended to be associated with lower educational level and rural origin, and was significantly influenced by church affiliation. Conclusions: Beliefs in possession or demonic influence are not confined to delusional disorders and should not be qualified as a mere delusion. Rather they have to be interpreted against the cultural and religious background which is shaping causal models of mental distress in the individual.

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“…She said that she remembers this but could not (even at the time) remember details of the conversation. She says, “It's similar to how I cannot recall most of what Spirit says after I channel for others” (2013, 9), suggesting she might be entering an altered state of consciousness in the process of channeling, as is common in the experience of mediumship as well as spirit possession cross‐culturally (Sharp , 166). Although viewers (including the researcher) cannot verify this transition into an altered state, the multiple episodes of the show allow viewers to at least observe patterns of practice.…”

Section: Theresa Caputo's Mediumshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation, Comfort, and Syncretic Belief in the Afterlife: U.S. Viewers’ Perceptions ofLong Island Medium

White

2019

Anthropol of Consciousness

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On the reality TV program Long Island Medium and in public performances, professional spirit medium Theresa Caputo interprets messages she says she receives from the spirits of the deceased. Based on interviews with people who have seen her on television or in a live stage performance, I sought to learn more about how viewers experience, interpret, and are affected by these readings and by her presentation of life after death. For viewers who believed in this television medium's abilities, I was interested in how her interpretation of the spirit world corresponded with theirs. While some viewers were quite skeptical, for others the program provided a level of comfort about lost relatives and/or offered a means of validating or further understanding their own personal experiences with nonempirical phenomena. In this article, I explore how Long Island Medium may offer a cultural framework for interpreting perceptions of spirit entities that is not available in mainstream U.S. culture or religion.

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Exorcists, psychiatrists, and the problems of possession in northwest Madagascar

Cited by 36 publications

References 18 publications

Unravelling the spirits’ message: a study of help-seeking steps and explanatory models among patients suffering from spirit possession in Uganda

Unravelling the spirits’ message: a study of help-seeking steps and explanatory models among patients suffering from spirit possession in Uganda

Demonic Attributions in Nondelusional Disorders

Validation, Comfort, and Syncretic Belief in the Afterlife: U.S. Viewers’ Perceptions ofLong Island Medium

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