From Denial to Collaboration: Reflections on Shamanism and Psychiatry Based on a Case Study in Chile
Ana María Oyarce
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks 2018 DOI: 10.1057/978-1-349-95816-0_17 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A Mapuche woman in Chile |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Argues that understanding a Mapuche woman's suffering requires moving beyond both Western psychiatric categories and indigenous Mapuche psychological concepts toward a holistic social-spiritual approach grounded in lived experience, which could promote collaboration between Western psychiatry/psychology and traditional indigenous healing. |
Abstract
The validity of shamanism is generally denied in the politically dominant health system in Chile although for many people, such as the Mapuche, it is part of their belief system. This chapter describes a case study of the sufferings—and attempts to seek help—of a Mapuche woman under social pressures in a society undergoing cultural changes. The author, an anthropologist who works in the health field in Chilean society, analyzes how the woman’s sufferings are seen in Western psychiatric terms and through indigenous Mapuche psychological understanding. The author then argues for a need to move beyond these categories to a more holistic social-spiritual approach grounded in lived experiences to promote collaboration between Western psychiatry/psychology and traditional indigenous healing. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain changes during a shamanic trance: Altered modes of consciousness, hemispheric laterality, and systemic psychobiology A normal subject with extensive training in the Mongolian shamanic tradition | 2017 | Case study | n = 1 |
| The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions | 2013 | Ethnographic case studies | |
| Transformation in Dang-ki Healing: The Embodied Self and Perceived Legitimacy. A male dang-ki, 10 temple assistants, and 9 clients at a shrine in Singapore | 2016 | Case study | n = 20 |
| (Neo)Shamanic Dialogues Members of a Guarani Indian village on the Atlantic coast of Santa Catarina, Brazil | 2012 | Case study | |
| Kambô: A Shamanic Medicine - Personal Testimonies | 2018 | Case study |