Rethinking the role of diagnosis in Navajo religious healing.
D Milne, W Howard
Medical Anthropology Quarterly December 1, 2000 DOI: 10.1525/maq.2000.14.4.543 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | A Native American Church diagnostician and a Traditional Navajo patient |
| Topics | Mescaline Shamanism |
| Keywords | Humans Diagnosis, differential Mental healing Attitude to health Communication Language Anthropology, cultural Social change Christianity Religion and medicine Adult Indians, north american Southwestern united states Female Anecdotes as topic |
| Key findings | Argues that in Navajo religious healing diagnosis is not merely a prescriptive rite that passively initiates therapy but can itself constitute a cure. The authors contend that the analogy between Western psychotherapy and religious healing must be viewed against Navajo beliefs about thought, speech, and health, and that framing diagnosis as a "talking cure" and an example of Good's "narrativizing" illness explains why the analogy appeals to Navajos themselves. |
Abstract
Diagnosis plays a central, primary role in the therapeutic process across cultures. In this article, the authors examine the role of diagnosis in two Navajo religious healing traditions, the Traditional Navajo religion and the Native American Church (NAC), and examine a case study of a diagnostic encounter between an NAC diagnostician and a Traditional patient. The authors assert that, for Navajos, diagnosis is not merely a prescriptive rite that passively initiates the therapeutic process (as it has been seen in the Navajo literature) but can itself constitute a cure. Claims made about the similarity between Western psychotherapy and religious healing both by scholars and by the healer and patient in this case study are investigated. The authors conclude that such an analogy must be seen against the backdrop of Navajo beliefs about thought, speech, and health. Viewing diagnosis as a "talking cure" and an example of Good's concept of "narrativizing" illness (things it shares with Western psychotherapy) suggests why the analogy is appealing for Navajos themselves.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mescaline, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peyote as Earth Medicine: Examining How Symbolic Meanings Shape Experiences With Psychedelics People who use peyote in religious ceremonies | 2023 | Photo-ethnography | |
| The Use of Peyote as Treatment for Alcoholism within the NAC Community: Reflections on a Study | 2011 | Interview | |
| Psychedelic trip sitting, dosages and intensities: Supplementing clinical studies with anecdotal reports Posts from online psychedelic forums (The Shroomery and DMT Nexus) on trip sitting | 2024 | Qualitative study with Delphi-style expert panel review | n = 660 |
| Hitting the Reset Button: Ceremonial Use of Peyote and Experiences of Personal Change People who attended peyote ceremonies in rural Northcentral Alabama | 2024 | Photo-ethnography | |
| The San Pedro Cactus (Equinopsis pachanoi): Ancestral and Modern Therapeutic Uses in Peru Curanderos in the Túcume district of northern Peru | 2025 | Qualitative study |