A CASE STUDY OF PERCEIVED IMPROVEMENT IN DISSOCIATIVE SYMPTOMS FOLLOWING TANTRIC THERAPEUTIC PRACTICES
S Sanoop. K., Vijendra Nath Pathak, Prabhjyot Kour
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) October 10, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23275653 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Tantric therapeutic practices |
| Key points | Argues that tantric therapeutic practices in Kerala, which link temple-based rituals with healing, may offer a culturally grounded complement to conventional psychiatric care for dissociative identity disorder, and proposes examining changes in symptom severity to assess their impact. The text contends that the biopsychosocial model, by integrating spiritual and cultural dimensions, provides a broader perspective than the biomedical model. |
Abstract
1. INTRODUCTION Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a mental condition that disrupts identity, memory, emotions, and perception. It often develops as a response to severe trauma or prolonged psychological distress. The modern psychiatry explains DID through trauma and dissociation where as many cultures interpret its symptoms through spiritual frameworks such as spirit possession. In contrast to the limited clinical innovation and unsatisfactory mental health outcomes shown by biomedical model (Brett J. Deacon, 2013), the biopsychosocial model provides a wider perspective by integrating psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of healing. The supernatural beliefs, ritual actions, and social reordering play a significant role in many traditional systems (Simon Dein, 2020). This Religious healing practices bridges the gap of conventional psychiatric models. In Kerala, the tantric traditions are closely linked with temple-based rituals and healing practices. Hence Rituals can regulate emotions, social relationships, and performance-related states (Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2017), this study that examines the impact of tantric therapeutic practices on DID by analyzing the changes in symptom severity opens a new path that contributes to cultural psychiatry.