Possession and Jinn
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine July 29, 2005 DOI: 10.1177/014107680509800805 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 79 |
| Key points | Describes the Islamic belief that jinn are real creatures inhabiting a separate world who can cause physical and mental harm, including possession, defined via Littlewood as the belief that an alien spirit or parahuman force enters and controls a person, manifesting as an altered state of consciousness. Notes that in the UK jinn possession is most likely seen among a group the excerpt leaves unnamed. |
Abstract
Religion remains a powerful influence on notions of health and disease.1 One Islamic concept that has entered into western mythology is that of the jinn or genies, as in the story of Aladdin. However, according to Islamic belief, jinn are real creatures that form a world other than that of mankind, capable of causing physical and mental harm to human beings. An example of such harm is possession.2,3 As defined by Littlewood,4 possession is the belief that an individual has been entered by an alien spirit or other parahuman force, which then controls the person or alters that person’s actions and identity. To the observer, this would be manifested as an altered state of consciousness. In the UK, jinn possession is most likely to be seen among
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Jinn and mental health: looking at jinn possession in modern psychiatric practice The Psychiatrist September 1, 2013
- A Critical Review of Dissociative Trance and Possession Disorders: Etiological, Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Nosological Issues The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry April 1, 2011
- ‘Most people think you're a fruit loop’: Clients’ experiences of seeking support for anomalous experiences Counselling and Psychotherapy Research April 18, 2016
- Trapped Between Theological and Medical Notions of Possession: A Case of Possession Trance Disorder With a 3-Year Follow-Up Frontiers in Psychiatry May 26, 2022
- Process of determining the value of belief about jinn possession and whether or not they are a result of mental illness. BMJ Case Reports February 2, 2016