Week 6 - Calvin Huang

Spiritual Healing as a process is very foreign for me.  As a person who did not believe in spirits and ghosts for quite a while, there was not much spiritual healing in my life.  All I remember was praying to shrines with incense for prosperity or doing well in school.  So when I read about the spiritual healing practices of the rural postpartum Thai woman, it was hard for me to relate to.  The physical symptoms that occur to them are recognizable, “The new mother is discharged from the hospital with perineal wound and lochia flow”(2).  But when the mothers participate in “Having a very hot bath every few hours is tiring for a new mother. Seeing a boiling pot stimulates the women’s mind to think about torturing hell and the Buddha. Certain herbs used in this ritual are believed to ward off an evil spirit.” (3), it boggles my mind.  Many questions pop into my head and I do not have answers for any of them.  Maybe that was the reason why I do not understand these healing practices, I never bothered to try.  The more relatable article was Professor Valverde’s recollection of her relationship with her mother.  I came to the United States with just my mother.  My brother was still in China when I started attending elementary school.  When he came to the United States 4 years after me, he was a stranger to me.  I did not know how to react to him; I needed spiritual guidance.  That guidance came from my mom, who told me to think of my brother not as a brother first, but a friend.  After spending more time with my brother, I felt that everything was alright.  My spirit was whole again.  What I took from this week’s reading was that spiritual healing can come from anywhere.  It took me years to realize that, so I hope everyone will get it soon.

My question is: Will spiritual healing work for everyone? Or only for those who believe in it?

Citations

Kieu Linh Caroline Valverde. “My Mother Not My Mother.”

Prangthip Thasanoh, Holly Powell Kennedy, & Cathering A. Chesla. “Spiritual Healing Practices Among Rural Postpartum Thai Women.”

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