Week 6 - Shannon Trinh

A strong theme I noticed throughout the reading “Spiritual Healing Practices Among Rural Postpartum Thai Woman” is the necessity of symbolism within the rituals. For example, I found the symbolism of rice quite empowering: “Rice is valued highly in Thailand because it is used to feed both human beings and spiritual beings…This symbolizes strength, patience, endurance, fight, and survival, all of which are preferred characteristics of a new Isan mother” (4). Growing up, my family always cooked and served rice at the dinner table, but I never stopped to think why. For one, it definitely would fill you up and give you energy for the day, but perhaps there was also a spiritual meaning and symbolism. It was the one food that endured all year long, as opposed to our vegetables that were seasonal. Rice was life sustaining to our family, and it was interesting to see how the Thai people hold similar views: “Grilled sticky rice is the first item that a family caregiver allows postpartum women to have” (4). On our shrines of our ancestors, we would also place bowls of rice with incense placed in them and bow three times. Rice was the food that created and held the connection between our spirits and us. It was cool to see some parallels between Vietnamese and Thai culture.

Another symbol that I found interesting was fire and heat. I then thought about the contradictions in Western superstitions about the presence of temperature and spirits. The reading says that: “Participants and their families believed that the God/Goddess of the Fire animated human emotion such as anger or happiness. If the fire is treated right, the God/Goddess will be happy and give benefit to people” (4). Normally, I think of cold temperatures and a cold empty room when spirits come to mind. (Just like the story about the spirits in Hart Hall). The lack of life and warmth can really tell an individual if a spiritual being is present. However, in Thai practices, fire represents the ghosts that could potentially harm a new mother and her child.

Finally, I would wanted to discuss this line more in depth: “Women were excluded (from the study) if they had any of the following conditions: cesarean section, current psychiatric disorder affecting their cognitive ability…” (2). I am curious to learn why the researchers of this article made this decision. Were women with psychiatric disorders considered too “crazy” or “incoherent” to include them in data? This made me think back to “What a Shaman Sees in a Mental Hospital”. Those suffering from mental illness might also be suffering from an imbalance in their mind, spirit, and body. According to the reading, the point of traditional Thai practices is to generate a more balanced body and spirit for the mother, so why can’t it also benefit those with mental health issues? I would be interested to see mothers with mental health obstacles included in the study and find out what they had to say about traditional Thai medication on postpartum life and see if healing was the same or different from mothers who did not experience mental health issues.

Question:

The reading also mentioned that Thai women passed down their traditional rituals to their daughters who recently became mothers because they claimed that it worked for them. Can this be detrimental or unsuitable for later generations? Is there a generational gap that we have to consider when passing on rituals?

Works Cited:

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