Week 3 Blog (Jennifer Agcanas)
Jennifer Agcanas
ASA189B
Week 3 Blog: Mental Health Industrial Complex and Clash of Self
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Due to the Mental Health Industrial Complex, Western society regards mental disorders as a negatively connotated phenomenon in which means of suppressing it via heavy doses of medication, straitjackets, etc. is the cure but often times, this makes it worse. However, according to Dr. Some in the article "What a Shaman Sees in A Mental Hospital", he believes that the emergence of mental disorders are actually a sign of spiritual emergency in which "the person going through the crises has been chosen as a medium for a message to the community that needs to be communicated from the spirit realm" and through the help of shaman practices, healers can be birthed and mental illnesses can be successfully cured in the Western world if they were to accept/normalize the spirit realm.
A real-life example that shamanism can cure mental illnesses is used via talking about an American teen who was experiencing severe psychosis (hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, etc) named Alex who went to Africa and participated in Shamanic rituals when the western approach of mental hospitals and medications failed him. Alex was cured and he began to share messages that the spirit had for this world. As the title of this excerpt of the passage "Alex: Crazy in the USA, Healer in Africa" suggests that the western and indigenous cultures' interpret mental illness in two contrasting views.
My beliefs don't precisely fit with the western approach or Dr. Some's indigenous-inspired approach to curing mental illness but moreover believes more in trying to find a balance between both or having the person find out what works for them. For me, attending therapy sessions (with a compatible therapist0 has helped me with my depression but I'm also open shamanistic practices. Additionally, I don't think medication should be completely disregarded because there have been many people who have felt mentally healthier/better when using them. With that, I believe that there are different ways to cure mental disorders and some things may work out for others but would fail for some. This is because everyone's minds and brains are unique from one another as shown in the image I have attached.
ASA189B
Week 3 Blog: Mental Health Industrial Complex and Clash of Self
Due to the Mental Health Industrial Complex, Western society regards mental disorders as a negatively connotated phenomenon in which means of suppressing it via heavy doses of medication, straitjackets, etc. is the cure but often times, this makes it worse. However, according to Dr. Some in the article "What a Shaman Sees in A Mental Hospital", he believes that the emergence of mental disorders are actually a sign of spiritual emergency in which "the person going through the crises has been chosen as a medium for a message to the community that needs to be communicated from the spirit realm" and through the help of shaman practices, healers can be birthed and mental illnesses can be successfully cured in the Western world if they were to accept/normalize the spirit realm.
A real-life example that shamanism can cure mental illnesses is used via talking about an American teen who was experiencing severe psychosis (hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, etc) named Alex who went to Africa and participated in Shamanic rituals when the western approach of mental hospitals and medications failed him. Alex was cured and he began to share messages that the spirit had for this world. As the title of this excerpt of the passage "Alex: Crazy in the USA, Healer in Africa" suggests that the western and indigenous cultures' interpret mental illness in two contrasting views.
My beliefs don't precisely fit with the western approach or Dr. Some's indigenous-inspired approach to curing mental illness but moreover believes more in trying to find a balance between both or having the person find out what works for them. For me, attending therapy sessions (with a compatible therapist0 has helped me with my depression but I'm also open shamanistic practices. Additionally, I don't think medication should be completely disregarded because there have been many people who have felt mentally healthier/better when using them. With that, I believe that there are different ways to cure mental disorders and some things may work out for others but would fail for some. This is because everyone's minds and brains are unique from one another as shown in the image I have attached.
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