Bradley Kitaoka - Week 5

               This week I read “What a Shaman Sees in A Mental Hospital” written by Stephanie Marhon and Malidoma Patrice Somé. I thought it was very interesting and connected a lot to readings in the past where mental issues could be a sign to shamanism. My favorite part of the article is when Dr. Somé talks about the time when he takes a mental patient back to his village in Africa. I was curious on whether mental patients had become shamans and his story answered that question. He explains that once they brought the boy, Alex, back to his village in a few years he started to act “normal” after sitting with the other shamans in the village. Another part of the reading I found interesting was why patients tend to suffer in western mental hospitals. They said that people are suffering because the spirits surrounding them are forcefully trying to expel the medicines inside them in order for the patients to see their potential. It was a different point of view what is happening, and it makes sense and is similar to your body expelling toxins. The part I didn’t agree with though was that people weren’t becoming shamans because they don’t have any special celebrations to represent adulthood. I don’t think the correlation between the two is definite. I think there are some Asian cultures who can become shamans but don’t necessarily have a coming of age celebration.

 Cite: Frankel, S. by J. (2017, June 30). Psychics Who Hear Voices Could Be On to Something. Retrieved April 26, 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/06/psychics-hearing-voices/531582/

Question: For schizophrenic patients could the multiple personalities actually spiritual presences speaking through the person?