Shenmiao Wang - Week 5

Week 5 Topic - What a Shaman Sees in a Mental Hospital by Stephanie Marohn and Malidoma Patrice Some

           Marohn and Somés’ journal represents the shamanic view of mental illness. Marohn cites the works of Somé who appreciates the shamanism culture that observes mental disorders as spiritual emergencies that require the victims to assist the “spiritual healer in being born.” Shamanists argue that mental illness patients act as channels for messages to societies that require communication from the Spiritual Realm (Marohn 3). Shamanism patients’ behavioral syndromes illustrate that two incompatible energies exist in the same field and if the sick individual fails to get assistance from the spirit realm, lead to mental illness. 

Shamanists are intrigued by how the West deals with mental illness. The believers think the foreigners lack the knowledge to deal with psychic phenomena. They argue that the Westerners' use of anti-psychotic drugs is deceitful as such methods compound the problem and prevent the integration that could result in development and growth. The author demonstrates the successful management of schizophrenia by initiating shamanism methodologies and the fruitfulness of the ritual in indigenous communities such as in Africa (Marohn 4). Thus, this article indicates the implications of incorporating Spiritual Realm shamanism rituals in the healing of mental illness patients. 

           The article discloses the positive effects of the use of the Spiritual Realm that includes shamanist trust that the ritual aids in managing mental illness among patients. The writers affirm that the shamanism culture provides a sacred approach to resolving mental disorders, and the avoidance of the ritual is unavoidable and essential to the victims. However, Somé’s shamanic rituals prove irrelevant in the Western world as foreigners disapprove of the existence of a non-factual Spiritual Realm that communicates with the sick. Modern Western psychologists disapprove of the shamanism approach as the ritual focuses on offering antipsychotic medication to make mental issues less frequent and distressful rather than concentrating on the biological root of the ailment. Besides, Western cultures regard mental illness as a pathological case and abominate the sacred ritual approach. Western religions are wary of symptom suppression in people with a mental health condition that occur due to inadequate psychiatric medication philosophies such as shamanism. 

Work Cited

Marohn, Stephanie. “The Shamanic View of Mental Illness.” WakingTimes,

https://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/08/22/shaman-sees-mental-hospital/. Accessed 7 April 2020.