Se soigner ou soigner les autres ? Dimensions thérapeutiques d’un culte de possession vietnamien
Moussons September 23, 2019 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.4000/moussons.238 via DOAJ
Summary
Spirit mediums of the Four Palaces have long been part of Vietnam's therapeutic landscape, using rituals and spirit interventions to treat various illnesses. Healing is a central function of the worship, alongside religious, political, and territorial roles. Mediums perform possession to cure others or themselves, and disciples seek health, family harmony, and success from spirits. Illness often initiates the path to becoming a regular medium. Some mediums and spirits possess special healing powers. The paper also examines changes in the mediums' social role over time.
Study at a glance
| Design | qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Population | spirit mediums of the Four Palaces in Vietnam |
| Key finding | Healing through spirit possession is a core function of the Four Palaces worship, with mediums curing others and themselves, and illness often leading to mediumship. |
Abstract
Spirits mediums of the Four Palaces have been taking part for a long time, along with other religious specialists, in the Vietnamese therapeutic area. They have helped, and still do despite historical upheavals, taking care of different kind of illnesses through rituals and, more generally, through spirits’ interventions. If healing is only one side of the worship, beside religious, political and territorial issues, it is one of the main issues addressed to the spirits. This paper investigates healing dimensions of the worship which are of two kinds : performing spirit possession in order to cure others or in order to cure themselves. Indeed, the disciples seek health, harmony in family life, success in business or education, by the spirits and their mediums. Moreover, as for other spirit possession cults, illness often lies at the origin of the process that leads to regular spirit possession. For that purpose, some mediums and some spirits have special healing powers. Lastly, this paper analyses some transformations of the mediums’ social role.