The Huichol offering: a shamanic healing journey.
Journal of religion and health June 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-008-9210-1 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA team led by an American transcultural psychiatrist and a Mexican engineer, both deeply involved with the Huichol Indians, resolved a decade-long epidemic of sorcery-induced possession among Huichol children in boarding schools. The children had become possessed by demonic witchcraft, transforming them into aggressive animals, and local shamans had been unable to treat the illness. The team integrated traditional belief and ritual with modern psychological principles to create a healing narrative, representing a cross-cultural integration of mind, body, and spirit medicine.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Huichol children in boarding schools |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key finding | A team integrated traditional Huichol belief and ritual with modern psychological principles to heal a decade-long epidemic of sorcery-induced possession among Huichol children. |
Abstract
An American transcultural psychiatrist, and a Mexican engineer deeply involved with the Huichol Indians, build a team that heals a decade-long epidemic caused by sorcery. Huichol children in boarding schools became possessed by demonic witchcraft that transformed them into aggressive animals. Many local shaman had been called in to treat the illness but had been unsuccessful. The team found a way to incorporate traditional belief and ritual, with modern psychological principles to weave a healing story. This article represents the ultimate integration of mind/body/spirit medicine to heal across cultures.