Spirit possession, mental suffering, and treatment by theurgic flight anthropological study of a culture-bound syndrome among the Turkmens of Iran

A severe psychotic disorder known as spirit possession, fairy possession, or Porkhani occurs among Turkmen communities in Iran and Central Asia. Patients experience psychosis resistant to psychiatric treatment but find relief through specific cultural rituals. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork including observation, interviews, and attendance at healing ceremonies, the author argues that understanding this phenomenon requires considering the patient's cultural background, lifeworld, symptom descriptions, and cultural treatment methods, rather than relying solely on biomedical frameworks.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Although shamanism dates back to the prehistoric era, reminiscence of its beliefs and representation of them could still be seen in Central Asian communities and the Turkmens of Iran. Spirit possession, fairy possession and Porkhani are all terms used to describe a severe psychotic disorder; this mental disorder can be found in the Turkmen culture in Iran and Central Asia and is commonly explained as possession of the spirit by forces of evil. In this culture-bound syndrome, the patient experiences severe psychosis and shows resistance towards psychiatric treatments but finds relief through specific cultural rituals. This article, which is the outcome of 2 years of field research, aims to explain a phenomenon that is not yet considered a culture-bound syndrome through ethnography using observation techniques, interviewing patients and healers, attending healing rituals, and taking photos and filming. The author believes that without considering the patient’s cultural background, lifeworld, description of the symptoms, and cultural treatment methods, we cannot come to an accurate understanding of this phenomenon.