Spirit Versus Scalpel: Traditional Healing and Modern Psychotherapy

(Hardback)

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This is a unique presentation of systems of traditional healing from around the world. It provides information about the concept of healing from many different cultural perspectives and explores the application of these cultural perspectives to modern psychotherapeutic and health care settings. The last decade has seen a literal explosion of data that support the idea that states of mind have consistent and demonstrable effects on physical health. With examples that examine traditional and modern healing systems in many different cultures around the world, this work demonstrates that most cultures perceive illness as a dislocation of the individual from his or her communal context. The healing process is effected through contextualizing the individual in community by ritual, ceremony, trance, pilgrimage, and family practices. Traditional healing systems are shown to have particular importance relating to modern medical responses to mental illness.

Reviews

The book can provide the reader with many gems of information... ...this text is an excellent introduction to cross-cultural psychiatry. Inner city clinics and mental health workers dealing with such problems will greatly benefit from the "introduction" which this book provides.-American Journal of Psychotherapy
"The book can provide the reader with many gems of information... ...this text is an excellent introduction to cross-cultural psychiatry. Inner city clinics and mental health workers dealing with such problems will greatly benefit from the "introduction" which this book provides."-American Journal of Psychotherapy

Author Bio

LEONORE LOEB ADLER is Professor Emerita of Psychology at Molloy College where she is also director of the Institute for Cross-Cultural and Cross-Ethnic Studies. She has been involved in cross-cultural research for over 30 years and is author, editor or coeditor of more than 14 books. B. RUNI MUKHERJI is Associate Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York/College at Old Westbury. She has written numerous professional articles on cognitive psychology and cross-cultural issues of health, aging, and ethnic identification.