The shamanic view of mental illness

[Harrison]

This is not an article by me, and it is not going to be to everyone's taste. I just thought it was an interesting alternate viewpoint that is attempting to empower, rather than disempower.

What a Shaman Sees in A Mental Hospital | Earth. We are one.

I have done research along these lines, but as I said, this is not my work.

Enjoy!

 

[Tia Maria]

This is not an article by me, and it is not going to be to everyone's taste. I just thought it was an interesting alternate viewpoint that is attempting to empower, rather than disempower.

What a Shaman Sees in A Mental Hospital | Earth. We are one.

I have done research along these lines, but as I said, this is not my work.

Enjoy!

Great article, thank you for sharing it Harrison!!

 

[tachyon]

Very interesting read.

Western culture does seem to have adopted materialism/consumption and largely separated from nature/spirituality. I have no idea if it's going to end badly, but it does appear to have enormous momentum.

Maybe somebody will develop a new 'app' that will get us back in touch

 

[SignOfLazarus]

Even coming from the perspective that I do- which is often described by others to be a "hard science" bent- I very much appreciate this article. The tendency to pathologize any and everything and turn it into something to be medicated but not truly healed or transformed is a Problem. Capital P.

Something kind of related to this is a book that I really love called Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche. It discusses a lot of issues with westernizing global crises of the mind and spirit, essentially; how western medicine attempts to address these issues across the board [almost entirely as pathological and to be medicated- which is a multifaceted and complex problem that will take a long time to untangle. In the book there are comparisons of how similar individual syndromes are seen across different cultures but discusses how these different cultures manage them- both individually and how friends and community support the individual- it also at times mentions prognoses for issues such as schizophrenia.

I don't disagree that there can be a primarily [or singularly] spiritual element to a lot of things that are considered mental disorders. I do think that it can't be applied to ALL of them- my thinking in this is that there are things that can be measured for some issues like neurotransmitter response, action and even brainmatter volume.

But? There's the flip side to that: we can also effect so much of our biology with conscious effort. So, almost unbelievably, with conscious effort, we could change a lot of our brain ourselves. The trick being that it takes serious dedication and consistency and knowing what to do.

Western society does not support this endeavor in any way. There are also neurological issues that appear to be psyological because of some of the symptoms.

But I do support what is reported to be observed in the article. I actually personally identify with some of the things that are spoken about.

I've read and studied some other things I find interesting, sad, confusing, and really provoking regarding clash of western medicine and contrasting culture- specifically things like seizures but also some other things dealing with other culture and Western notions of the mind, heart, emotions, psychology.

Another great book [though only tangentially related in terms of cultural clashes for health care] is called The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Much of the conflict surrounds misunderstandings and distrust regarding views of epilepsy from the Hmong cultural point of view versus the Western medical point of view. It's kind of heartbreaking, though the book is now often read in many medical schools and it was one of the break through texts that initiated a lot of cultural education for doctors and providers... who still have much to learn.

I really appreciated you posting this Harrison. Thank you.

 

[Harrison]

It is a subject that still fascinates me, still bugs me. Like yourself, Laz, I have a scientific background, however, my lifestyle was not as my father taught me the value of a more shamanic approach. This led to me developing my company along the lines of a fusion between the two, hence why I said I'd done research in this area.

If I had another thirty years I think my sole focus would be in looking at a shamanic approach to aspergers. From my previous work I still believe aspies function better when in tune with nature and away from society.

Shame I don't have thirty years.

 

[SignOfLazarus]

This led to me developing my company along the lines of a fusion between the two, hence why I said I'd done research in this area.

mmm, so right- That's how art therapy and neuroscience happens.
Short version: I came upon that after I was like "I found nine articles that say art therapy changes the brain so it's a thing THAT'S MY THING NOW"

 

[watersprite]

This article has so many connections to things I've pondered in my life, in my dreams, and my creativity. Too long to go into here. Thank you for posting it.

Most recently, When I knew I had had to move from the place that was very bad for me, it was the beautiful mountain nearby that spoke to me - in fact sang to me in a dream and I asked its help in finding me a new mountain home, (even though I am definitely not "new age".)

Harrison perhaps you do have 30 years. An aunt of mine lived to 92, and only in the last year was ill, she kept an amazing vital positivity her entire life.

 

[Spiller]

"In indigenous cultures all over the world, young people are initiated into adulthood when they reach a certain age."

I found this article fascinating, bringing to mind snippets of information I've come across over the years.. one thing that's always bothered me, for some reason, is that our children aren't initiated into adulthood, as occurs in many native cultures world wide. I believe this leads to confusion as to ones role in the adult world and where and when it actually begins, this confusion causing loss/lack of direction in life - I certainly feel, always felt, it was this way for me as I went through school, becoming aware at around 13-14 years old that the future loomed and I just didn't know my place there.

"“The spirit sees in us a call for something grand, something that will make life meaningful, and so the spirit is responding to that.”
That call, which we don’t even know we are making, reflects “a strong longing for a profound connection, a connection that transcends materialism and possession of things and moves into a tangible cosmic dimension."

Now this really resonates with me!
To this day I have no idea how I came into the skills and the business I did - I never really felt like I fitted into that world any more than I fit into society in general really, but it became almost secondary to listening to my clients talk about their problems while I worked, to making time for people with anxiety, depression, various mental health issues and physical disabilities.
I feel now and for such a long time, a strong pull toward.. I don't know.. all I can think of, for now, is trying to get back to my work - but that, on its own was so unsatisfying as to make me ill (I think).. did it? I know I felt better when I put a smile on someones face, when I helped someone..
Was it the work? Was it how I was thinking then? The Despair that was my poor excuse for a life?
So confusing.. but, maybe, almost as if the answer is close, but just out of reach..

How to go about bringing this into our lives - clarity of understanding.. not just from a scientific point of view, but from a spiritual one..

 

[Harrison]

Finally, Gawain, Arthur's nephew, stood up and said, "I propose a vow to this company, that we all go in quest of that Grail to behold it unveiled."

Now we come to the text that interested me. The text reads, "They thought it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group. Each entered the Forest Adventurous at that point which he himself had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no path."

You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there's a way or a path, it is someone else's path; each human being is a unique phenomenon.

The idea is to find your own pathway to bliss.

Joseph Campbell, Pathways to Bliss, pp.xxv-xxvi

Spiller I wholeheartedly agree with your above sentiments. The loss of our rites of passage have deep consequences upon our society as a whole.

Like you, I went through the despair of my work, thought it was about what I was doing but found out, too late, it was about my own internal journey.

I put the Campbell quote above to highlight that to truly follow our bliss we must step off the path, and in doing so, be prepared to face the pain that wandering in the wilderness will bring. Even when we are joined by others they are not on the same journey, and may stay a day or a lifetime.

No book or lecture will teach you how to walk your path, you just have to do it and 'write the book' afterwards.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Pretty cool. =)

He hit the nail on the head with everybody needing some patience and understanding. And I like the line about how rituals and routines are necessary to life.

I'm not fully sold on the spirits, but it would it would be a ton of fun to spend time with him and study his beliefs. I need to start a bookcase on religions and spiritualities. Or a personal library...

 

[Tom]

I highly suspect autistics did find a workable niche in shamanisim. We know that some native American tribes considered those with mental conditions 'touched by god' and particularly suitable to serve as tribal medicine men, etc.

But just to broaden the idea a bit, some researchers are looking at other functions in more primative societies to see what other functions autistics tended to perform.

One hypothesis is that autistics heightened anxiety made them useful 'warning bells' for the community and that they could also perform certain useful food gathering activities better then NTs. Certain types of hunting that required extra focus, such as spear fishing, and tedious gathering tasks were two tasks suggested.

 

[Slithytoves]

"In indigenous cultures all over the world, young people are initiated into adulthood when they reach a certain age."

one thing that's always bothered me, for some reason, is that our children aren't initiated into adulthood, as occurs in many native cultures world wide. I believe this leads to confusion as to ones role in the adult world and where and when it actually begins, this confusion causing loss/lack of direction in life

This is one of the most tragic consequences of post-industrial societies, especially the wealthiest. Families fractured by divorce and geographic dispersal, extreme income inequality and the near-necessity of the two-income household, decentralization of communities and the demise of the front porch, the rise of credentialism concurrent with a decline in well-paying jobs -- these and other factors of modern life in the West make entry to effective adulthood a circumstantial event that doesn't lend itself to a universal ritual. Some children are forced to take on the responsibilities of an adult at a very young age, while others are almost entirely dependent on their parents well into their twenties. Both scenarios are out of natural balance and kids who live on the same block can have dramatically different experiences. Meanwhile, our religious rites of passage, the only true adolescent initiation rituals we have (and all prescribed for a similar age), are meaningless beyond the sanctuaries where they take place.

First presentation of many psychiatric disorders occurs overwhelmingly in adolescence. Western medicine points to major changes in neural systems that take place during this period. After pondering the section of the article you referenced with your quote, I can't help but ask whether spiritual crisis for lack of a coherent and standardized initiation is a complementary, arguably even competitive explanation that we fail to fully appreciate. Sociologists see it, though they defer to the medical community and call the crisis "psychological". I dunno; there could be something more going on.

 

[AsheSkyler]

One hypothesis is that autistics heightened anxiety made them useful 'warning bells' for the community and that they could also perform certain useful food gathering activities better then NTs. Certain types of hunting that required extra focus, such as spear fishing, and tedious gathering tasks were two tasks suggested.

So long as we're not the fainting goats of society when those warning bells go off.

I've also got a theory we were the top gatherers, hunters, and scouts for specialized missions way back when. Not to say regular folk never got to hold that title, but we might not have had to work at it as hard since some of us are prone to getting locked into routines and systems easy.

 

[Harrison]

I'm not fully sold on the spirits, but it would it would be a ton of fun to spend time with him and study his beliefs. I need to start a bookcase on religions and spiritualities. Or a personal library...

One of the nice things about shamanism, like taoism, is that it occurs in virtually all faiths and religions. Having worked with a Christian, and Sufi, both on a shamanic path, it was interesting to see how they accomodate belief structures into their faith.

I highly suspect autistics did find a workable niche in shamanisim. We know that some native American tribes considered those with mental conditions 'touched by god' and particularly suitable to serve as tribal medicine men, etc.

Very much so. The work past done by Mircea Eliade goes into the subject in great depth over a large range of shamanic cultures. I love his work as it predated the new age movement, which, in my view, destroyed the true importance of shamanism within modern culture.

One hypothesis is that autistics heightened anxiety made them useful 'warning bells' for the community and that they could also perform certain useful food gathering activities better then NTs. Certain types of hunting that required extra focus, such as spear fishing, and tedious gathering tasks were two tasks suggested.

In my understanding this is the cornerstone of the whole thing. We are better outdoors as hunter-gatherers for that very reason. In modern society we trap ourselves indoors behind our computer screens, as a result, the true skill set is not developed or seen and there is a spiral down into feeling useless.

It is quite funny now, with hindsight, but way back when I lived off the land, my friends thought I was psychic, or possessed magical power. Only because I could track better, remain silent, hunt efficiently and mostly, because I could find my way back from anywhere without a map. Now, I know I am aspie and one of my skills is a very heightened sense of spatial awareness. No magic, or spirits, but very 'shamanic'.

First presentation of many psychiatric disorders occurs overwhelmingly in adolescence. Western medicine points to major changes in neural systems that take place during this period. After pondering the section of the article you referenced with your quote, I can't help but ask whether spiritual crisis for lack of a coherent and standardized initiation is a complementary, arguably even competitive explanation that we fail to fully appreciate. Sociologists see it, though they defer to the medical community and call the crisis "psychological". I dunno; there could be something more going on.

I have treated many teens that I would say were in 'spiritual crisis', however, what I would like to see new research in is the actual chemical change in an aspie at that period of their life. Balance that against the psychological versus environmental change in viewpoint.

Jung would say that there is a maturity of the archetypal essences at this time, the Hero concepts are 'upgraded' by the Self to align with the burgeoning 'adult' world threatening the teen. In here, in that moment, is conflict of Self versus Shadow, new lines must be drawn and a new persona created. I watched this in my youngest daughter, who went from 'daddys girl' to 'Xena the warrior princess' in a month. She refused to work with female colleagues on stabilising her new power, which caused her so much unnecessary 'spiritual' pain.

Joseph Campbell was one of the leading exponents of the rites of passage for our children. His work, though vast, is worth every moment you will spend reading it.

So, if as a community we fail our children by not having a rite of passage, what replaces it?

In some areas it is gangs, and in the UK this has become a huge problem for teenage girls who are being forced into sexual initiation rites by street gangs. No doubt the same problem occurs in the rest of the 'developed' world. Similarly teenage boys are initiated by their peers by committing acts of violence against total strangers rather than other gangs.

This is not a teen problem, it is a problem of society, a problem of the psyche of a society.

The thing that tends to protect aspies is their aversion to social groups, this isn't always true, as I can attest to.

I've also got a theory we were the top gatherers, hunters, and scouts for specialized missions way back when. Not to say regular folk never got to hold that title, but we might not have had to work at it as hard since some of us are prone to getting locked into routines and systems easy.

Totally agree.

A parting thought, one that links back to another thread.

We know that Neanderthals were not fixed to a locale, they were not farmers but were hunter-gatherers. They were obviously good at what they did, and given the world at that time, must have been efficient.

ASD has shown a higher percentage of Neanderthal genes than for NT's. Is this what makes us more efficient?

 

[zurb]

Reminds me of a number of stories. And while its a serious article, it also reminds me of the visit to the psychologist in the movie 'Drop Dead Fred'.

 

[Tom]

So long as we're not the fainting goats of society when those warning bells go off.

I've also got a theory we were the top gatherers, hunters, and scouts for specialized missions way back when. Not to say regular folk never got to hold that title, but we might not have had to work at it as hard since some of us are prone to getting locked into routines and systems easy.

So long as we're not the fainting goats of society when those warning bells go off.

I've also got a theory we were the top gatherers, hunters, and scouts for specialized missions way back when. Not to say regular folk never got to hold that title, but we might not have had to work at it as hard since some of us are prone to getting locked into routines and systems easy.

Specialization comes to mind. I know from experience I can often do one thing well, but two things is a real struggle and tends to overwhelm me.

And thinking about this, if it is true, it is a shame in a way that we have such difficulty finding a place today for our talents/strengths. For once we were the recognized masters of Guba Bean collecting.

 

[Tom]

In my understanding this is the cornerstone of the whole thing. We are better outdoors as hunter-gatherers for that very reason. In modern society we trap ourselves indoors behind our computer screens, as a result, the true skill set is not developed or seen and there is a spiral down into feeling useless.

It is quite funny now, with hindsight, but way back when I lived off the land, my friends thought I was psychic, or possessed magical power. Only because I could track better, remain silent, hunt efficiently and mostly, because I could find my way back from anywhere without a map. Now, I know I am aspie and one of my skills is a very heightened sense of spatial awareness. No magic, or spirits, but very 'shamanic'.

I easily fell into a scouts behavior myself. I did not like spending all my time with the group and needed to be on my own a lot. I would often at some point drift off and then move quickly around the group at a distance, keeping an eye on them and what might be out there approaching or seeing the lie of the land etc.

 

[Harrison]

This is a quote from "Towards a more culturally sensitive DSM-IV: Psychoreligious and Psychospiritual problems"

In theory, research, and practice, mental health professionals have tended to ignore or pathologize the religious and spiritual dimensions of life. This represents a type of cultural insensitivity toward individuals who have religious and spiritual experiences in both Western and non-Western cultures. After documenting the "religiosity gap" between clinicians and patients, the authors review the role of theory, inadequate training, and biological primacy in fostering psychiatry's insensitivity. A new Z Code (formerly V Code) diagnostic category is proposed for DSM-IV: psychoreligious or psychospiritual problem. Examples of psychoreligious problems include loss or questioning of a firmly held faith, and conversion to a new faith. Examples of psychospiritual problems include near-death experiences and mystical experiences. Both types of problems are defined, and differential diagnostic issues are discussed. This new diagnostic category would: a) improve diagnostic assessments when religious and spiritual issues are involved; b) reduce iatrogenic harm from misdiagnosis of psychoreligious and psychospiritual problems; c) improve treatment of such problems by stimulating clinical research; and d) encourage clinical training centers to address the religious and spiritual dimensions of human existence.

(C) Williams & Wilkins 1992. All Rights Reserved.


Toward a More Culturally Sensitive DSM-IV: Psychoreligious a... : The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

Bold text is mine, it would have been nice to have seen this taken up.

This is an interesting scientific read too.

 

[Spiller]

I can't help but ask whether spiritual crisis for lack of a coherent and standardized initiation is a complementary, arguably even competitive explanation that we fail to fully appreciate. Sociologists see it, though they defer to the medical community and call the crisis "psychological". I dunno; there could be something more going on.

I don't mean to step on the toes of those who live by science and logic, but I feel that we are so immersed in the 'culture' of science now - everything in the natural world must have a rational explanation, as defined by the system of logic and the scientific method we've devised over a relatively short space of time compared to the length of the history of our species.
Native cultures all over the world, including our own distant ancestors, have survived and prospered by their own understanding and application of that to their world.. we can look at Native American and Australian Aboriginal cultures to see the devastating effect 'modern' society, fighting and using the planet, has had on peoples who lived with it and we are aware of the damage our technology is doing to our own ecosystem.
Sure, we've put men on the moon, made it possible to communicate with anyone virtually anywhere in the world, we can see distant galaxies and individual atoms.. but people are still suffering, being abused, starving, stricken with disease.. not just in Third World countries, but in Europe, The US, The UK.
I don't see a civilisation around me in this modern world - I'll only see that when we look out for our own, when we can extend our love for our family to all our people.
I hope, for the future of our race, that we'll find a way to combine spiritual and scientific philosophies to better advance and evolve, rather than maintaining the prevalently blinkered view that "This is the only way to understand this thing", "This is the only way to think".
I feel we've lost so much by off-handedly ignoring thousands of years of study and research older cultures have devoted so much effort to in coming to understand the world in their own way. How do we presume that modern medicine has the answers when we've lived successfully with herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, spiritual-healing for millennia.. how do we call ancient rituals just so much unnecessary mystical mumbo-jumbo?
When did we become so arrogant as to think ours is The Truth and theirs is just superstition? Isn't that how wars start?

 

[Harrison]

I hope, for the future of our race, that we'll find a way to combine spiritual and scientific philosophies to better advance and evolve, rather than maintaining the prevalently blinkered view that "This is the only way to understand this thing"/"This is the only way to think".

The seperation of science from faith is a very new action within the human psyche, it is a true aberration, psychological schism, that, as you said, needs healing through reunification.