Culture-Bound Psychopathology or Supernatural Reality? A West African Case Study of Psychotherapeutic Strategies for Improving the Welfare of Patients in Spiritual Crisis

Culture-Bound Psychopathology or Supernatural Reality? A West African Case Study of Psychotherapeutic Strategies for Improving the Welfare of Patients in Spiritual Crisis

Certain aspects of Vodoun, Benin's primary indigenous religious tradition, have been perceived by some of that nation's Christian believers as a menacing occult reality. Many Christians report states of acute psychological distress due to fears of the forces of Vodoun. This study analyzes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Middle East and Africa 2022-10, Vol.13 (4), p.451-466
Main Authors: Devir, Nathan P., Gahou, Chantal
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Benin
Christianity
Christians
Clinical outcomes
mental health
Occult sciences
Psychological distress
Psychopathology
Psychotherapy
religion
Religious traditions
Supernatural
Vodoun
Welfare
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Summary:Certain aspects of Vodoun, Benin's primary indigenous religious tradition, have been perceived by some of that nation's Christian believers as a menacing occult reality. Many Christians report states of acute psychological distress due to fears of the forces of Vodoun. This study analyzes the strategies employed by applied psychotherapeutic science professionals to diagnose and treat such cases, with an eye toward presenting a framework for the possible amelioration of clinical outcomes in comparable instances elsewhere.
ISSN:2152-0844
2152-0852