This week’s readings, “What a Shaman Sees in A Mental Hospital” and “Fucked Up, I Would Always Rather Be Abnormal Than Holistic”, has been very thought-provoking as an individual who was raised under Western religious values that strongly opposed the ideas that were presented. On one hand, I do recognize the intentional pathologization of seemingly mentally normative phenomena due to the increasing influence of the medical-industry complex. However, I have also seen a lot of people in my community who struggled with many different mental health issues and greatly benefitted from the medication and services provided form counsellors. However, in Marohn’s article, it was interesting to consider whether the neuro non-typical individuals were actually receiving the help that needed or whether they were being numbed of their bodily responses towards spiritual entities that were trying to reach out to the living world. The very different perspective of rethinking “neuro non-typical” individual’s mental state as non-pathological was also very interesting, as the idea of medicine and Western medical treatment as the best way to resolve the struggles is so permeated in our lives. It is definitely important to consider other treatment methods, which include “non-conventional” spiritual methods from the non-dominant culture.
Video on Mental Illness & Shamanic Experience
Question:
Where is the fine line between embracing your mental health struggles as something inherent and needing to find “holistic” treatment measures for self-sustenance?
References: Haydock, S. "fucked up." In I would always rather be abnormal than holistic: Nine micro-essays. (45-53). DSM: Asian American edition. Mahron, S. (2014, September 07). What a Shaman Sees in A Mental Hospital.
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