Week 8 - Arwin Mauricio - A03

The theme of Week 8 is “Faith, Sexuality, and Mental Health: The Triple Taboo Topics.” The reading “What a Shaman Sees in a Mental Hospital” offers a new perspective of mental health that is currently dominated by the Western view of pathology. Haydock’s micro-essays critically discusses how illness has been structurally characterized to be abnormal or divergent from the norm. The reading “Teaching Justice and Living Peace: Body, Sexuality, and Religious Education in Asian American Community” explains how sexuality is currently a null curriculum in Asian American communities and provides suggestions to change that issue.

Lee’s reading offers a comprehensive analysis of the lack of discussion of sexuality in Asian American communities. The quote “sexual minorities are treated as the ‘other’ by both the racial/ethnic other and the sexual other” captures the exceptional struggle that this group has to face. It is likely that those in the super-minority feel isolated and helpless since they since they feel like no one understands them. Another quote that resonated with me is, “if people fail to live up to the expectations of the community, they cannot live in harmony with those around them.” This reminded me of concepts I learned in previous ASA courses such as collectivistic and individualistic cultures.

The reading “What a Shaman Sees in a Mental Hospital” provided a new perspective for me in viewing mental health. Being in the US, my view of mental health has always been dominated by the Western ideology of mental illness as a pathology. Reading how Shamans view mental illness as the “birth of a healer” shows how other cultures interpret mental health in a positive light. This is in sharp contrast to the Western notion where people afflicted with mental health are seen as broken and in need of repair. 

Question: How can start open conversations about mental health and sexuality that are stigmatized topics within Asian American communities, especially with older generations.

References:                                                                        

Bremner, M. (2014) [Image] Retrieved from https://slpecho.com/in-depth/2014/11/12/surrounded-by-stigma/.

Lee, B. (2006). Teaching Justice and Living Peace: Body, Sexuality, and Religious Education in Asian American Communities.

The Mind Unleashed. (2014). What a Shaman Sees in a Mental Hospital.