SYMBOLIC HEALING |
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HEALTH, ILLNESS AND HEALING HEALING MYTH
1. Defining wellness and illness (creating a whole-part relationship)
2. Order/disorder can occur on any combination of three dimensions
3. Connect individual problem to larger mythic system Identify source of demoralization (disorder) CHRISTIAN MYTHIC STRUCTURE HEALTH
Health is fundamentally spiritual in nature Health involves wholeness (spirit, soul, mind, body) and holiness (good relationship with God) Health is the product of an “ordered” spiritual relationship Illness is likewise fundamentally spiritual in nature Illness is primarily caused by sin (personal sin, original sin, sinful condition of humankind) Physical or emotional factors (anger, bitterness, resentment) may be proximate causes but sin is root cause Illness is the product of a “disordered” spiritual relationship There are a great many types of disorder for which healing is sought. Most common are emotional, spiritual, and relationship problems (fear, depression, anxiety, bitterness, resentment, compulsiveness, suicidal urges, tension, disintegrating marriage or other troubled relationship, handicap, conflict with a boss) Possession by Satan is a particularly dangerous form of influence that can lead to illnesses
HEALING Healing requires tapping into God’s power directly or through intermediaries (healers) Healing involves the process of overcoming sin, becoming closer to God God uses illness and healing to teach people and to bring them closer to Him Healing can therefore be distinguished from being “cured” Healing may be coping well with one’s condition or using one’s condition to glorify God Healing may be gradual improvement Healing may be unexpectedly rapid recovery Healing may involve improvement in another condition or another person EXPLAINING SUCCESS AND FAILURE A variety of factors are used to demonstrate that healing has occurred (a feeling of joy, a sensation of healing energy) A number of factors contribute to successful healing Healing is promoted by the ability to pray correctly by knowing what is really wrong Healing is promoted by creating an atmosphere of faith Healing is promoted by the laying on of hands Healing sometimes occurs without being recognized because the healing occurre in an area different from what was requested A number of factors contribute to unsuccessful healing Healing sometimes is not experienced not because it fails to occur but because the individual does not have faith without doubts or conditions Healing sometimes does not occur because God is trying to teach them a lesson Healing sometimes is not sustained because the individual has not stayed close enough to the Lord to keep the healing
Destructuring C. CREATION OF HEALING RELATIONSHIP 1. Power of the healer Setting, props2. Creation of "therapeutic eros" Trust EXORCISM Exorcism is practiced by both Catholic and Protestant religious groups. In Protestant denominations the practice is typically referred to as “deliverance” and involves a laying on of hands and prayer by spiritually gifted individuals. The formal exorcism ritual in the Catholic tradition is detailed "The Rituale Romanum." Exorcism – The term derives from the Greek “ek” and “horkizo.” The term translates "I cause [someone] to swear." Rather than referring to driving out satanic demons, the term refers to placing the demon on oath, thereby binding the demon in order to control it and force it to act in opposition to its own nature The authority by which the demon is bound and controlled is Jesus Christ. The power of Jesus is recorded in the Bible (Mark 5:1-13) where Jesus drives an unclean spirit into a herd of swine, which jump into the sea and drown. Jesus gave the power of exorcism to his disciples ("...he gave the power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease." Matt.10:1) The most common location for exorcisms is a location where there is a definite connection between the demon and the victim, like the victim's residence During the exorcism a number of items often are present
The exorcist and others present are vulnerable if they have any secret sins that the demon can use against them. The greatest danger to the exorcist is becoming possessed by the demon. An alien presence is felt POSSESSION AND EXORCISM AMONG THE DIGO OF KENYA The Patterning of Possession and Exorcism Serious cases of possession involve aggressive, bizarre behavior (aggression toward others, self, inanimate objects; running amok; uncontrollable writhing; eating ashes, dirt, dung) Possession is usually cross-sexual Spasms, writhing, moaning by possessed are interpreted as sexual intercourse between possessed and spirit Almost all cases of exorcism involve women First attacks usually occur during betrothal or early in marriage Status of Digo Women Women remain under the control of men throughout their lives Women are excluded from important business, political, religious, and kinship decisions Women provide the major source of agricultural labor At marriage women become the most insignificant members of their husbands’ residential groups. They are given the most arduous and menial tasks Marital conflicts frequently result in desertion by the wife. Conflicts and desertion threaten kinship relationships of males (e.g., wife’s father and brothers) by raising questions of blame and return of the brideprice Spirit Possession and Exorcism Possession by the woman leading to exorcism offers an alternative to marital breakdown when male kin are concerned about perpetuation of the marriage During exorcism the exorcist discovers the name of the spirit and negotiates a price that the spirit will accept to leave. The demands made by women in marriage are made by the woman in the voice of a male spirit and granted. The price usually involves a gift (money or goods) the cost of which is borne by the husband Possession and exorcism produce sympathy for the victim while desertion produces hostility and conflict. Husbands present themselves as dealing with a mutually defined problem rather being vulnerable to charges of denying their wives care. Wives’ kin can support the wife during exorcism without taking sides against the husband Possession Authenticity The possess are note deemed fully responsible for their own condition The possessed are defined as incapable of behaving in any other way There are strict procedures for determining who is to blame for the condition and the authenticity of the condition. The possessed risk losing autonomy, credibility, and esteem Possession, Exorcism, and Power Possession creates power for the weak. Husbands are forced to respond to their wives’ condition Possession/exorcism is a system of mutual manipulation (wives of husbands, husbands of wives, fathers of daughters) Possession/exorcism mystifies the sources of discontent and projects it outside the social structure (capricious spirits) Exorcism redresses the condition of powerless women but at the cost of mystifying the source of discontent and thereby reinforcing the control system The control system is strengthened by the belief that recurrent possession is voluntary in collusion with the spirits The only alternatives for women to the possession are recurrent possession (“mad women”) and prostitution (“bad women”)
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