There has been a continuous confrontation between two opposing forces that serve the same purpose. Western psychiatrists as well as folk healers basically have the same functions; all of them perform certain procedures and use certain substances to relief physical and psychological pain of a patient. The principal differences between them are the presence and absence of scientific experience and focus or underestimation of cultural background of a practitioner and a patient. In cross-cultural treatment, cultural baggage is the main advantage of folk healers that makes them stand out against the background of traditional Western psychiatry. The significance and reasonableness of this statement can be proven statistically, as the USA is a multicultural country, where in the year 2000, about 50 million people were ethnically diverse (American Medical Student Association, undated, p. 1). What is more, Tseng & Stretzer (2001) state that every year, Americans spend about “$30 billion for services provided by alternative therapists and faith healers” (p. 81).
Speaking about the diversity of folk healers, Ternstorm (1980) divides then into two broad and “not always distinguishable categories: secular and sacred” (p. 459). Helman (1990) also mentions “purely secular and technical experts like bone-setters, midwives, tooth extractors or herbalists … spiritual healers, clairvoyants and shamans” (p. 59). Among advantages of folk medicine and folk healers, it is possible to mention easy access and the ability of individuals, mainly belonging to ethnical minorities with comparatively low level of income, to pay for the healer’s services (Edelman & Mandle, 2005, p. 33).
However, there are even more serious advantages of folk healers than low cost of their services. Jones (1994) states that the main value of folk medicine is that it relies on the patient’s experience, it means that subjective evidence is the basis of folk medicine (p. 124). As a consequence, folk healers manage to be in a closer touch with the patient, his/her feelings about the disease (Jones, 1994, p.124). Besides, they often involve the family of a patient into the process of healing that also proves to be effective in a number of cases. In contrast to scientifically based treatment that often fails because of cultural incompatibility and too generalized approach as it is in the case of Lia Lee (American Medical Student Association, undated, p. 1), folk healers are able to relieve emotional distress of their patients. Very often scientifically based medicine cannot treat the disease because it is unable to answer the patient’s question concerning the reason why it has happened to him. Religious healing or other types of folk healing provide a person with the answer that satisfies him.
On the whole, the secret of ability of relieving emotional distress when psychologists are helpless is in the coherence of healing provided by folk healers. Their healing possesses comprehensibility; a patient understands the source, the mechanism, and the effect of the disease (Tseng & Stretzer, 2001, p.84). If the enemy is known, the task of treating them becomes easier. Folk healers also demonstrate manageability of the disease that is also therapeutic in itself. Finally, meaningfulness of the disease is essential for folk healers, the understanding of the purpose of the disease can also bring relief of its symptoms.
Drawing a conclusion, it is possible to state that the main advantages of folk healers are their belonging to the same culture that the patient belongs to, their reliance on the personal experience of the patient, the respect and charisma of a healer. On the whole, folk healing can often provide coherence in treatment that always works successfully and brings psychological and physical relief where trained psychologists seem helpless.
Reference
American Medical Student Association. Cultural Competency in Medicine. 2010. Web.
Edelman, C. L., & Mandle C. (2005). Health Promotion throughout the Life Span. USA: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Helman, C. Culture, Health and Illness: An Introduction for Health Professionals. USA: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Jones, M.O. (1994). Putting Folklore to Use. USA: University Press of Kentucky.
Thernstorm, S. (1980). Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. USA: Harvard University Press.
Tseng, W.S., & Stretzer, J. (2001). Culture and Psychotherapy. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.