The document discusses South Asian (Indian) traditional healing practices, focusing on Ayurveda, Siddha, and psychotherapeutic methods. It highlights the integration of these holistic approaches with Western medicine, the role of mental health in wellness, and cultural factors influencing healthcare choices. Traditional therapies emphasize balance and harmony among body, mind, and spirit, while facing challenges such as the accessibility of practitioners and treatment efficacy.

1. South
Asian
(Indian)
Traditional
Healing
Kulky Nakai, M.A.
October 23, 2013

2. Healing & Medical
Traditions
(Kumar, Bhugra, & Singh, 2005)

3. Ay u r v e d a
Ayur = having to do with life or living
Veda = wisdom or knowledge
› Health = harmony of
body + mind + soul
› includes social
harmony
› avoids dualism
› psyche cannot be
separated from
soma

4. Ayurveda Science
System For:
› Treating
illness and
disease
› Creating
optimal health
(balance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTOJ8c__rk8&list=PLEAEB635AF79B9AB4

5. Ayurveda Science
(cont’d)
› Worldview:
› Composed
of 5 great
elements
(bhutas)
› Pairing of
great
elements
(doshas)
http://kimmana.com/411/fiveelementsofayurveda/

8. Mental Illness
› Vaid (therapist)
› plays an active role
› makes a diagnosis
based on history of
symptoms and lifestyle
› Mental Illness:
› Mental origin + mental symptoms
› Mental origin + physical symptoms
› Physical origin + mental symptoms

9. Ayurveda Treatment
› Purification: purges,
emetics, enemas,
bleeding, personal hygiene
› Pacification: topical
applicants of ointments,
ingestion of decoctions
from plans and metals
› Removal of the cause:
changes in lifestyle (i.e.,
diet, sleep, substances)
and environment (e.g.,
family involvement)

10. Siddha System
“Perfection” or “Heavenly Bliss”
› Identify causative
factors:
› Pulse, examine urine,
eyes and tongue, voice,
body color, status of
digestive system
› Restore equilibrium:
› Yoga, iatrochemistry,
vomiting, enema, medicated
oils, pressure techniques

11. Traditional Indian
Psychotherapies
(Kumar, Bhugra, & Singh, 2005)

12. Shamanic Healing
› Divine or spiritual powers to
heal psychic distress
› Rituals:
› Chanting of sacred verses
› Sprinkling of “holy water”
› Inducing a possessive state
› Tantra or Tantric
› Mantras, meditation, yoga,
rituals
› Causes and alleviation of
mental distress
› Comparable to modern
depth psychology
(emphasis on unconscious
fantasies and conflicts)

13. Mystics as Healers
› Common goal:
› Self-realization
› Self-transformation
› Ultimate unification
(sense of centrality and
integration with the
whole)
› Remove suffering during
one’s journey
› Attain unity with deity
› Self-surrender and search
of truths beyond human
understanding
› Meditation, prayers,
rituals, sacrifices, and
lifestyle changes

14. Models for
Psychotherapy
(Kumar, Bhugra, & Singh, 2005)

15. Guru-Chela Relationship
› Teacher-Pupil Relationship
› Guru = teacher and spiritual preceptor (physician of the
mind and soul with objectivity and competence)
› Chela = disciple (self-exploration to liberate from suffering)
› Self-discipline > self-expression
› Emphasis on creative harmony
between person and society
› Active and directive

16. Sahaja Therapy
Saha
= together Ja = born
› Born together with
oneself
› Innate drive to strive for
liberation and insight
towards one’s human
potential
› Greater emotional
stability, reduced
emotional reactivity and
greater resilience to
stressful stimuli

17. Ayurveda or Western Medicine
› Select a system of treatment
›
›
›
›
›
›
(Weerasinghe & Fernando, 2011)
that is familiar
Competent Ayurvedic
practitioners
Scarcity and cost of
medicine quality
Prepare medicine as
prescribed
Effort to grow and maintain
herbal medicines
Maintenance of folk
knowledge
Continue treatment through
social network

18. Ayurveda or Western Medicine
(cont’d)
› Family members
› Nature and severity of
›
›
›
›
›
(Hilton, Grewal, Popatia, et al., 2001)
›
illness
Previous experience with
healing practices
Practicality of accessing
treatment
Western medicine side
effects
Risk of criticism or ridicule
Length of time in host
country
Level of acculturation with
Western society

19. Help-Seeking Behaviors
› Social class
› Education
› Religion
› Availability of healers
› Interpretation of illness
› Belief in spiritual treatment
› Considers spiritual treatment
appropriate for clinical condition
(Campion & Bhugra, 1997)

20. Promotes Healing
and Wellbeing
› Herbal medicines associated with chronic
disorders, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia,
and Alzheimer’s disease
(Sharma, Chandola, Singh, & Basisht, 2007)
› Greater self-efficacy in using Ayurveda to
promote positive health changes
› Perceptual and phenomenological change of
quality of life and expectation about health
› Context of social support as a necessary part of a
holistic intervention
(Conboy, Edshteyn, & Garivaltis, 2009)

21. Integration of
Ayurveda and
Western Medicine
› Ayurveda is used as part of everyday life as a means to balance
›
›
›
›
and enhance holistic health
Western medicine is quicker at controlling illness, whereas
Ayurveda cures it with time
Western treatment is commonly free-of-charge, convenient,
rapidly effective, and supported by the community
Ayurvedic patients often consume “cooling” beverages or foods
when experiencing the undesirable effects from Western
treatment
Consider the association of illness and socio-religious factors
that impact the degree of stressors and maladaptation to a new
culture and society
(Dein & Sembhi, 2001)

22. References
›
Campion, J., & Bhugra, D. (1997). Experience of religious healing in psychiatric patients in South India. Social
Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 32, 215-221. Retrieved from Springer-Verlag.
›
Conboy, L. A., Edshteyn, I., & Garivaltis, H. (2009). Ayurveda and Panchakarma: Measuring the effects of a holistic
intervention. Scientific World Journal, 9, 272-280. doi:10.1100/tsw.2009.35
›
Dein, S., & Sembhi, S. (2001). The use of traditional healing in South Asian psychiatric patients in the U.K.:
Interactions between professional and folk psychiatries. Transcultural Psychiatry, 38,(2) 243-257.
doi:10.1177/136346150103800207
›
Hilton, B. A., Grewal, S., Popatia, N., Bottorff, J. L., Johnson, J. L., Clarke, H., Venables, L. J., et al. (2001). The
Desi ways: Traditional health practices of South Asian women in Canada. Health Care for Women International, 22,
553-567. doi:0739-9332/01
›
Kumar, M., Bhugra, D., & Singh, J. (2005). South asian (indian) traditional healing: Ayurvedic, shamanic, and
sahaja therapy. In R. Moodley, & W. West (Eds.), Multicultural Aspects of Counseling and Psychotherapy Series
22: Integrating traditional healing practices into counseling and psychotherapy. (pp. 112-123). Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE Publications, Inc. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452231648.n10
›
Moodley, R., & West, W. (2005). Integrating traditional healing practices into counseling and psychotherapy.
London, UK: Sage Publications.
›
Prathikanti, S. (2007). Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Ayurveda Medicine. UCSF Mini Medical School
for the Public Series. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=iTOJ8c__rk8&list=PLEAEB635AF79B9AB4
›
Sharma, H., Chandola, H. M., Singh, G., & Basisht, G. (2007). Utilization of Ayurveda in health care: An approach
for prevention, health promotion, and treatment of disease. Part 2 – Ayurveda in primary health care. The Journal
of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 13(10), 1135-1150. doi:10.1089/acm.2007.7017-B
›
Weerasinghe, M. C., & Fernando, D. N. (2011). Paradox in treatment seeking: An experience
Lanka. Qualitative Health Research, 21(3), 365-373. doi:10.1177/1049732310385009
from rural Sri