From Powerlessness to Control: Psychosis, Spirit Possession and Recovery in the Western Desert of Egypt
Health Culture and Society December 17, 2015 M. Rashed 19 citations
Recovery from psychosis may depend on how people relate to their distressing experiences in ways that expand rather than diminish agency. In the Dakhla oasis of Egypt, interpretations of psychosis as spirit possession offer a broader range of intentionality than biomedical interpretations, allowing more ways to relate to psychotic states. Modes of relating to spirits can be active or passive, with active forms aligning with the recovery goal of symptom control. Factors that shape an active, agency-expanding mode include the nature of the spirits, the subject's values and beliefs, and broader cultural or religious discourses that influence the likelihood of achieving control over symptoms.