Psychopathology and culture : disorders of possession and dissociation in intercultural clinical practice

Abstract

Trance and possession phenomena exist in most cultures (Sar, 2006). Consequently, clinicians can come across phenomena in their daily practice and are confronted with challenging issues concerning the diagnostic and management process. [Note: Most experts dealing with the topic use the term ‘possession’ as an emic experiential term, not necessarily requiring that they themselves also believe in the existence of entities like spirits (Cardena, 1992).] For example, they will need to be able to distinguish normal from pathological phenomena, differentiate from other disorders, recognize the relationship with stress and trauma, deal with conflicting explanatory systems and ideas on treatment, and negotiate a path of management with the client and his or her relatives in accordance with their own ethical values. Here we want to briefly address some basic issues for clinical practice without further elaborating on the distinction between trance and possession phenomena (Tseng, 2001).