Similarities Between Descending With Angels Islamic Exorcism And Psychiatry

Introduction

Mental illness is generally understood to be an imbalance within oneself, as in there is a disconnect between one’s physical body and their mental state. The result of this presents in the form of delusions, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, and/or other reality altering symptoms. In the Western world, modern medical treatment involves hospitalization and medications to reduce these sensations, whereas in areas that practice traditional medicine, the treatments vary and depend on the root of the illness. There is a great disconnect between the two parties of treatment, where they often discredit one another and rarely blend the modes of treatment. An example of this regards possession. Possession in modern medicine is believed to be not real and rather those sensations are attributed to a mental health crisis. Traditional medicinal

The medication route is interesting, because there is no one set treatment. People can be handed a mixture of antidepressants, sedatives, antipsychotics, etc, where the side effects can be determental. In the book, Descending with Angels: Islamic Exorcism and Psychiatry, the author and anthropologist, Christian Suhr, explores this specific phenomena. To

The scientific aspect behind modern medicine drives healing to be focused on symptom alleviation which is disconnected from the human body. The drugs are intended to improve the mind, but subsequently damages the heart, digestive system, etc. Where traditional medicine views the body as one, unified system where one issue impacts everything. The disconnect between body and mind seen in the modern versus traditional methods is what causes such dramatically different