Riven between faith and reason
Faith healing has been a silent topic in the sense that we as psychiatrists often cross our paths with faith-healers, and yet, we seem not to make much practical effort in understanding the psychological roots behind it. We often come across patients and their relatives who would prefer the miracles...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2017-01-01
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| Series: | Annals of Indian Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | http://www.anip.co.in/article.asp?issn=2588-8358;year=2017;volume=1;issue=1;spage=54;epage=55;aulast=Lukose |
| Summary: | Faith healing has been a silent topic in the sense that we as psychiatrists often cross our paths with faith-healers, and yet, we seem not to make much practical effort in understanding the psychological roots behind it. We often come across patients and their relatives who would prefer the miracles of a faith-healer over evidence-based medicine. We observe that people are inclined to approach the uncertainty of faith-healing remedies with utmost optimism while the medical interventions suffer the brunt of critical and at times cynical scrutiny by patients. As a resident in psychiatry, I have come across patients who sought faith-healing as their first choice as well the ultimate one. On close observation and open-minded reflection, we can learn what makes our minds tick when they are plunged into ambivalence between demons and decompensated neural circuits and this article is intended to touch on these gray lines. |
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| ISSN: | 2588-8358 2588-8366 |