Becoming a Xhosa traditional healer : the calling, illness, conflict and belonging
| dc.contributor.author | Van der Watt, Alberta S. J. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Biederman, Sarah V. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Abdulmalik, Jibril O. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Mbanga, Irene | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Das-Brailsford, Pricilla | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Seedat, Soraya, 1966- | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-01-12T08:19:45Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-01-12T08:19:45Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-03 | |
| dc.description | CITATION: Van der Watt, A. S. J. et al. 2021. Becoming a Xhosa traditional healer : the calling, illness, conflict and belonging. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 27:a1528, doi:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v27i0.1528. | |
| dc.description | The original publication is available at https://sajp.org.za | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Traditional healers (THs) are an important part of the healthcare system in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding their training, experiences of becoming healers and their perceived roles in society is critical. Aim: This study aimed to explore the experience of becoming a TH, including accepting the calling, and sheds light on how the experience is conceptualised within the cultural and communitarian context of THs. Setting: This study was conducted amongst Xhosa THs in the Western Cape, South Africa. Methods: In-depth phenomenological interviews (n = 4) were conducted with Xhosa THs and analysed using Giorgi’s descriptive pre-transcendental Husserlian phenomenological analysis. Results: The experience of becoming a TH can be summarised in the context of three units of significance: (1) the gift of healing as an illness; (2) the experience of conflict (including with their families, the church and self-conflict); and (3) the experience of belonging. Familial conflict, specifically, was fuelled by the financial burden of becoming a TH and a lack of understanding of the process. Conclusion: To develop a workable model of collaboration in the future, it is crucial that mental healthcare providers develop a better understanding of the experiences of THs in becoming care providers. The findings highlight an appreciation of the challenging process of becoming a TH. Finally, further research and culturally appropriate psychoeducation can provide trainee THs and their family members with the skills and knowledge to support each other through a difficult process. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.uri | https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1528 | |
| dc.description.version | Publisher's version | |
| dc.format.extent | 9 pages | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Van der Watt, A. S. J. et al. 2021. Becoming a Xhosa traditional healer : the calling, illness, conflict and belonging. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 27:a1528, doi:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v27i0.1528. | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2078-6786 (online) | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1608-9685 (print) | |
| dc.identifier.other | doi:10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v27i0.1528 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125852 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | AOSIS | |
| dc.rights.holder | Authors retain copyright | |
| dc.subject | Traditional medicine -- Western Cape (South Africa) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Xhosa (African people) -- Mental health -- Western Cape (South Africa) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Healers -- Western Cape (South Africa) | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Becoming a Xhosa traditional healer : the calling, illness, conflict and belonging | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Article | en_ZA |