The therapist-spiritist training project in Puerto Rico: An experiment to relate the traditional healing system to the public health system

Abstract

This paper describes a project that attempts to integrate two healing systems by providing their practitioners with a means of continuous contact. Spiritist healers, mental health workers and medical and other health professionals meet on neutral academic ground provided by the program. So far, organized groups of practitioners from both systems have met over three 10-month periods to interchange ideas and discuss cases. From the inception we planned to use unscheduled outcomes as they emerged through the interactions of participants. Participants express anxiety about the lack of direction in this procedure but it has been effective. One project goal appears valid on preliminary consideration, in that therapists and Spiritists have begun to refer patients to each other; in some cases they have even consulted each other about their own personal problems.