On machismo, grief abreactions, and mexican culture: The case of mr. x, the counselor, and the curandera

Abstract A single case study examines the use of a curandera (Mexican folk healer) in helping a 22-year-old traditional first-generation raza (an in-group reference for identifying a Mexican individual of full or partial indigenous Mesoamerican heritage) male undergraduate student in a mid-sized city in the southwestern United States resolve grief issues. This article assesses the possible linkage between grief abreaction based on an atypical response to socio cultural gender expectancies relative to machismo (socially sanctioned Mexican male scripts for “gender-appropriate” behavior, identification, and role evaluations) and individually based universal grieving needs (Kubler-Ross, 1969; Parry, 1990, Salcido, 1990). It is posited that Mexican American mental health professionals may not always be viewed as sanctioned change agents by raza clients. Justifications and a need to examine and include traditional healers are briefly presented. A call for further exploration/ application of this practice is issued.