Journeying Through Different Mythic Worlds

Abstract: The global mental health movement (GMHM) seeks to close the treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries including those in Southeast Asia. However, the GMHM has been criticized for its overemphasis on a Eurocentric approach to mental health care, ignoring the diversity of knowledge and resources in local communities. Given the pluralistic health care systems in most Southeast Asian countries, people may utilize both Indigenous healing and Western mental health services. Therefore, indigenous healing systems can be integrated into mental health care to offer additional resources to local people to cope with emotional distress. Using a single case study approach, this article aims to explore the therapeutic aspects of indigenous healing systems relevant to mental health care. The case is about Jing, a Chinese woman who simultaneously consulted psychiatrists, a dang-ki (Chinese shaman/spirit medium), and a traditional Chinese medicine physician in Singapore. I attempt to answer three questions. First, what is Jing’s experience of seeking help from different forms of healing systems? Second, what are the therapeutic aspects of indigenous healing systems relevant to mental health care? Third, what are the challenges for reconciling the experiential truth with the empirical truth? Based on her narrative, although these healing systems were structured in different mythic worlds and explanatory models, Jing found all of them helpful without experiencing any cognitive dissonance. This may be because she did not passively respond to the treatments but actively negotiated her expectations with the healers, constructed meanings, and adopted a pragmatic attitude to meet her needs.