Berger-González, M;
Vides-Porras, A;
Strauss, S;
Heinrich, M;
Taquirá, S;
Krütli, P;
(2016)
Relationships that Heal: Beyond the Patient-Healer Dyad in Mayan Therapy.
Medical Anthropology
, 35
(4)
pp. 353-367.
10.1080/01459740.2016.1141408.
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Abstract
Biomedicine fosters particular styles of interaction and behaviors, with the therapeutic relationship seen as occurring between a doctor and patient. In contrast, where alternative modalities of healing are practiced, relationships go beyond a dyadic interaction and include wider social networks. In this article, we propose the existence of a ‘therapeutic unit’ in Maya healing practices in Guatemala that binds healer, wellness seeker, family, and community members, along with the spiritual and natural realms, into a coherent system requiring all of these elements to achieve success. Drawing on interviews with 67 Maya healers, we describe healers’ understanding of raxnaq’il nuk’aslemal (well-being), and show how these interactions activate wider networks that play crucial roles during treatments. We highlight how holism is expressed in relationships typical of indigenous healing systems, and how an appreciation of this is important for developing culturally appropriate health care provision systems.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Relationships that Heal: Beyond the Patient-Healer Dyad in Mayan Therapy |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/01459740.2016.1141408 |
| Publisher version: | http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/014597... |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Medical Anthropology on 21 January 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01459740.2016.1141408. |
| Keywords: | Guatemala, holism, indigenous therapy, Maya medicine, traditional healing |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Pharma and Bio Chemistry |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1485865 |
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