Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry

Religion/Spirituality and Dissociative Disorders 157medical system. This can allow both participants,the psychiatrist as well as the patient, to continue thetreatment without each being locked into his ownsystem of reference. The ethnopsychiatric settinghelps construct a sphere that contains enough spacefor both of them, but that also forces them to change.This does not mean that the ethno psychiatric consultationbecomes a session for deliverance prayers,exorcism, or possession rituals. Because Devereuxhas constructed the concept of ethnopsychiatricconsultation as a possible component of a medicaltreatment, the consultation is supposed to be underthe responsibility of a doctor. So, even if one of theco-therapists had the status of a religious authorityin the patient’s system of reference, the ethnopsychiatricconsultation is conducted by a doctor andtakes place within the framework of the medicalsystem of care. As a unique psychiatric setting, thisconsultation enriches traditional medical treatmentand provides the opportunity for individuals fromdifferent cultures to construct a common frame ofreference. Although this frame is medical and notreligious and belongs to the Western system of care,this doesn’t prevent a debate about whether religiousrituals are appropriate. The topic can be discussed,but the final decision should be left to the patientand his family and friends. The purpose of the discussionshould be to help provide a meaning for thedecision to make use of religious rituals or not.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWith our grateful acknowledgments to Dr. FrancelineJames, ethnopsychiatrist in Geneva, for her remarks.REFERENCES1. Ross CA , Duff y CMM , Ellason JW . Prevalence, reliabilityand validity of dissociative disorders in aninpatient setting . J Trauma Dissociation . 2002 ;3 :7 –17.2. Spanos NP . Multiple Identities and False Memories:A Sociocognitive Perspective . Washington : AmericanPsychological Association ; 1996 .3. Janet P . Major Symptoms of Hysteria . New York :Macmillan ; 1925 .4. Janet P . The Major Symptoms of Hysteria: FifteenLectures Given in the Medical School of HarvardUniversity . New York : Macmillan ; 1907 .5. R ausky F. Mesmer ou la révolution thérapeutique .Paris : Payot ; 1977 .6. E l lenb erger HF . The Discovery of the Unconscious .New-York : Basic Books Inc ., Publishers; secondprinting ; 1970.7. C o ons PM , B ow man ES , K lu ft RP , Mi lstei n V . Thecross-cultural occurrence of multiple personalitydisorder: additional cases from a recent survey .Dissociation . 1991; 4 (4): 124 –128.8. Bourguignon E . Psychological Anthropology:An Introduction to Human Nature and CulturalDifferences . New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston ;1979 .9. Hel l B . Possession et chamanisme: Les maîtres dudésordre . Paris : Flammarion ; 1999 .10. Ross CA . Multiple Personality Disorder: Diagnosis,Clinical Features and Treatment . New York : JohnWiley ; 1989 .11. Dumet N , Ménéchal J . 15 cas cliniques en psychopathologiede l’adulte . Paris : Dunod ; 2005 .12. Anzieu D . Le Moi-peau . Paris : Dunod ; 1995 .13. Anzieu D , Briggs D. Psychic Envelopes . London :Karnac ; 1990 .14. Schindelholz G . Exorcisme, un prêtre parle .Porrentruy : Editions Le Pays ; 1994.15. Geertz C . “From the natives point of view”:on the nature of anthropological understanding.In: Basso KH , Selby HA , eds. Meaning inAnthropology . Albuquerque: University of NewMexico Press; 1976 :221–237.16. Triandis HC , Bontempo R , Villareal MJ , Asai M ,Lucca N. Individualism and collectivism: crossculturalperspectives on self-ingroup relationships. J Pers Soc Psychol . 1988; 54 (2): 323 –338.17. Malina BJ. The New Testament World . Atlanta :John Knox ; 1981 .18. Malina BJ , Neyrey JH. First-century personality:dyadic, not individual. In: Neyrey JH , ed.The Social World of Luke-Acts . Peabody, MA :Hendrickson ; 1991 :67–96.19. Brandt P-Y. L’identité de Jésus et l’identité de sondisciple: le récit de la transfiguration comme clef delecture de l’évangile de Marc (NTOA 50) . Fribourg :Editions Universitaires , Göttingen: Vandenhoeck& Ruprecht; 2002 .20. Lebigot , F. Traiter les traumatismes psychiques.Clinique et prise en charge . Paris : Dunod ; 2005 .21. Abraham N , Torok M. L’écorce et le noyau . Paris :Flammarion ; 1987 .22. Sironi F . Bourreaux et victimes: Psychopathologiede la torture . Paris : Odile Jacob ; 1999 .23. Devereux G . Essais d’ethnopsychiatrie générale .Paris : Gallimard ; 1970 .