Fear of the Psyche

In Asian (Middle Eastern countries, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iran), African and South American cultures, people generally display a fear of the psyche or mental disorders. This is why traditional healing practices, such as those practised by shamans or preachers, are widespread in such cultures; in our experience, however, these rarely lead to genuine healing or any significant alleviation of symptoms.

A patient in my practice told me the following:
“I knew there were many things in my head that I wasn’t aware of. I had the feeling that there were strange and imaginary things inside me … bad things … so I was afraid of them. My parents and my family also made me feel that I wasn’t normal. They said: ‘You have everything, but you suffer from panic attacks…’ ‘What’s wrong with you?’ Indirectly, they were implying that I was weak because there was something wrong with me. They also thought there was something evil inside me, that I had obsessive thoughts, that a demon was living inside me… So they took me to the preacher to drive the obsessive thoughts and the demon out of me… But my suffering increased and I felt even worse because I had the evil or the evil voices inside me… I felt even more guilty and ashamed… I’d also developed feelings of inferiority because I didn’t feel normal… Now, thanks to psychotherapy, which has helped me to understand my inner self and my consciousness, I know what is inside me and I realise that it is closely linked to various experiences I had during my childhood… Today I know that I’m normal and not mad or stupid just because I suffer from panic attacks… Today, despite some disturbances and problems, I know that my mind isn’t filled with evil or malice and that it isn’t a place for superstition, as people in our society say. I also understand my parents and family better today and can accept them more. They, too, understand and accept me better.”

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