Faith Healing For Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study On Religious Centres And Ritualistic Healing In Kerala (India)

Abstract

This paper explores the strange connections between divinity, mental illness, spirit possession, and faith healing in Kerala, a southwestern coastal state in India. The metaphysical correlates of mental illness in Kerala will be demonstrated using the legend
of Naranathu Bhranthan (a folk-tale character) and also by narrating the indigenous healing practices in Kerala, where the state of possession/ trance becomes part of therapy. This study is primarily based on the data collected from expert interviews and field visits conducted in Palakkad and Malapuram districts of Kerala. Before the advent of colonial medicine, Kerala had a rich tradition of Ayurvedic and religious healing practices. Though suppressed by biomedicine at present, some of these indigenous healing centers and ritualistic art forms like Theyyam (a ritualistic art form famous in Northern Kerala) still enjoy popularity. Interestingly these centers become sites of religious pluralism, where people of all castes meet for a solution.