ANTC61H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Psychoanalysis, Abreaction
Document Summary
Cuna tribe in panama: purpose of song sung by shaman was to facilitate difficult childbirth, carves images from wood to signify his spiritual assistants. Shaman lead these spirits to muu, power responsible for childbirth. Difficult childbirth occurs when muu capture purba, or the soul of the mother to be. Song symbolizes quest to find purba, and spiritual struggle" to lead the soul back. The song contains symbolic references to the body, such as muu the wayward spirit, residing in the uterus. See end of pg 197-beginning of 198 marked part. Shamanistic medicine lies on the borderline between contemporary physical medicine and psychological therapy. Understand the concept of abreaction: very important: note the role of the shaman. The shaman is the hero, the protagonist. He establishes direct relationship with conscious and unconscious elements of woman. He symbolically penetrates affected regions and frees captive soul (etc)(unconscious healing element-with spirits etc), but also performs conscious healing through organic means.
