Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mental and Physical Health and Spiritual Healing: An Evaluation of Complementary Religious Therapies Provided by Spiritist Centers in the City of São Paulo, Brazil

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study aims to describe the characteristics of the complementary religious treatment conducted by Spiritist centers in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), to understand how physical and mental health problems are addressed and how the directors of these centers differentiate between persons with spiritual experiences from those with psychiatric disorders. From 365 Spiritist centers, which received the questionnaire, 55 (15.1 %) were included in the final analysis. There were on average 261 people per week attending spiritual sessions in each center, totalizing approximately 15,000 attendees per week in all 55 centers. The most common treatment performed in these centers was disobsession (Spirit release therapy) (92.7 %); the least common was the ‘spiritual surgery’, present in only 5.5 %. The most frequent health problems reported by attendees were depression (45.1 %), cancer (43.1 %) and diseases in general (33.3 %). Concerning the directors’ awareness to differentiate between spiritual experiences and psychiatric disorders, we found some remarkable divergent opinions. In conclusion, the Spiritist centers are an important health related support system for the city of São Paulo, responsible for a significant share of the city’s total health consultations. The most common conditions the patients suffer from were depression and cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • APA, DSM IV - American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV. (1994). Amer Psychiatric Pub Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, C. J. (2013). Public health implications of spiritual healing practice, in conditions such as depression. Journal of Public Mental Health, 12(1), 6-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bragdon, E. (2005). Spiritist healing centers in Brazil. Seminars in Integrative Medicine, 3(2), 67-74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bragdon, E. (2012). Kardec’s Spiritism: A Home for Healing and Spiritual Evolution: eBookIt. com, Woodstock, VT: Lightening Up Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cremesp—Conselho Regional de Medicina de São Paulo. Falsos médicos: Cremesp registra queda no nº de casos de exercício ilegal da Medicina. 2011 Retrieved 22 de Setembro, 2013, from http://www.cremesp.org.br/?siteAcao=Noticias&id=2097.

  • Corbin, J., and Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • de Almeida, A., and Almeida, A. G. (2000). Cirurgia espiritual: uma investigação. Rev Ass Med Brasil, 46(3), 194-200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Almeida Lima, F., Silva, J. C. L. J., and Barros, B. R. (2007). O que os psiquiatras brasileiros esperam das classificações diagnósticas? J Bras Psiquiatr, 56(2), 88-93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Matos, C. A., and Veiga, R. T. (2000). Avaliação da qualidade percebida de serviços: um estudo em uma organização não-governamental. Caderno de Pesquisas em Administração, 7(3), 27-42.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Sousa, M. H. (2010). Aborto e legislação: opinião de magistrados e promotores de justiça brasileiros. Rev Saúde Pública, 44(3), 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, S. A. C. (1960). História do espiritismo. Editora Pensamento: São Paulo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, P., Roberts, I., Clarke, M., DiGuiseppi, C., Pratap, S., Wentz, R., and Kwan, I. (2002). Increasing response rates to postal questionnaires: systematic review. Bmj, 324(7347), 1183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, M. P., Fava, M., Lake, J., Trivedi, M. H., Wisner, K. L., and Mischoulon, D. (2010). Complementary and alternative medicine in major depressive disorder: the American Psychiatric Association Task Force report. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 71(6), 669-681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freitas, H. (2000). Análise de dados qualitativos: aplicações e as tendências mundiais em Sistemas de Informação. Revista de Administração da USP, 35(4), 84-102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giumbelli, E. (1997). Heresia, doença, crime ou religião: o espiritismo no discurso de médicos e cientistas sociais. Revista de Antropologia, 40(2), 31-82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenfield, S. M. (1987). The return of Dr Fritz: spiritist healing and patronage networks in urban, industrial Brazil. Soc Sci Med, 24(12), 1095-1108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenfield, S. M. (1992). Spirits and spiritist therapy in southern Brazil: a case study of an innovative, syncretic healing group. Cult Med Psychiatry, 16(1), 23-51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A.-W. (1997). Response rates in international mail surveys: results of a 22-country study. International Business Review, 6(6), 641-665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hess, D. J. (1994). Samba in the night: spiritism in Brazil. Columbia University Press: New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • IBGE. Censo Demográfico 2010 Retrieved 10th Aug 2013, from ftp.ibge.gov.br/Censos/Censo_Demografico_2010/Caracteristicas_Gerais_Religiao_Deficiencia/tab1_4.pdf.

  • Kardec, A. (1981). O livro dos médiuns. São Paulo: LAKE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kardec, A. (2000). O Evangelho segundo o Espiritismo. Ed. FEB: Rio de Janeiro.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kardec, A. (2003). O Livro dos Espíritos. Rio de Janeiro: Federação Espírita Brasileira.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H., King, D., and Carson, V. B. (2012). Handbook of religion and health: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koss, J. D. (1975). Therapeutic aspects of Puerto Rican cult practices. Psychiatry, 38(2), 160-171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koss, J. D. (1987). Expectations and outcomes for patients given mental health care or spiritist healing in Puerto Rico. Am J Psychiatry, 144(1), 56-61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leão, F. C., and Lotufo Neto, F. (2007). Uso de práticas espirituais em instituição para portadores de deficiência mental. Rev Psiquiatr Clín, 34(Supl 1), 54-59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewgoy, B. (2008). A transnacionalização do espiritismo kardecista brasileiro: uma discussão inicial. Religião & Sociedade, 28(1), 84-104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucchetti, G., Aguiar, P.R., Braghetta, C.C., Vallada, C.P., Moreira-Almeida, A., and Vallada, H. 2012a Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil: Integration of Conventional Psychiatric Treatment and Spiritual Complementary Therapy. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 36(1):124–135. doi: 10.1007/s11013-011-9239-610.1007/s11013-011-9239-6.

  • Lucchetti, G., Daher Jr, J.C., Iandoli Jr, D., Gonçalves, J.P.B., and Lucchetti, A.L.G. 2013a Historical and Cultural Aspects of the Pineal Gland: Comparison Between the Theories Provided by Spiritism in the 1940s and the Current Scientific Evidence. Neuroendocrinology Letters 34(8):745–755.

  • Lucchetti, G., de Oliveira, R. F., Goncalves, J. P., Ueda, S. M., Mimica, L. M., and Lucchetti, A. L. (2013b) Effect of Spiritist “passe” (Spiritual healing) on Growth of Bacterial Cultures. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 21(6):627–632. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2013.08.012.

  • Lucchetti, G., Lucchetti, A.L.G., Bassi, R.M., and Nobre, M.R.S. 2011 Complementary Spiritist Therapy: Systematic Review of Scientific Evidence. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, (835945), 18 pages.

  • Lucchetti, G., Lucchetti, A.L.G., and Puchalski, C.M. 2012b Spirituality in Medical Education: Global Reality? Journal of Religion and Health 51(1):3–19.

  • Maraldi, E., and Zangari, W. (2012). Funções projetivas e terapêuticas das práticas dissociativas em contexto religioso. Boletim Academia Paulista de Psicologia, 32(83), 424-452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mateos, S. 2013 Plano prevê casa de cuidados para moradores de rua. Retrieved 13 de outubro, 2013, from http://www.canal.fiocruz.br/destaque/index.php?id=444.

  • Menezes Jr, A., and Moreira-Almeida, A. (2009). O diagnóstico diferencial entre experiências espirituais e transtornos mentais de conteúdo religioso. Rev Psiq Clín, 36(2), 75-82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira, T. (2007). Origin and memory of medieval universities the preservation of an educational institution. Varia Historia, 23(37), 113-129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oman, D., and Reed, D. (1998). Religion and mortality among the community-dwelling elderly. American Journal of Public Health, 88(10), 1469-1475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ranaie, F., Zaheri, F., and Ardalan, F. (2011). P02-83-Survey of relationship between attitude and practice toward prayer and depression in student of kurdistan university of medical sciences of Iran, in 2009. European Psychiatry, 26, 678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saad, M., Masiero, D., and Battistella, L. R. (2001). ORIGINAL Espiritualidade baseada em evidências. Acta Fisiátrica, 8(1), 18-23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samano, E., Ribeiro, L., Campos, A., Lewin, F., Goldenstein, P., COSTA, L., and del Giglio, A. (2005). Use of complementary and alternative medicine by Brazilian oncologists. European journal of cancer care, 14(2), 143-148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sant’Anna, E. 2012 Pronto-socorro do HC receberá agora só pacientes encaminhados. Retrieved 13 de outubro, 2013 from http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/impresso,pronto-socorro-do-hc-recebera-agora-so-pacientes-encaminhados,42056,0.htm.

  • Seeman, T. E., Kaplan, G. A., Knudsen, L., Cohen, R., and Guralnik, J. (1987). Social network ties and mortality among the elderly in the Alameda County Study. Am J Epidemiol, 126(4), 714-723.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taufer, P., and Lara, W. 2013 Pronto-socorro do HC de São Paulo passa por reforma; saiba o que muda. Retrieved 13 de outubro, 2013, from http://g1.globo.com/bom-dia-brasil/noticia/2013/01/pronto-socorro-do-hc-de-sao-paulo-passa-por-reforma-saiba-o-que-muda.html.

  • Taylor-Powell, E., and Renner, M. 2003 Analyzing qualitative data. Retrieved 22 de Setembro, 2013, from http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/g3658-12.pdf.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The present work received financial support from the Instituto Bairral, Sao Paulo, Brazil for the field research. We would like to thank Luiz Grasso for the support in the English language.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Avenida Eugênio do Nascimento s/n - Dom Bosco, Juiz De Fora, MG, 36038-330, Brazil

    Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti & Giancarlo Lucchetti

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil

    Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti, Frederico Camelo Leão & Homero Vallada

  3. Department of Neurology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Mario Fernando Prieto Peres

Authors
  1. Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Giancarlo Lucchetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Frederico Camelo Leão
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mario Fernando Prieto Peres
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Homero Vallada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giancarlo Lucchetti.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Author ALGL has received research grants from Hospital Joao Evangelista, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Author GL declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author FCL declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author MFPP declares that he has no conflict of interest. Author HPV has a CNPq grant (Brazilian Federal Funding Agency).

Research involving human participants

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lucchetti, A.L.G., Lucchetti, G., Leão, F.C. et al. Mental and Physical Health and Spiritual Healing: An Evaluation of Complementary Religious Therapies Provided by Spiritist Centers in the City of São Paulo, Brazil. Cult Med Psychiatry 40, 404–421 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-015-9478-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-015-9478-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation