Mental conditions confused with ancestral calling
Misdiagnosis can have devastating effect
The calling to take on ancestral work and become a sangoma may present itself in a variety of ways.
Often, the debilitating signs and symptoms bear close similarities to various mental health conditions.
As such, signs of a calling have previously been compared to, and even mistaken for, mental health conditions such as depression and schizophrenia.
According to sangoma and advocate of African spirituality, Mpho wa Badimo, the similarities between certain mental health conditions and an ancestral calling create some uncertainty.
For this reason, the signs of one can be mistaken for the other.
“Although experiences may vary because people’s gifts differ, the common signs include prolonged depression and mood swings. Sometimes the signs present themselves quite similarly to [a] bipolar [disorder] and schizophrenia, and this creates a grey area. So it is important for people to consult and get clarity,” she said.
After watching a close friend embark on the journey of ukuthwasa (initiation to become a sangoma/traditional healer) when all she needed was psychological help, the sangoma is well aware of the devastating effect a misdiagnosis can have on an individual.
“She left her job and took out loans to go for initiation, which is very expensive nowadays. She received no ancestral revelations. She wrote tests and exams, and passed them. But she says she knows nothing ancestral beyond the knowledge she was given.
“So yes, she was very angry and distraught for a very long time. Eventually, she was booked into a psychiatric ward and she received help. It was nothing ancestral.”
While the increasing number of people heeding the ancestral call today may be partly attributed to the Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1957, which deemed many practices in African spirituality punishable by law, Wa Badimo warns that we should also be careful as some cases may indeed need psychiatric help and nothing more.
“I believe there are definitely misdiagnoses and we should be careful. We cannot simply say everyone with a mental health issue or everyone who isn’t experiencing a breakthrough in life has a calling.”
Most importantly, though the signs of mental health and an ancestral calling are similar and one can easily be mistaken for the other, one’s spiritual gift often has the phenomenal ability to guide them on the path they should take.
“Your ancestors will communicate and confirm with you. You will see, hear and experience things. And your ancestors will never scare you. It should not only be a spoken word from Mpho wa Badimo who tells you to embark on the journey of ukuthwasa. Your ancestors will guide you to and through it.”
For clinical psychologist, lecturer and spiritualist Anele Siswana, the call to African spirituality is likely to go undetected in psychological spaces.
For this reason, transforming the field of psychology and making it all-encompassing remains important.
“I believe there is space for the integration of indigenous knowledge and healing practices in psychology that are not in the textbook. Pure integration would be the recognition and appreciation of other modernity that may not be academic or scientifically proven.”
Siswana acknowledged his gift of healing beyond traditional psychological practices when he began to attract clients seeking a “different” kind of therapeutic experience.
“It became more nuanced to me that patients came seeking for the spiritual aspect around the presentation of their mental problems. I was able to provide in-depth understanding and insight into some of their issues,” he said.
Aware that his transgressive approach to therapy may be considered unethical to the science of psychology, Siswana strives to ensure that his practice complies with the profession’s ethics and integrity.
“I’m very wary of the ethical implications and issues that may clash with the Western and hegemonic practices of psychology. In so doing, I have become more intentional of the boundaries and limitations of my gift. I believe what I offer makes me a transgressive therapist as I am able to give context to different approaches in the therapeutic space.”
According to Siswana, the dominant psychiatric conditions and symptoms that are often along the lines of mental illness will present themselves differently to a gifted person.
“Take hallucinations, for example. The difference is that with a pure hallucination, like with a schizophrenic patient, there is a clear, significant clinical impairment that causes an impact on their functioning. And it is often treated with medication. In the case of a gifted person there is no impairment, however their symptoms are an indicator of something that needs to happen.”
Ultimately, Siswana strongly believes the importance of context should not be overlooked.
“Although symptoms may appear as mental health issues, it is the context of how it presents itself behind factors that lead to depression and anxiety that we should pay attention to.”