title: The indigenous psychiatry of Ladakh, part II: Narrative and metanarrative in the cultural control of dissociative states in the Himalayas.
abstract: In traditional Ladakh (NW India, Tibetan) men are less frequently sufferers from dissociative possession by 'witches' than are women, but they may be possessed by spirits of place, plausibly a consequence of their more outward focus on life beyond the household. Where possession leads to authorisation to practice as an oracle healer the 'afflicted' may gain in social status. Male possession is also induced through ritual meditation (visualisation) in monks destined to function as oracles in monastic festivals which have ancient links with traditional government. In these cases the individuals have usually had considerable experience and training in Buddhist mental yoga and have not experienced an initiatory illness. The metanarrative governing these occasions constrains village narratives as an aspect of social control by Buddhist authorities with a long history in the culture of Tibetan-speaking peoples. The functions of shamanic trance and its parallels in the post-modern West are considered.
authors: a Department of Psychology , University of Bristol , Winterhead Hill Farm , Shipham , BS25 1RS , UK Phone: Fax:
authors: J H
authors: JH
authors: Crook