Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil

by Emma Bragdon, PhD

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Abstract

This article describes the origin and workings of Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil. Spiritist healing practices include: laying-on of hands, prayer, blessed water, fraternal assistance, consultation with medical intuitives and ‘disobsession.' Treatments appear to be effective for healing. They are typically accomplished by trained volunteers donating their time as part of their own spiritual growth, which makes them cost-effective, as well. The hospitals report many successes with their integral approach, and offer a substantial model of integral mental health care. Hospital administrators bring together the best of conventional psychiatric care with Spiritist protocols that are ecumenical and can be applied to patients of all religious and cultural backgrounds. Although some of the hospitals originated in the 1930s, little standard research on outcomes has been done outside of anecdotal reports. More research on the efficacy of the healing practices, philosophy and education offered at these hospitals is called for.

Key words: Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals, Integral Mental Health

 
Background

Brazil’s government census (IBGE, 2000) that quantifies religious membership reports that more than 2.3 million Brazilians call themselves Spiritists. However, 20 to 40 million Brazilians make use of the resources of more than 12,000 Spiritist centers in Brazil. Why? Spiritism is not a religion. It is a social movement, serving the spiritual needs of people of all religions and cultural backgrounds as a free service including coordinating charitable pursuits to serve all people in need. According to the 2000 IBGE census, the number of those attending the Spiritist Centers is growing, with the majority of new people coming from among the most well-educated and wealthy in Brazil. There are also more than 160 Spiritist centers in 34 countries outside of Brazil. More than 70 of these are in 18 states in the USA (USSC, 2011). All of them are supported by private donations and function independently from any formal religion, political entity or governmental agency.

Spiritists also run fifty Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil where patients can elect to have Spiritist treatments in addition to conventional psychiatric care (that includes psychotropics, psychotherapy, and various therapies including art, music, and occupational and physical education). The specific Spiritist Centers and Hospitals I am referring to all draw their original inspiration from books (Kardec, 2000a; 2000b) written by Léon Dénizarth-Hippolyte-Rivail (1804-1869), a Frenchman living in Paris, and more recently from a few Brazilians. They are not following the protocols of other spiritualist groups that have developed out of Afro-Brazilian or Indigenous Brazilian belief systems.

What spiritism offers

If the spirit is not acknowledged as existing and real, psychiatrists will only pay attention to effect. They will be impeded from divining the root causes and will never cure effectively… New theories—with solid experimental foundation—point at illuminating and unveiling the spirit. But, we need courage, not only to acknowledge these theories, but also to examine them.
                              - J.L. Azevedo, MD, (1997, p.66)

The statistics currently available in Brazil report unusual success in healing at these Spiritist centers, even though contemporary studies are few. In April, 2004, the President of the Federation for Spiritism in San Paulo (FEESP), Avildo Fioravanti, remarked in a formal interview with me that FEESP has more than a 90% success rate in helping addicts and the suicidally depressed recover normal functioning, without dependence on drug therapy. Another Center in San Paulo, Grupo Noel, was profiled by Cleide Martins Canadas, a social psychologist. Canadas (2001) reports that 70% of the community experience great improvement and a definite cure of their problems, including all manner of physical and mental illnesses.

Bear in mind, in the USA (US Dept. HHS, 2003), in 2002 an estimated 22 million people suffered from substance dependence or abuse. The US Dept of Health and Human Services’ Office of Applied Studies (2011) reports that 6.8 percent of the population in the USA are considered “heavy” drinkers, that is, “five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days,” but not dependent or abusers, whereas 18.6% are reported as having alcohol dependence or abuse issues in the year 2000-2001. A 2003 report by Fuller and Hiller-Sturmhofel notes that the best success rate (outpatient care) for alcoholics after only one year is 35%. More typical is a success rate lower than 30%. 

Some researchers in the USA (Maisto et al., 2002; Maisto, Clifford and Tonigan, 2010) indicate that 10-years after formal treatment, total abstainers report significantly higher rates of a perceived purpose in life and a higher quality of life. We might speculate then that finding one’s purpose in life is essential in increasing the likelihood of healthful lifestyle choices. Perhaps Spiritism has been so successful in its treatments because it facilitates individuals clarifying their purpose in life and aligning with that purpose.

We also can draw inspiration from Spiritism about the treatment of mental illness itself as it is now apparent that the US standard of care has grave problems. Both mental illness and the disabilities that result from psychotropic medications are on the increase, and we still don’t know the cause of mental illness (Whitaker, 2010). Consider one example: major depressive disorder affects approximately 9.9 million American adults in a given year (NIMH, 2001). The most frequently given therapeutic intervention for these depressions are pharmaceuticals which blanket the symptoms and do not treat the cause, as many people can not afford to also have psychotherapy.

James Lake, MD. (2011, in press), in his Foreword to Spiritism and Mental Health, sums up the limitation of our current methods of psychiatric care:

While contemporary pharmacologic treatments used in conventional mental health care frequently provide temporary symptomatic relief they seldom adequately address—and certainly do not cure—the root psychological, biological or spiritual causes or meanings of mental illness. Biomedical psychiatry continues to accrue important scientific advances in the basic neurosciences, pharmacology, molecular biology and genetics however its successes are limited by many factors, including:  

• Incomplete understandings of the postulated mechanisms of action of many drugs;
• Limited efficacy of many drugs in current use
• Significant safety problems and related compliance problems caused by toxic side-effects or drug-drug interactions; 
• Lack of affordability or limited availability of drugs that are regarded by Western trained physicians as the most effective treatments for a particular mental illness.

Psychopharmacologic treatments are demonstrably not only inadequate but the dominant contemporary model of mental health care based on their exclusive use is often inappropriate and may interfere with or delay patient care, especially when significant cultural or spiritual factors manifest as mental and emotional symptoms.

The foundations of contemporary biomedical psychiatry become even more problematic when one examines its theoretical foundations. The best research evidence from genetics and functional brain imaging studies suggests that multiple indirect relationships probably exist between functional dysregulation of the brain at the levels of neurotransmitters and neural circuits and predispositions to develop cognitive, affective or behavioral symptoms. To date, however, only the most basic mechanisms of brain function at the level of discrete neurotransmitters, single neurons or simple circuits of neurons in non-human animal models have been clearly elucidated. Taken together these issues have resulted in growing controversy among health care providers and patients over the appropriate and reasonable uses of pharmacological treatments in mental health care, and there is on-going dialog in the general public and the medical community about whether the risks and limitations of psychopharmacologic drug treatment outweigh their potential benefits. Challenges to the conventional biomedical dogma of contemporary Western psychiatry invite systematic, open-minded examination of diverse non-pharmacologic treatment modalities including herbal medicines, other natural products, mind-body therapies as well as postulated “energetic” or spiritual treatment methods.

Spiritism and Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals have something important to teach us regarding an integrated approach to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, and perhaps more importantly, pinning down the origin of mental illness related to spirituality and articulating a path to mental health.

The origin of mental illness

From the Spiritist point of view, more than 60% of mental illness, including addiction, originates through interaction with negatively motivated spirits who attach themselves to a weakened individual for a period of time (Kardec, 1986). These spirits influence that person’s thoughts and diminish his/her willpower by insistently repeating specific negative thoughts, which these individuals assume belong to them. These negatively motivated spirits are thought to be confused, often not knowing they are dead, and are still attached to the pleasures of material life (such as drinking alcohol). Others are seeking retribution for harm caused to them in previous lifetimes, such as having been murdered by the person to whom they are now attached. 

Spiritists believe that when a patient is motivated to do some negative behavior exacerbated by the attachment of a spirit, they are “obsessed.” Often, such behaviors are caused in part by their own weaknesses. When a person has no ability to exercise will over the negative influence that manifests as habitual negative thinking and behaviors, that patient is considered to be “possessed.”

The Spiritist way to mental health is to learn one’s purpose in life, align with that purpose, understand universal principles such as the law of karma (cause and effect as it applies to human relationships), and align with those principles so as to become wiser and more compassionate. Spiritist therapies help facilitate this process. They also suggest steps to release the relationships with negatively motivated spirits and replace these with direct connections with highly evolved guardian spirits, including Jesus Christ and other elevated spiritual beings.

Treatments using Spiritist healing in the hospitals

A few of the key practices used for all patients who elect to have Spiritist treatments are laying-on of hands, blessed water, prayer, fraternal assistance and listening to inspired speech. Some patients, especially those who have more severe problems and/or are not responding to conventional treatment, have sessions with a medical intuitive and may be the focus of a group of mediums practicing ‘disobsession.’ Each of these practitioners donates his/her time at no charge. This may amount to a few hours to more than 40 hours per week, depending on how much time each has outside of other family and work responsibilities.

Laying-on of hands (“passé” in Portuguese)
The Spiritist trained mediums/healers enter into a ward of patients at an arranged time. Those patients who choose to participate are asked to sit in rows on chairs, or in a circle previously set up by the staff on the ward. The healers are volunteers who have been trained on-site or at other Spiritist Centers so they know the healing protocol as well as the proper way to interact with patients in the hospital. They have next to no verbal communication or physical contact with patients, so their interaction is focused on the healing work. Although typically regimented to circumscribed gestures where the healer passes his or her hands 3 to 6 inches above the body of the patient, individual styles are permitted. Physical touch is avoided.

Treatments last only a few minutes per person, during which time each patient remains seated, with eyes closed, if possible. One at a time, the healers stand in back or in front of the patient. The healer will be focusing on transmitting a perceived Divine energy (e.g., the Holy Spirit of God or Christ) to the patient. First, the healer becomes focused, which usually involves shifting to an altered state of consciousness (Hageman et al., 2010). Healing takes place through a continuum of transmission of energy: from the Divine source to the spirit of the incarnate healer, and from the healer to the spiritual body (“perispirit”) of the patient.

Kardec (2004a, p. 190) described the perispirit as “a subtle, ethereal, nearly massless covering… a kind of energy body that serves as a blueprint for the human form.” This etheric body permeates the physical body in every detail, creating an exact duplicate of every organ and limb. Its main function is to transmit energy to the physical body. Congestion of energy in the perispirit, or a weakening caused by stress, negative thinking, being overly judgmental, lack of forgiveness of self or others, or depression, can link to a particular organ or system in the body. These can cause a physical or mental manifestation of illness. Intervention through focusing a high vibration (associated with pure love) in the “pass” of the hands changes the blueprint in and around the physical body and lays the foundation for the healing of the physical body as well as the psyche. Spiritual healing is also practiced as preventive care to preclude the development of disease states by maintaining an appropriate flow of energy in the perispirit, and, in turn, to the body.

The soul…forms a single unity with the perispirit, and integrates with the entire body, which constitutes a complex human being… We can imagine two bodies similar in form, one interpenetrating another, combined during life and separated at death, which destroys one while the other continues to exist. During life, the soul acts through the vehicles of thought and emotion. It is simultaneously internal and external—that is, it radiates outwardly, being able to separate itself from the body, to transport itself considerable distances, and there to manifest its presence.” (Kardec, 2004b, pp 154-155)

Inspired speech/ Prayer
Prior to the beginning of the healing session in the ward, one of the supervisors of the mediums who works at the hospital will offer a prayer and some inspiring words about the nature of health and healing. Rarely is anything said of a negative nature, although it is believed that patients may be mentally ill as a karmic consequence of prior negative behaviors, such as behaving in a way that hurts others. The inspired speech directs the patients to focus on the value of compassion and love, helping them recollect loving relationships they may have had, or long for, assisting them to commit themselves to more self-acceptance, compassion and tolerance of others.

Blessed Water
At the end of the healing session small cups of water are passed to each individual who has had a healing. These paper cups contain 4 ounces of water that has also been given a “pass” and thus holds the vibrational frequencies of Divinity and the intentions of the one doing the “pass.” The Bio-physicist, Beverly Rubik, PhD (2011 in press) suggests that water can absorb and hold frequencies that contain information, such as high vibration, so these practices are not just placebo effects. Some patients bring plastic water containers filled with water to be blessed during the healing session. The patients then take that water back to their bedrooms and drink it as they wish between healing sessions.

The healers then leave the ward, often waving to the patients with friendly words. Nurses on the wards report that patients are noticeably more calm and peaceful for two or three days following these healing interactions.

Fraternal assistance
Volunteers who are Spiritists and trained to interact appropriately with patients sometimes come into the wards and speak individually with patients and their families on request. They offer them explanations of both Spiritist therapeutics and philosophy. The volunteers are responsible for listening to the patients and their inner conflicts, as well as providing guidance about how patients can take advantage of the spiritual assistance they can receive at the hospital and in Spiritist Centers in their communities.

The most serious cases

In the event that a patient is not responding to conventional care plus the treatments above (offered generally twice a week on the wards), then the staff may suggest more intense interaction with Spiritist mediums for case review and other treatments. In the André Luiz Spiritist Psychiatric Hospital in Belo Horizonte (de Souza & Paulo, in press), a meeting is held once a week with about seventeen members, including twelve who are full mediums; five who are clairvoyant (able to see intuitively into the contents of the subtle body of the patient); five who are supportive by giving energy to the more active practicing mediums, when necessary; and two who perform healing through the laying-on of hands. The clairvoyants are able to sense the drama patients are facing presently or have faced in their previous lives, and their current psychological and spiritual condition. The healing mediums are able to observe each patient’s spiritual body, and assess the type of issues that affect the spiritual body through the patient’s spiritual associates who are present (patient’s disincarnate friends and enemies). Three doctors, an event coordinator, and an assistant who is usually an expert in the area of spiritual assistance, complete the team. The doctors involved in the meeting assess the medical records of each patient and then share all the relevant details they are allowed to divulge to other team members, respecting the privacy and ethical standards of medical practice.

When it is a patient’s turn, he or she walks into the room where the twelve mediums are located, sits in a chair and is invited to remain silent, if possible. The two team members responsible for laying-on of hands apply this therapy to the patient. Meanwhile, the other team members maintain their concentration and perform their work; some only observe; some mediums take notes about the patient; others hold their concentration in order to provide the spiritual-energetic foundation that is needed for the work to be performed.

After patients have been seen they are taken back to the ward. At that time, additional notes are appended to each one’s medical records when the mediums report what they have observed or written. The review team then suggests some guidelines that assist the multidisciplinary team in reassessing their work with each specific patient.

In each meeting, one of the hospital team members also goes through the same process that the patients receive. This way the team member not only benefits from the work itself, but also is reminded of the magnitude of the work he or she is performing.

All serious cases are reassessed weekly, so that the work of the multidisciplinary team can be readjusted according to changes that are noted in the patient for as long as the patient is in the hospital. In cases with imminent suicide risk, violence or treatment sabotage, the team decides how to report to medical staff or others who need to have the information.

A final assessment of each patient is performed at the time of his or her discharge from the hospital. At that time, patients receive a formal series of recommendations for the continuation of their spiritual assistance. This follow-up can take place in Spiritist Centers (independent of the hospital), in which patients can continue to receive laying-on of hands, as well as participating in prayer and discussion groups to support their living a balanced life and continuing personal growth.

Post-hospital care

The educational classes offered at Spiritist Centers discuss life principles and thus awaken the mind and the will through sharing many points of view, including those derived from modern science. The activities are not dependent on blind faith, but founded on everyone’s natural desire to progress. They are given without charge.

A basic class is a prerequisite for all participants who wish to use the services of the center. This class emphasizes the concept that every action has a consequence – what the Eastern philosophies refer to as the natural law of karma. Under the guidance of a teacher, students discuss the most essential life questions, such as:

Why are we alive?
Is there a God?
What happens at death?
Does life go on for our loved ones who have passed on?
Which human beings represent a model of an enlightened way of living life that is consistent with what the evolved spirits recommend?

The books of Allan Kardec (pen name of LDH Rivail) and other current Spiritists are read to stimulate discussion, alongside news from contemporary media. Chico Xavier (1910-2002), who wrote more than 400 books, is the most popular author in the lineage of spiritualism I am describing.

Belief that our purpose in life is continued progression and that we are influenced by cause and effect, helps the individual to take charge of her or his life. This orientation leads to a positive outlook and mental equanimity. The practicing of positive thinking, as well as feeling joy and gratitude for life grow with the practice of prayer and meditation within the supportive community. There are also deliberate exercises to attune to the Divine aspects of the self. This attunement generally opens each person to inspiration and guidance. Being positive strengthens the immune system and enhances physical functioning as well as emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Disobsession

Most Spiritist Psychiatric hospitals also offer a form of ‘disobsession’ in which a team of highly-trained mediums work together to liberate the patient from one or more obsessions, in which one or more disembodied spirits have exacerbated habits of negative thinking and destructive behaviors (Bragdon, 2004; 2008; Moreira-Almeida, 2011). This work is done remotely with only the mediums and their supervisor present - although all patients or their families have previously authorized the intervention. Patients remain in the wards for the most part; they are not even aware that the work is being done to benefit them at the time it is being done.

During the session, one or more mediums may channel and then incorporate the spirit(s) who is causing the obsessive behavior. The supervisor verbally counsels the obsessor to help him or her release the patient and proceed onto its next level of growth. In this way both obsessor and obsessed are freed from the negative relationship they have with each other in which one has been the dominator and the other the victim.

Conclusion

You recognize a true Spiritist by their moral transformation and the effort they make to dominate their negative tendencies.
                         - Allan Kardec

Spiritism, in its essence, is a path of inner transformation, whereby we become more rational, more compassionate and wiser, and align our actions with our true purpose in life. In this way, mentally ill patients learn how to reorient their lives, release congested energy from the subtle body, and participate in a supportive community. Spiritists believe we must also study books related to Spiritism to deepen our understanding of life and death, why we are each here on earth, and what gives life meaning. This is a path of healing and also a way to accelerate spiritual growth. Without study and cognitive understanding, people do not comprehend the steps of spiritual evolution and have less commitment to be responsible for their own growth and healing.

At this time there are next to no statistics available that determine the efficacy of the healing practices of Spiritist Centers in randomized double blind controlled trials (RCT). However, we must also recognize that this standard method of research may not do justice to the subject matter. Spiritual healers work with each individual as a unique entity, attending to all aspects of body, mind and soul — not just a disease state.  A consideration of all the variables within spiritual healing cannot be contained within the typical parameters of RCTs. Still, the standards for establishing the statistics quoted earlier need to be further studied to insure their correctness. The International Medical-Spiritist Association in Brazil (AME) wants to increase dialogue and encourage further scientific research about spiritual healing protocols in Brazil.

Judging by the numbers of people attending Spiritist centers, the current expansion of their popularity, and the fact that some centers have been developing their protocols for more than 130 years, we must assume that the treatments used have considerable success. The Federation of Spiritists of San Paulo, FEESP, serves 7,000 people each day in one building. Most of these people are coming to attend classes and/or have spiritual healing — as well as to become more balanced individuals capable of successfully meeting the challenges of daily life.

The techniques employed as a free service by healers at Spiritist Centers and Hospitals may be a partial answer to the skyrocketing costs of our current health care system, our need to rework current standards of care for the mentally ill, and renew the education of the public about how to create mental health and a deep feeling of wellbeing.

References

AME-The International Medical Spiritist Association can be contacted through their website: www.ameinternational.org

Azevedo, J.L. Spirit and Matter: New Horizons for Medicine. CA: New Falcon Publications, 1997.

Bragdon, E. Kardec’s Spiritism: A Home for Healing and Spiritual Evolution. Woodstock, VT: Lightening Up Press, 2004.

Bragdon, E. (ed) Spiritism: Bridging Spirituality and Health (a 30 minute documentary film). Woodstock, VT: Spiritual Alliances and Old Dog Documentaries, 2008.

Bragdon, E “Introduction”. In Bragdon, E (ed) Spiritism and Mental Health: Practices from Spiritist Centers and Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publications, 2011 in press.

Canadas C.M. A Eternal Busca da Cura. San Paulo, Brasil: Boa Nova Editora, 2001.

de Souza, R L.V. & e Paulo, J.R. “The Spiritist Hospital André Luiz” in Bragdon, E. (ed.) Spiritism and Mental Health Practices from Spiritist Centers and Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publications, 2011 in press.

Fuller, R.K. & Hiller-Sturmhöfel, S. “Alcoholism treatment in the usa: An overview”. Alcohol Research and Health 1999, 23(2): 69-77.

Hageman, J.; Peres, J.; Moreira-Almeida, A.; Caixeta, L.; Wickramasekera, I.; Krippner, S. “The Neurobiology of Trance and Mediumship in Brazil” in Krippner, S & Friedman, H. (eds) Mysterious Minds: The Neurobiology of Psychics, Mediums and other Extraordinary People. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger/ABC Clio, 2010, pp. 85-111.

 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE), 2000 Census. Sao Paulo: http://www.ibge.gov.br/

Kardec, A. The Mediums’ Book. Brasilia, Brazil: Federação Esprita Brasileira, 1986 (Original work published 1861).

Kardec, A. Spiritism in its Simplest Expression. Philadelphia:AKES, 2004a, p. 190
(Original work published 1859).

Kardec, A. Introduction to the Spiritist Philosophy. Philadelphia: AKES, 2004b, pp.154-155 (Original work published 1859).

Lake, J. “Foreword”. In Bragdon, E. (ed) Spiritism and Mental Health: Practices from Spiritist Centers and Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publications, 2011 in press.

Maisto, S.; Clifford, P.R. & Tonigan, J.S. “Initial and long-term alcohol treatment success: 10-year study of the project MATCH, albuquerque sample, clinical research branch”. Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA), University of New Mexico. Accessed Feb 14, 2010: http://casaa.unm.edu/

Maisto, SA; Clifford, PR; Longabaugh, R.; & Beattie, M. The relationship between abstinence for one year following pretreatment assessment and alcohol use and other functioning at two years in individuals presenting for alcohol treatment. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 2002, 63, 397-403.

Moreira-Almeida, A. “The Spiritist View of Mental Disorders”. In Bragdon, E. (ed.) Spiritism and Mental Health Practices from Spiritist Centers and Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publications, 2011 in press.

NIH. “The numbers count: Mental disorder in america.” NIH publication #01-4584. Baltimore: NIMH, 2001.

Rubik, B. “The Power of Magnetized Water”. In Bragdon, E. (ed.) Spiritism and Mental Health Practices from Spiritist Centers and Spiritist Psychiatric Hospitals in Brazil. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publications, 2011 in press.

SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 2000 and 2001. Accessed Feb 14, 2011: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/mhtx/ch6.htm.

U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. “Press release”. Accessed: September 5, 2003: www.hhs.gov/news.

United States Spiritist Council (USSC). “Spiritist Centers in the USA”. Accessed February 15, 2011: http://www.spiritist.us/.

Whitaker, R. Anatomy of an Epidemic. New York: Crown Publishers, 2010.

Xavier F. Nosso Lar: A Spiritual Home. Philadelphia: Allan Kardec Educational Society, 2000a.

Xavier F. And Life Goes On. Philadelphia: Allan Kardec Educational Society, 2000b.

Disclosure: The Marion Foundation, the Rudolf Steiner Foundation, the Lloyd Symington Foundation, the Foundation for Energy Therapies, Laurance Rockefeller, and several other generous individual philanthropists funded original field study for this article and other works produced by the author from 2001-2010.

Emma Bragdon, PhD (Transpersonal Psychology) is the Director of the Foundation for Energy Therapies and Director of Spiritual Alliances.  She is the author of five books and executive producer of two documentary films. Since 2001 she has been spending up to six months a year in Brazil studying Spiritism.  She also leads groups to visit Spiritist Centers in Brazil, including the sanctuary of John of God.  
PO Box 325
Woodstock, Vermont, 05091, USA
EBragdon@aol.com   802-674-2919
www.EmmaBragdon.com
http://www.spiritualalliances.com/  

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