Dreams as a Diagnostic and Treatment Tool in Mental Health Care Practice by Traditional Healthcare Practitioners: An Afrocentric Perspective

Abstract

In sub-Saharan Africa dreams are often used to forecast future events and believed to be a conduit between the natural and supernatural dimensions of the social world. However, the role of dreams in the area of traditional healthcare practice in an African setting is mostly under-researched. This article presents an embryonic conceptual model of dreams within the diagnostic and treatment process in mental healthcare practice from an Afrocentric perspective. Evidence from semi-structured interviews with traditional healthcare practitioners (THPs) were analysed using a qualitative cultural lens is provided which reveals the role of dreams within traditional diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Specifically, THPs often rely on God and their ancestors to convey messages to the practitioner which, in turn, influence the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. The mediating factor for the use of dreams by THPs in the diagnostic and treatment process is conceptualized as a form of symbolic interpretation. These findings are relevant within the sub-Saharan African context because as many as 80% of Africans consult with THPs and so an indigenous mental healthcare diagnostic and treatment model may serve to complement the current armamentarium of treatment regimens.