Spiritual Treatment for Depression in Brazil: An Experience From Spiritism

BackgroundSpiritism has been strongly connected with mental health in Brazil. However, there is a lack of descriptions of spiritual treatment provided by thousands of Brazilian Spiritist centers. The present study aims to describe the spiritual care for depression provided by one large Spiritist center in São Paulo, Brazil.MethodsThis is a descriptive study carried out in 2012 at “São Paulo Spiritist Federation.” Authors visited the “spiritual intervention sections,” observed the therapies provided, listened to the “spirits’ communication,” and interviewed two patients.ResultsThe assistance consists on a 90-min “Spiritual healing” session which includes educational lectures, “disobsession” (spirit release therapy), “passe” (laying on of hands) and person advice. Both patients had remitted depression when they were interviewed.ConclusionsFurther studies would be necessary to report other religious/spiritual treatments in order to improve our understanding of the available practices used by patients and optimize the integration of conventional care with spiritual treatments.