The psychological perspective on Zulu ancestral calling: A phenomenological study

Abstract

When an individual in the Zulu culture has an ancestral calling, he/she sometimes presents with symptoms and signs that are similar to those of a person with a mental illness/psychosis. The individual needs to go through the process of ukuthwasa in order to be healed from the signs and symptoms of ancestral possession and to become a traditional healer. The psychological perspective plays its part in conceptualising having the ancestral calling by providing theories and psychological understanding. In the western psychiatric view, illness is perceived purely in physical and psychological terms. Jung s collective unconscious concept postulates that we are interconnected and according to this the process of ukuthwasa can be viewed as generational. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two Zulu traditional faith healers who had undergone the process of ukuthwasa. Their lived experiences were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the processes of ukuthwasa for both participants have their differences and similarities. Their views on the process were about finding healing, connection and having a sense of belonging. During the process there was a loss of self to regain the gifted parts of their lives and their ancestors. The psychological perspective takes the emotional aspects during the process into consideration, while the Zulu cultural perspective focuses on the outcomes of the process. Both perspectives believe that an individual should be looked at in totality when he/she is seeking healing and going through the process.