Exploring Yoruba Traditional Healing Practices

Among the many tribes found in Africa, the Yoruba People of Nigeria are among the most popular and well known. The Yoruba are the tribe that many Africans confess that their family roots started from and therefore follow the religion and culture of the Yoruba. These people are indigenous to the Southwestern parts of Nigeria and Benin. They may not be the only tribe in Africa, but they certainty have an interesting culture along with one of the oldest ancestry lines.

Through experience, I?ve found that to heal is very different than to be cured. Cure implies a successful outcome and the eradication of disease from the body. Healing on the other hand is born out of self discovery and examination. It is the recovery of the whole self from the trauma of disease. It is my job as a volunteer to aide patients during this laborious journey as much as possible and I believe the first step is to help them change the way they perceive the situation and provide them with inspiration.

“A healing hospital is a place characterized by thousands of small and wonderful things and a few big ones. At the center is love. More than anything else, supports a strong culture of caring. It expresses the deep passion of both patients and caregivers” (Chapman, 2003). Healing hospitals focus on patient-centered care.

Many traditional Native medicines and healing practices were discouraged with the advent of Western medicine, but now there is a movement to return to traditional ways (Zubek, 1994, p. 1924). Modern Western medicine treats the symptoms to cure a diseased state when the body is out of homeostasis. Native American healing traditions do this as well with herbs and plants suited to the purpose. These Native healing traditions also include sacred rituals, chants, and purification rites to help bring the spirit and mind of the afflicted back into balance. In effect, treating the whole person, not only the disease. A blending of these two healing practices could bring about better prognoses for today's patients. The purpose of this paper is

Native American traditional medicine and spiritual healing rituals go back for thousands of years, these traditions often focus on different variations of alternative medicine. This knowledge is passed on throughout generations, many of the tribes learn that by mixing natural plants such as herbs and roots they can make remedies with healing properties. It is believed that being healthy is when people reach a state of harmony not only spiritually, mentally but physically. To be able to overcome the forces that cause illness people must “operate in the context of relationship to four constructs —namely, spirituality (Creator, Mother Earth, Great Father); community (family, clan, tribe/nation); environment (daily life, nature, balance); and self (inner passions and peace, thoughts, and values)” (Portman & Garret, 2006, p.453). In this research paper I am going to show evidence of the tremendous influence that Native American medicine and spiritual healing have over modern medicine in the course of healing

Overall, the advancement towards establishing more facilities that are designated “healing hospitals” is a welcome change. Though many people may believe a spiritual and healing experience is just another way to force religion upon society it needs to be

I want to show others that traditional healing can be used for others and to include modern healing as well. Each private practices will stand for the four worlds, four mountains, four seasons, four different directions and four different time of day. There isn't a set time for healing. Healing is something that can be done anytime.

Indigenous individuals have many holistic approaches to healing which includes ceremonies, rituals and herbal remedies to cure their disease or illness. Through this holistic approach, the healer tries to connect the individual’s body to the environment so that they can be cured mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Every indigenous people manages to find the balance within themselves and the nature. The indigenous people practices the non-westernized medicalization, just like the Ayuverdic medicine. It all contains natural ingredients of herbs, where it will be applied on the affected area and used within the ceremony of healing.

Healing and health services are defined and acted upon in many different ways in the world today. Although in the United States we predominately focus on biomedicine or conventional health care practice, it is only one of many different types of healing. Thru time we have progressed between several different eras of healing. The first era being in the 1860’s which predominately looked at biomedicine type therapy. The second era taking shape in the 1950’s and

Native American medicine is an umbrella term that encompasses the healing beliefs and practices of all the indigenous people of North America. Its' therapeutic approach combines spirituality, herbalism, and magic in treating a wide range of physical and emotional ailments from the common cold to depression.

Last, the author’s religion is Roman Catholic which accounts for nearly 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. Catholics strongly believe in the mediation of the saints and are also taught that God can heal. Catholics believe in the power of blessings and with this the use of sacraments like the Anointing of the Sick (i.e., blessed salt, water and oil) are used for healing. Certain people are physically healed. Catholics believe that God heals, and people pray all the time to be healed, nevertheless the Catholic Church does educate that medical care is an appropriate action to do when they are ill, and people are not banned from their religion if they seek medical attention.

One of the newest movement in Yoruba religion is the Healing Homes or Prayer Houses. They participates in restoration through supplications, petitions and symbols of prayers because, like the Yoruba indigenous scope of healing,

In addition, doctors can learn how to establish a trustful relationship with Haitians by observing healing ceremonies preformed by Voodoo priests. Through this learning process, western doctors will begin to understand the importance of non-western methods for the treatment of Haitian’s illnesses. According to McCabe (2007), the acknowledgement and acceptance of non-western interpretations and techniques is paramount to the process of treating ethnic minority clients. Since traditional healers are acknowledged in their community as being a trusted spiritual healer it is critical for healthcare practitioners to understand the role of the traditional healers in counseling, health promotion and education.

In West Africa, for instance, it has been estimated that between 70-80% of the population rely on traditional medicine (Solutions, 2015). One major difference between traditional western medicine and traditional African medicine is the way that illnesses are viewed. Many Africans take a holistic approach to healing which often includes herbalism. According to the African culture human beings are made up of a multitude of various aspects such as, physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social. If these things are functioning together than person is healthy, however is one of these aspects are out of balance than a person will become physically or spiritually ill.

When you think of a religion, what comes to mind? From what I have studied, a religion is a movement through a group of people that are studying the way of life and their beliefs. In order to have a religion there needs to be some sort of understanding or bias of what a group of people believes. In the West African Yoruba religion there is a problem and there is a solution, like in any other religion. Because there is a need that has to be solved through a divine creator, it is most definitely a religion. In the religion people are faced with with a problem which is the fact that they don't know the purpose in their life and because of that, they are disconnected from their destiny. The only way they are able to solve this problem is through a diviner to obtain the insight to their destiny. Although the Yoruba people have been scattered throughout the Americas, due to slavery the religion is still alive today. According to Bruce Lincoln's definition there is justifiable evidence that this is in fact a religion because there is discourse, practices, community, and institution throughout it. As humans we are blessed with this thing called Ayanmo (fate). The only way we are able to achieve this fate is through the spirit named Olorun. He is a divine power that has created everything and will aid the followers in their journey to find their true destiny. It is said in the religion that we are able to spiritually connect throughout our physical realm (Ayé) through our thoughts