The Performance Of Healing

Medical systems need to be understood from within, as experienced by healers, patients, and others whose minds and hearts have both become involved in this important human undertaking. Exploring how the performance of healing transforms illness to health, initiate to ritual specialist, the authors show that performance does not merely refer to, but actually does something in the world. These essays on the performance of healing in societies ranging from rainforest horticulturalists to dwellers in the American megalopolis will touch readers' senses as well as their intellects.

While the writings of early modern medical practitioners habitually touch on performance and ceremony, few illuminate them as clearly as the Protestant physicians Felix Platter and Thomas Platter the Younger, who studied in Montpellier and practiced in their birth town of Basle, or the Catholic physician Hippolytus Guarinonius, who was born in Trent, trained in Padua and practiced in Hall near Innsbruck. During his student years and brilliant career as early modern Basle's most distinguished municipal, court and academic physician, Felix Platter built up a wide network of private, religious and aristocratic patients. His published medical treatises and private journal record his professional encounters with them as a healer. They also offer numerous vivid accounts of theatrical events experienced by Platter as a scholar, student and gifted semi-professional musician, and during his Grand Tour and long medical career. Here Felix Platter's accounts, many unavailable in translation, are examined together with relevant extracts from the journals of his younger brother Thomas Platter, and Guarinonius's medical and religious treatises. Thomas Platter is known to Shakespeare scholars as the Swiss Grand Tourist who recorded a 1599 London performance of Julius Caesar, and Guarinonius's descriptions of quack performances represent the earliest substantial written record of commedia dell'arte lazzi, or comic stage business. These three physicians' records of ceremony, festival, theatre, and marketplace diversions are examined in detail, with particular emphasis on the reactions of 'respectable' medical practitioners to healing performers and the performance of healing. Taken as a whole, their writings contribute to our understanding of many aspects of European theatrical culture and its complex interfaces with early modern healthcare: in carnival and other routine manifestations of the Christian festive year, in the extraordinary performance and ceremony of court festivals, and above all in the rarely welcomed intrusions of quacks and other itinerant performers.

"One of the best pieces of ethnomusicological research of the last ten years. Roseman shows just how central musical ideas and practices are to a way of knowing and imagining the world, to a way of transforming ordinary experiences, and to penetrating belief systems more broadly."—Steven Feld, University of Texas, Austin "An exciting contribution to interpretive medical anthropology. Moving analytically between Temiar cultural constrictions of illness and health, and the humanely organized sounds of healing ceremonies, Roseman explicates the culural logic whereby aesthetic configurations participate in a comprehensive, therapeutically effective pattern of reality. This author has brocaded medical anthropology with ethnomusicology, producing a shimmering postmodern ethnographic tapestry of great subtlety and strength."—Barbara Tedlock, SUNY, Buffalo

Whether it is the binding of shattered bones or the creation of herbal remedies, human agency is a central feature of the healing process. Both archaeological and anthropological research has contributed much to our understanding of the performative aspects of medicine. The papers contained in this volume, based on a session conducted at the 2010 Theoretical Archaeology Conference, take a multi-disciplinary approach to the topic, addressing such issues as the cultural conception of disease; the impact of gender roles on healing strategies; the possibilities afforded by syncretism; the relationship between material culture and the body; and the role played by the active agency of the sick.

Discover the path to becoming a healer with "An Introduction to Healing " by Pat Smith. This comprehensive guide seeks to answer the fundamental question: How do I become a healer? By offering a wealth of knowledge, inspiration, and enlightenment, this book serves as a guiding light for those eager to embark on a transformative journey. In clear and accessible language, Pat Smith delves into the realm of spiritual healing, providing a comprehensive explanation that aims to inform, encourage, and empower the reader. The book illuminates the background of healing, unveiling its traditional origins while emphasizing its continued relevance in today's world. It sheds light on the universal energy that underlies spiritual healing and offers practical guidance on how to tap into this powerful force. Furthermore, "An Introduction to Healing " explores the vital topic of self-protection, ensuring that aspiring healers understand the importance of safeguarding their own well-being in the process. By demystifying complex and seemingly strange energies, the book helps readers navigate the terminology and concepts associated with spiritual healing. Terms such as energy, spirit, and protection are unravelled, allowing for a deeper understanding and integration of these essential aspects. Pat Smith firmly believes that anyone with the desire to help others has the potential to become a healer. Within these pages, she provides invaluable guidance on how to develop and cultivate the skills necessary to embark on this transformative path. Whether you are a novice or already have some healing experience, this book offers a wealth of insights and practical techniques to support your journey. Prepare to be inspired as you explore the limitless possibilities that lie within you. "An Introduction to Healing " serves as a beacon of light, guiding you on your path to becoming a healer. Pat Smith's expertise and compassionate guidance will empower you to tap into your innate healing abilities and make a positive impact on the lives of others. If you have a calling to help others and wish to unlock your potential as a healer, "An Introduction to Healing " is the comprehensive guide you've been seeking. It's time to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and service to others.

This edited volume explores the singularity of embodiment and somatic approaches in the healing of trauma from a dramatherapy, theatre and performance perspective. Collating voices from across the fields of dramatherapy, theatre and performance, this book examines how different interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches offer unique and unexplored perspectives on the body as a medium for the exploration, expression and resolution of chronic, acute and complex trauma as well as collective and intergenerational trauma. The diverse chapters highlight how the intersection between dramatherapy and body-based approaches in theatre and performance offers additional opportunities to explore and understand the creative, expressive and imaginative capacity of the body, and its application to the healing of trauma. The book will be of particular interest to dramatherapists and other creative and expressive arts therapists. It will also appeal to counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists and theatre scholars.