IMAGES OF HEALING - Núcleo de Estudos Interdisciplinares ...

[Pages:410]IMAGES OF HEALING: SPONTANEOUS MENTAL IMAGERY AND HEALING PROCESS OF THE BARQUINHA, A BRAZILIAN AYAHUASCA RELIGIOUS SYSTEM

A dissertation to the Faculty of Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center

in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Human Sciences by Marcelo S. Mercante

San Francisco, California June 2006

? 2006 by Marcelo S. Mercante

Approval of the Dissertation

IMAGES OF HEALING: SPONTANEOUS MENTAL IMAGERY AND HEALING PROCESS OF THE BARQUINHA, A BRAZILIAN AYAHUASCA RELIGIOUS SYSTEM

This dissertation by Marcelo S. Mercante has been approved by the committee members bellow, who recommended it be accepted by the faculty of Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center in partial fulfillment of requirements of the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy in Human Sciences

Dissertation Committee:

___________________________________ Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., Chair

___________________________________ Jeanne Achterberg, Ph.D.

___________________________________ Jodi Lang, Ph.D.

________________ Date

________________ Date

________________ Date

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Abstract

IMAGES OF HEALING: SPONTANEOUS MENTAL IMAGERY AND HEALING PROCESS OF THE BARQUINHA, A BRAZILIAN AYAHUASCA RELIGIOUS SYSTEM

Marcelo S. Mercante Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center

This dissertation investigated the hypothesized interdependent nature of subjective and objective elements of conscious experience within a spiritual context. This was done by studying the spontaneous mental imagery (the mira??es) of people under treatment in the Centro Esp?rita Obras de Caridade Pr?ncipe Espadarte (the Center). The Center is a congregation of the Barquinha, a Brazilian syncretic religious system that uses the psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca (locally called Daime) as a sacrament.

The ethnographic method, involving experiential observation of the religious and symbolic universe of the Center, was used for investigating the Center's history, the healing techniques implemented during rituals, the concepts of healing and sickness among healers and patients, and the relationship between mira??es and the healing process. Several narratives about mira??es and healing experiences were collected on site, and five were analyzed more carefully.

The conjunction of ingestion of Daime and the participation in the ceremony appeared to reliably promote the occurrence of the mira??es. These were considered by the participants as a process of inner perception, the moment when different entities (physical body, thoughts, feelings, culture, emotions, mind, soul, spiritual space, etc.) become con-

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nected within their conscious awareness. The experience of mira??es was considered to be the source of healing. At the Center, sickness is considered to have a spiritual source, being understood as an unbalance of forces. Healing is considered to be accomplished when one puts oneself into a hypothetical "current of healing energy" that is felt during the ceremonies.

Mira??es mediated and made conscious a coherent and workable whole that encompassed the ritual, the Daime, the processes of self-transformation/ knowledge/exploration, elements of the individual's consciousness and physiological condition, and factors in a spiritual space. Mira??es were believed to occur in a spiritual space, thought to be nonmaterial and multidimensional, nesting and informing the material world. This spiritual space is perceived as basic, generating dispositions, intentions, and meanings, and as containing within it the physical and psychological levels of existence. The exploration of that space during a ceremony was considered to accelerate one's spiritual development.

To Marileda (in memoriam), For nourishing my dreams

And to my great friend Mario Lopes Guimar?es Junior (in memoriam)

May the Light of God keep guiding you through spiritual heights

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Acknowledgements This present work was a long project. From the initial dreaming, through to concluding this dissertation, I spent almost 7 years. Naturally, the list of those to whom I am extremely thankful is not short. First of all, I am very thankful to Madrinha Francisca and Padrinho Francisco. I still clearly remember being at the Casinha, during my first visit in 1999, siting on a stool, and trying to explain that I would return, three (and in fact, almost four) years later for doing fieldwork: "Can I do it Madrinha?" "Yes, my son, you can." Thank you Madrinha, from the bottom of my heart. Also, as Madrinha Francisca would agree, nothing would be done without the spiritual authorization of Frei Daniel Pereira de Mattos. Thank you Frei Daniel. Thank you Professor Stanley Krippner: as my advisor, you understood and supported my work more than any other person. Thanks also to Jeanne Achterberg and Jodi Lang, for the dedication, attention, and sharp eyes. I am very thankful for all of those who taught, shared, and revealed so much to me at the Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, and especially for David Lukoff and Annemarie Welteke. Thank you Alden Bevington for your very special attention editing this dissertation. Two other friends that had a very special participation in the development of this dissertation require mention, as I am sure that without them I would not have been able to complete this work. They are Kathleen Huston and Lynne Little. Thank you, for your friendship and for your support. I extend a profound gratitude to all the spiritual guides of the Barquinha: all the Pretos-velhos and Pretas-velhas, Caboclos, Encantos, and Mission?rios, and specially Dom Sime?o, V? Maria da Calunga, V? Maria Clara, V? Benedita das Almas, V? Maria

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do Ros?rio, V? Benedito, Pai Jos?, and V? Le?ncio. Gratitude as well for my own spiritual guides; may God allow you to keep guiding my steps.

I have all the people from the Centro Esp?rita Obras de Caridade Pr?ncipe Espadarte within my heart. They all received me as a friend (even when disagreeing with me), and I too hold them all dearly as very special friends. Here I must mention a few persons for their special participation in the development of my work: Jairo Lima, Mira, Izabel, Gilberto, Jo?o Guedes, Carlos Renato, Kleymani and Neide, Gianne and Xand?o, Alcimar and Silvana, Naz?rio, Hita and Roberta, Charles, Darci, Salu, Feliz and Alana, Gilson, and Mana.

Thanks to my friends Neville Rose, Elder Lannes ("Man, you have to visit Madrinha Chica's church in Rio Branco"), Eduardo Cunha, Benki Ashaninka (for opening my eyes), Edna Yawanawa, Adrian Yabar, Ali Zeitoun, and Stephani Cooper.

Thank you to Eurythmy Spring Valley and Rudolf Steiner Fellowship Community, and specially Christiane Landowne, Barbara Schneider-Serio, Marcia Rulfs, Ann Scharf, Bill Linderman, and Gerald Karnow.

Thank you Rodrigo Gr?newald, Jean Langdon, and Christian Frenopoulo. Thank you M?rio Guima (in memoriam), I wish you had the opportunity to read this dissertation.

I am deeply thankful for the grant I received for three years from the CNPq (Brazilian National Council of Research) and for those who made it possible within the institution especially Carlos Kawamura, "Seu" Cl?vis, Eli Ribeiro, and Angela Maria Cunico for your memorable assistance during my process of returning to the United States.

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