Traditional healers as therapists? Inside South Africa’s mental health crisis | MINDSET | EP 5

Across Africa, healers have been part of the social fabric for centuries.
During ceremonies, they use traditional medicine, rituals and supernatural guidance from ancestral spirits to improve people’s mental health.
Once maligned as "witch doctors", these healers are now seen by South African psychologists as vital across a country where there is a severe shortage of trained therapists.
They say healers can help with mild depressive disorders such as anxiety and grief.
Due to accessibility and affordability, healers are increasingly popular, especially among the young.
Mindset meets three healers and examines how they can help address Africa’s mental health crisis.
Credits:
Presenter and Series Producer: Drew Ambrose
Producers: Kathy Hearn, Tiyani Madonsela, Liz Gooch
Cinematographer and Drone Operator: Lee Ali
Production Manager: Susanna Low
Digital Producer: Hasham Cheema
Opening Titles: The Bureau
Theme Music: Vicki Hansen
Picture Editor: Andy Mees
Supervising Producer: Nick Olle
Executive Producer: Sharon Roobol
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Al Jazeera's new and thought-provoking series, Mindset, asks big questions about how we can improve our wellbeing. In Episode 5, Mindset meets South Africa's spiritual healers and examines how they can help address Africa’s mental health crisis. Watch the previous episode on the psychological secrets behind South Korea's domination of Olympic archery here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIGXlWB8ormhbtk

[@Kismet-1001Nights]

جنوب افريقيا 🇿🇦 - محكمة العدل الدولية تصدر يوم الجمعة، قرارها بشأن "التدابير المؤقتة" التي طلبتها جنوب أفريقيا في قضيتها ضد إسرائيل المتعلقة بتطبيق اتفاقية منع جريمة الإبادة الجماعية والمعاقبة عليها في قطاع غزة. 😊 🙏🏻

[@Kismet-1001Nights]

الولايات المتحدة 🇺🇸 - الأمم المتحدة تتلقى إخطارا من الحوثيين، يطلب مغادرة الموظفين الأمميين من حاملي الجنسيتين الأمريكية والبريطانية في غضون شهر. 😊 🙏🏻

[@muzaffarshah4676]

😅😅

[@CJ-xg6pf]

Witch doctor is a derogatory term...They refer them as traditional healers

[@maathaimaathai3395]

Exactly

[@sunelelujabe8075]

Thank you

[@PeverellTheThird]

Derogatory to those who interpret words too literally

[@Notthelasttime]

The term isn’t only derogatory it’s completely inaccurate. How can a witch even be a doctor?

[@PeverellTheThird]

@@Notthelasttime It's metaphorical.

[@karabokgoleng7952]

We are living in incredibly difficult times so anything that gets you through life is okay as long as no harm is done. Unfortunately, a major aspect of mental illness that is often overlooked, is that it's socially produced. You can't have healthy people when there is glaring inequality.

[@whawha9016]

It's sort of funny that the young woman who studies Psychology doesn't believe in Psychology herself!😅😅

[@shamandi]

Why modern medicine which is 150 years old is called traditional medicine? And why medicine that has helped people for thousands of years is called alternative? Thanks for this wonderful story. The World is waking up!

[@kagisopule2879]

i always say we are sick because we have detached from mother nature but just because we have detached from mother nature it does not mean mother nature has detached from us,shes always calling us back to get healing

[@phumlanindlovu5653]

yes true as a person raised in Christianity, I believe African spirituality has been demonised by the coloniser💯💯💯

[@carolsmind]

We need to speak about the spiritual damage and chaos that colonisation brings.

[@knowyourself3762]

Facts

[@niks966]

Traditions ALWAYS works ....since time began....fore fathers depended on it and were so strong.

[@HairyPinkTroll]

5:57 pretty much they use plant medicine, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy and the prayers are powerful because sometimes you need more than just yourself to overcome challenges- western treatment centers use the same stuff and bill insurance $25k a week for it.

[@paulaliberty2082]

They are also Cultural Stewards. Preserving languages & plant knowledge.

[@tebogoharry4599]

We South africans are very connected with the Astral dimension, the dimension of which souls pass to after separating with the body or its vehicle. We commune strongly with desincarnated souls residing within that plane. It's part of the phenomena we experience in our reality.

[@ndalamamashabele5956]

We South Africans?? Which we??🤦‍♀️🙄

[@zikomadikizela121]

@@ndalamamashabele5956ofcause he/she meant majority of South Africans

[@Blaze_nvm]

@@ndalamamashabele5956 He is referring non brainwashed individuals, obviously not you.

[@esahm373]

A psychology student who doesn't believe in the validity of Psychology?

[@PeverellTheThird]

A psychology student who doesn't understand psychology enough.

[@ahmedmohanned9994]

Research INFJ personality type , Nelson Mandela was one , the soul is seperate from the body , Carl Jung & Swami Rama both greatest doctors proved this !

[@andreluiz6083]

Recently, I have been reflecting on the experience of Ayahuasca as therapy.

[@Kismet-1001Nights]

السودان 🇸🇩 - "يشهد السودان كارثة إنسانية ذات أبعاد ملحمية. يمر الأطفال بكابوس حقيقي. فالسودان بلد فتي جدا و24 مليون من سكانه هم من الأطفال الذين يعانون من الأثر المدمر لهذه الحرب. الأطفال لا يتسببون في الحروب والصراعات، ولكنهم في نهاية المطاف يتحملون العبء الأكبر لهذه الأعمال العدائية. وهذا هو الواقع في السودان. 14 مليونا من هؤلاء الأطفال في حاجة ماسة إلى المساعدة المنقذة للحياة في مجالات الصحة والتغذية والتعلم والمياه ودعم الحماية". -- ممثلة اليونيسف في السودان تحذر من أن مستقبل أكثر من 24 مليون طفل سوداني في خطر بسبب الكارثة الإنسانية "ذات الأبعاد الملحمية" التي تعصف بالبلاد منذ اندلاع الحرب في نيسان/أبريل من العام الماضي 😊 🙏🏻

[@henda1538]

We are living in the last days, traditional healers do exist but it's just that there's alot of fake healers now

[@sibz1101]

Just like fake pastors

[@Kismet-1001Nights]

فلسطين 🇵🇸 - "قائمة المواد الممنوع دخولها إلى غزة تشمل إمدادات طبية لعلاج الأمراض المزمنة، مثل حقن إنسولين الأطفال. نجري مشاورات مع السلطات الإسرائيلية لبحث هذا الأمر". مسؤول الشؤون الإنسانية في فلسطين يقول إن الأزمة الإنسانية في غزة بلغت نطاقا لم نشهده من قبل. 😊 🙏🏻

[@DouglasRose-f4s]

You need to investigate the evil side of this. I went to a Sangoma for help in 2007 and my life has been destroyed by them. They’ve robbed me of R2,5 million and I’m still trying to get it back. It’s driven me close to suicide many times.

[@Blaze_nvm]

Unfortunately that's the reality of living in this dimension, there is evil side in everything be it You, Religion or Spirituality.

[@moelmangoegape6523]

Thank you so much Drew for showing light to our traditional doctors❤❤

[@ThunderstormsRainfalls]

Can African traditional healers erase bad memories from a person's mind? Can they heal a person of mental illness? Can they cause a person to lose their memory and forget their past, if that is what that person wants them to do to them?

[@ZekoZuma]

Can western treatment do all of that?!

[@tave-e4w]

thank you fo diz, al jazeera. 🥰🤩😘 totally fascinatin', jellybean. 'we need to teach each other' amen to dat. combinin' psychology and traditional healin' --- defo mah vibe. nyohohohohohoho. also i think da most important thing is da acknowledgement if someone is sufferin' from mental health issues. der is nothin' to be ashamed 'bout it. and dat der is help. 💖💎🌟🤗🌷💯💕

[@mandlatube]

Only one of the speakers owned to traditional healers...how they helped his family, sad to see how ppl are still uncomfortable talking about being African.

[@eduseid4815]

U South Africans deserve moral leadership that has been bestowed by freedom sprite emanated by MADIBA the great and faithful leaders following him.

[@roman2soiko2]

Ndiacabanga abantu ziphila zicabanga zimzantsi sala kakhulu

[@MrTom-tw6tb]

Great Al Jazeera Media English world wide 🌎 Traditional Treatment for mental illness (Mind Set )

[@SAFlowers]

In Kz there are also healers and read the stones.

[@carolsmind]

13:31 well said Yibanathi.

[@HairyPinkTroll]

6:27 They should build Earthsips as a Wellness Center funded by Tourists to cover treatment for locals. Every 2 Tourists covers one local or whatever. Make a self sustaining eco village. You can do it all locally with little money. Permaculture food forest.

[@ZekoZuma]

What are Earthsips?!

[@HairyPinkTroll]

@@ZekoZuma labor intensive awesome self sustaining buildings - there’s a community in New Mexico that’s an Airbnb

[@lynnmothibeli325]

Jeso🤦🏾‍♀️💔

[@Mapule150]

We have seen witch doctors “ traditional healers “ coming to Christ and giving away their lives to Jesus . He is all knowing and all powerful in Jesus name Amen

[@ndalamamashabele5956]

Amen

[@Blaze_nvm]

Typical of brainwashed Christians like you, wanting to dictate and demonize other people's beliefs claiming yours to be superior.

[@kabelothebe4350]

Brainwashed black people who led others to mislead them

[@Notthelasttime]

Colonised mind.

[@mamnirifi7335]

Yoh wena stop you don't need to be disrespectful you don't believe shut up

[@craigrichards1945]

Did y'all hear about the sangoma in central kzn who fed human flesh to his whole village?? Not so long ago

[@henda1538]

Some are scammers mam

[@sibz1101]

There will always be outliers who bring disrepute to sacred practices.

[@Blaze_nvm]

We have also heard of a Pastor who fed his congregation grass and sprayed them with bug repellant and some Pastors in SA are in jail for rape, what exactly is your point?

[@ZekoZuma]

​@@Blaze_nvmWe aren't talking about pastors.

[@a81758]

You don't call on ancestors. You call on God. It is dangerous to call on familiar spirits.

[@khanyi_zulu]

Shut the f*ck up, we don't care!

[@baepy]

People call on who they believe in. Imagine if we started saying don't call on whoever your deity is. Would you accept that?

[@hidum5779]

I'd call on my ancestors as I see fit. you're no one to tell me what should I call on

[@a81758]

@@hidum5779 Good luck to you and your ancestral spirits.

[@a81758]

@baepy God is the way, the truth, and the life. Good day to you.

[@esahm373]

Isn't the term Gogo reserved for the elders? Why does a young woman call herself Gogo?

[@ntombimusonda9727]

She carries/is with her ancestors within her. You are respecting the elders that are within her. And the term can also be the same for the male sangomas if the ancestral energy they have is the female one

[@esahm373]

@@ntombimusonda9727 Define "ancestral energy" please. Feel free to elaborate!

[@esahm373]

@@ntombimusonda9727 Hello? Still there?

[@esahm373]

@@ntombimusonda9727 Are you ignoring my question for some reason? Typically that means that you don't know how to answer!

[@ntombimusonda9727]

Google Christie Van Zyl (gogo Bazamile).

[@IHDTFJ07]

So you reject the true God of the bible and seek demons, so foolish and wicked. REPENT AND BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, HE IS THE ONLY HOPE.

[@TshepangMagudulela]

That is your God not everyone else's. YourGod is sin, the evil things done on his name are dis-speakable. YOU TELL YOUR GOD TO REPENT FOR THE CRIMES HE COMMITTED AGAINST US.

[@sibz1101]

Christians just don't get it...

[@PeverellTheThird]

@@TshepangMagudulela Um....you are aware that Satan exists as well right?

[@Blaze_nvm]

God has no business with your Bible, that's man written book. The Spirit of God lives in you and it is you. Clearly, early religious conditioning and brainwashing has messed up your logic thinking.

[@kabelothebe4350]

Colonizers started this way in Africa destroying our culture we where oppressed but never lost our culture till today who are you

[@AbiolaRaha]

They still speaking with colonial accent

[@lindokuhlendaba8844]

And your point is ?🤷‍♂️

[@sibz1101]

English is the global medium for communication

[@phephelaphimahlangu514]

​@@lindokuhlendaba8844ungambuza futhi

[@PeverellTheThird]

And you have too much politics and envy in your heart. They speak with a human accent.

[@Blaze_nvm]

They both from different cultures, how do you suggest they communicate effectively?