For whatever reason this reminded me of culture bound syndromes, illnesses which only occur within certain cultures thought to be caused by unique stresses and beliefs found only within that culture.
Reminds me I read once that the voices people with schizophrenia hear are kinder and funnier and more benevolent for those who don’t live in the industrialized West
I'd be interested to read that...the characteristics of someone's hallucinations or delusions are 100% culturally bound and linked to their personal experience, but I don't know if it's as cut and dry as kinder and funnier in non-developed countries. I've encountered many folks with schizophrenia in the US who experienced psychosis they did not find in any way distressing, for example, and abuse and trauma also absolutely happen in all countries and will similarly contribute to fearful/frightening psychotic symptoms in all countries.
From what I hear the thing that helps or hurts is cultural understanding of what a disembodied voice is. If you start hearing voices and think demon you hear what demons would say, but if you think ancestors guiding you, you hear what you think they’d say.
Hahaha the image of the guy bored out of his mind and the witch just pulls his cock off and he doesn't even notice. Oh and the cock box next to the witch. Love it.
Yeah Europeans would have seen cultural bound mental illnesses as universal. And to a certain degree, the absolute hegemony of European cultures means there’s a chance that what would’ve been European culture bound mental illnesses spread with European cultures.