A matter of balance in a fast paced society: performing Ayurvedic health counseling

Authors

• Göran Ståhle Södertörn University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67352

Keywords:

Religious change, Postmodernism, Spirituality, Health, Personal coaching, Contentment, Healing, Sweden, Interviewing, Medicine, Ayurvedic, Alternative medicine, Holistic medicine, East and West, Ritual, Medical care, Mind and body, Self-care, Health

Abstract

This paper concerns the practice of so called ‘Ayurvedic health counselling’ in Sweden today. It is a case study involving semi-structured interviews with six practitioners in the Stockholm area. The focus is on how the practitioners construe the therapeutic processes involved in their practice. The aim of the case study is to develop theoretical interpretations of these processes in terms of a performance perspective based upon Catherine Bell’s concept of ‘ritualization’. The client’s participation can be interpreted as a ritualized agency with a sense of practical mastery of the specific ritualized space. The cause and cure of the illness is attributed to concrete factors through the emphasis on body and habits, a contextualization and embodiment of the illness. By being recognized as a person that is active in relation to her/his life problems, a person with responsibility and control of the illness, the client’s engagement in (and recognition of ) the ritualized space is made an integral part of the ritualization.