Itinerário terapêutico de usuárias do Bahserikowi

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the search for unconventional health care and healing practices, with emphasis on the use of indigenous medicine based on the experiences of users of the Bahserikowi Indigenous Medicine Center. The general objective was to analyze the therapeutic itinerary of non-indigenous users of the Bahserikowi Indigenous Medicine Center. The specific objectives were: a) to identify the profile of Bahserikowi users; b) to describe the therapeutic itinerary and the reasons for seeking Bahserikowi; c) to describe adherence and satisfaction with treatment and the resolution or not of the health problem. This research is part of an international project in partnership with the Cooperative University of Colombia, “Huytaqa Choquy: Knowledge and practices of soul healing in ancestral indigenous psychology”, aimed at understanding care and healing practices among indigenous communities in Brazil and Colombia. It is part of the “psychosocial processes” line of research, as it seeks to understand the psychosocial and cultural production of human beings in their daily relationships in the Amazon from a historically and socio-environmentally contextualized perspective. The dissertation is organized based on three studies: 1) Considerations on the approach of psychology to indigenous peoples based on a scoping review. Study 1 aimed to identify how Brazilian psychology has been approaching indigenous peoples through the scientific production of articles from the last five years. A scoping review based on PRISMA-ScR was used as methodology. The results of the study showed a growing interest on the part of Brazilian Psychology in critically reviewing its own paradigms when faced with indigenous realities and cosmologies; 2) Analysis of the therapeutic itineraries of users of the Bahserikowi indigenous medicine center. Study 2 aimed to analyze the therapeutic itinerary of users of the Bahserikowi indigenous medicine center. The study followed the qualitative research proposal. The data collection instrument was a semi-structured interview. For the analysis, the analysis of the core of meaning was used. The results of the study show that users use multiple forms of care in an attempt to deal with illness and find a cure, moving between biomedical practices, alternative or complementary systems and other unconventional practices. 3) Critical evaluation of the use of indigenous medicine by users of Bahserikowi. Study 3 aimed to present a critical evaluation of the use of indigenous medicine by users of Bahserikowi. The study followed the qualitative research proposal. The data collection instrument was a semi-structured interview. Core significance analysis was used for analysis. The results of the study show that the health and healing treatments offered at Bahserikowi encompass the physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions. The experiences reported by the participants demonstrate the effectiveness of these practices, reinforcing the relevance of indigenous medicine as an effective medical practice. It is concluded that the therapeutic journey of the users is marked by frustrations with conventional medicine and the search for care that considers the human being in its entirety. In this sense, indigenous medicine is perceived as a practice that integrates physical, emotional, spiritual and relational dimensions.