Kerilyn Daniel, University of Virginia
“Understanding Mental Health from a Candomblé Perspective”
Bio: Kerilyn Daniel is a 4th year Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Public Health. Kerilyn spent a semester in Brazil studying with a public health program, where she conducted independent research on mental health within the Candomblé tradition. Kerilyn is currently working on her senior thesis which will explore the concept of "self-actualization" and the place of spirituality in today's psychology. She is also conducting research in the field of neuropsychology, exploring cognition in Parkinson's patients. She hopes to attend graduate school in Clinical Psychology.
Abstract: Candomblé is an Afro-Brazilian religion that has a strong presence in Brazil as a religious institution as well as a health center. Many turn to the houses of Candomblé (terreiros) for healing from not only physical ailments but mental illnesses as well. Candomblé has been very effective in healing mental illnesses even when Western medicine has proved ineffective. I have sought to understand how Candomblé perceives mental health and the treatment of mental illness. I have examined how they diagnose mental illnesses, how they understand the nature of the illness, and their healing methods. I have also explored more general aspects of Candomblé that positively affect the mental health of its practitioners—particularly the role of ritual, one's sense of identity within the religion, and the strong familial community of the terreiro.
