Trance and possession in Bali

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Trance in Bali has not been studied extensively since Belo's descriptions of the 'possession state' fifty years ago. In this book, the authors describe the psycho-social experiences of the Balinese in trance-possession states during traditional healing, dance, drama, and gamelan performance, as well as in several mental disorders, and arrive at the conclusion that Balinese trance-possession is the same process as multiple personality disorder (MPD) in the West. The authors then go on to develop criteria for the diagnosis of possession and to present a new theory of possession. They also offer multifold comparisons of normal trance-possession in the Balinese with the condition called MPD in the West . A collaboration between a Western psychiatrist with wide experience of Balinese culture and mental health and a Western-trained Balinese steeped in the local culture, this book will be of interest to anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, suicidologists, and allied mental health professionals.