Possessing Spirits and Healing Selves Embodiment and Transformation in an Afro-Brazilian Religion

Spirit possession involves the displacement of a human's conscious self by that of a powerful other - a spirit, god, or demon - who temporarily occupies the human's body. To many, spirit possession is quintessentially exotic, a novelty, an example of the ways in which "others" are fundamentally different. In this book, Seligman shows that, far from being exotic and "other," spirit possession mediumship represents a privileged site for understanding a number of fundamental aspects of human experience - especially those involved with interactions among meaning, embodiment, and subjectivity. Using a diverse set of ethnographic, psychological, and biological data gathered during fieldwork among spirit possession mediums of the Candomblé religion in Northeastern Brazil, she explores how everyday and religious practices and meanings shape and interact with the bodily experiences and psychophysiological states of Candomblé mediums, both before and after their initiations, and how such interactions shape their experiences of selfhood.

Rebecca Seligman is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University, USA.

1. Introduction: Stepping Into "This Supernatural World" of Candomblé
2. Reflections on the Challenges and Rewards of Integrative Research
3. Sometimes Affliction is the Door: Healing and Transformation in Narratives of Mediumship
4. Looking inside: Biological Mechanisms and Embodiment in Candomblé Trance and Possession
5. Healing the Embodied Self in Candomblé
6. Conclusion: Stepping Back