Bridging worlds: A re-evaluation of psychotherapy through the lens of intercultural healing arts

This essay challenges the Western-centric assumptions of psychotherapy by examining diverse healing practices across cultures, including Yolmo spirit callings, Tamang healing, and Chinese medicine. These traditions demonstrate the integration of art, drama, and philosophy into healing, emphasizing sensory engagement and the individual’s socio-cultural context, unlike the predominantly individualistic focus of psychodynamic models. This essay argues for a more inclusive definition of psychotherapy that incorporates diverse cultural approaches and recognises the influence of social space and power relations on healing. Drawing on an ethnographic study of Chinese migration in Jamaica, the essay highlights the complex interplay of self and identity in mental health across cultures. To achieve true inclusivity, psychotherapy must integrate intercultural perspectives and practices.