Between Syncretic Beliefs and Therapeutic Effectiveness: Clinical Case Studies of the Use of Traditional Therapies by Police Officers in the Treatment of Psychotrauma

Due to their profession's specificity, police officers are exposed to critical events that may lead to post-traumatic pathologies. Exposure is particularly increased in countries with high security challenges such as Burkina Faso which faces terrorism against which police officers are on the front line. Many police officers in Burkina Faso experience post-traumatic stress disorders such as Acute Stress Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as co-morbidities such as addiction, depression and anxiety. To deal with these post-traumatic pathologies, conventional psychotherapeutic approaches may be used either upstream to prevent symptoms occurrence, or downstream to treat them. Meanwhile, some police officers may use traditional therapies involving syncretic beliefs. This study aims to highlight clinical cases in which police officers use traditional therapies, by questionning their therapeutic effectiveness as well as the related implications. The data used were taken from clinical reports of police patients that received psychological care. The clinical cases were selected based on their relevance to illustrate traditional therapies used by police officers in post-traumatic pathologies treatment.