ABSTRACT
Cultural influence regarding beliefs on etiology of mental illness and healing preferences exerts a strong impact on healing practices adopted by the tribal people. This chapter investigates how supernatural beliefs predominantly guide the healing decisions of mentally ill people or their caregivers in tribal communities. However, the healing preferences dynamically vary in favour of either traditional healers, or medical professionals, or take no action (supporting an eclectic healing model), to a healing preference which is a combination of all the above methods. The tribal habitat is an important dimension of their culture and can be well harnessed for therapeutic purposes. The chapter also discusses the positive aspects of “Green Space” and promotes “Green Therapy” as a solution to ameliorate the conditions of mental illness, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility for the sufferer. Using green space as a therapy can prevent encroachment of land in the name of development, and thus can aid towards protection of the environment.
