ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the history of Kardecist Spiritism as a transnational and transcultural phenomenon parallel to the development of psychiatry as a discipline in 19th-century Europe and 20th-century Brazil. A literature review of interdisciplinary accounts of Brazilian and non-Brazilian scholars (anthropology, study of religion, history, psychology, and sociology) explores correlations between psychiatry and Spiritism in Brazil. It outlines contemporary developments and challenges in Brazilian health politics to illustrate the importance of Spiritists’ therapeutic engagements. It explores central concepts and practices that differ from “Western” psychological and socio-cultural concepts of self, illness, and healing and their adaptation to specific geographical, socio-cultural, political, and economic contexts. Divergent interpretations and evaluations of Spiritist practices illuminate their impact and contested positions regarding their benefits for mental health patients in Brazil and beyond.
