Grisaru N, Budowski D, Witztum E
Beer-Sheva Mental Health Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
Psychopathology. 1997;30(4):223-33. doi: 10.1159/000285051.
The article describes a cultural pattern related to altered states of consciousness, observed amongst new immigrants from Ethiopia to Israel. The belief in possession by Zar spirits is one of the most common possession phenomena in Africa and in other continents. Possession by Zar is expressed by a wide range of behaviors, such as involuntary movements, mutism and incomprehensible language. Such behavior can be misinterpreted as representing symptoms of neuralgic or psychiatric disorders. We demonstrate the Zar phenomenon by a description of a detailed case. The article discusses the cultural and anthropological aspects of the Zar and its clinical implications and suggests that the Zar phenomenon should be understood as a culture-bound syndrome.
本文描述了一种与意识改变状态相关的文化模式，该模式在从埃塞俄比亚移民到以色列的新移民中被观察到。相信被扎尔精灵附身是非洲和其他大陆最常见的附身现象之一。被扎尔附身表现为一系列行为，如不自主运动、缄默和语言难懂。这种行为可能被误解为代表神经或精神障碍的症状。我们通过详细描述一个案例来展示扎尔现象。本文讨论了扎尔现象的文化和人类学方面及其临床意义，并提出扎尔现象应被理解为一种文化束缚综合征。
