The Flexibility Hypothesis of Healing

• Published in: Culture, medicine and psychiatry Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 3 - 34
• Main Authors: Hinton, Devon E., Kirmayer, Laurence J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.03.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aesthetics; Anthropology; Ceremonial Behavior; Clinical Psychology; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive functioning; Cultural identity; Emotions; Ethnopsychology; Expectations; Flexibility; Humans; Hypotheses; Imagery; Mass media images; Mental health; Metaphor; Music; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychiatry; Psychotherapy; Public Health; Resilience; Rituals; Social Sciences; Sociology; Spiritual Therapies; Well being; New York; United States > US; Chicago Illinois; PTSD; Healing ritual; Mood; Anthropology; Trauma; Flexibility; Resilience
• ISSN: 0165-005X; 1573-076X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11013-016-9493-8

Theories of healing have attempted to identify general mechanisms that may work across different modalities. These include altering expectations, remoralization, and instilling hope. In this paper, we argue that many forms of healing and psychotherapy may work by inducing positive psychological states marked by flexibility or an enhanced ability to shift cognitive sets. Healing practices may induce these states of cognitive and emotional flexibility through specific symbolic interventions we term “flexibility primers” that can include images, metaphors, music, and other media. The flexibility hypothesis suggests that cognitive and emotional flexibility is represented, elicited, and enacted through multiple modalities in healing rituals. Identifying psychological processes and cultural forms that evoke and support cognitive and emotional flexibility provides a way to understand the cultural specificity and potential efficacy of particular healing practices and can guide the design of interventions that promote resilience and well-being.