The Shamanic View of Mental Illness: In the shamanic view, mental illness signals "the birth of a healer," explains Malidoma Patrice Some; Thus, mental disorders are spiritual emergencies, spiritual crises, and need to be regarded as such to aid the healer in being born. What those in the West view as mental illness, the Dagara people regard as "good news from the other world." The person going through the crisis has been chosen as a medium for a message to the community tha