In my current year on an NIlV1H Institution NRSA, I am completing coursework in psychopathology. Concurrently, I am obtaining clinical training at the Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge Massachusetts, where I am observing in several types of settings: psychiatric emergency, grand rounds, team meetings, and inpatient care. During my first eighteen months of the Individual NRSA for which I am applying, I will perform field research among Candomble spirit possession mediums in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In this research, I will investigate local perceptions and categories of healing and therapeutic processes, and local perceptions of therapeutic efficacy. I will identify and analyze the intersection between Candomble spiritual healing and that of biomedicine and psychiatry. I will also investigate how structural inequalities mediate healing choices. The final six months will be spent in data analysis and writeup.
