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B Pelcastre-Villafuerte

Publications and source records attributed to B Pelcastre-Villafuerte.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[The shamanic cure: a psychosocial interpretation].

The present paper is basically a theoretical analysis of the shamanic cure, which proposes communication as the basis of the healing process. This process is described as a communicative act focusing on the interpretation of symbolic elements. The context is the social dimension in which the process is inscribed, the linguistic mode employed, and the type of relationship established between the shaman, the patient and the people. We also recount the way in which a shared symbolic reality is built, and how the shaman's world view has important effects on people. The interpretative framework is the psychosocial focus and an explanation is offered in terms of the establishment of a communicative act as a scenario in which the symbolic reality is constructed, and in itself constitutes the cure into which the patient enters every session. The magical vision of shamanism is analyzed and its influence on the health-illness process.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Menopause: social and practical representations].

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the meanings attributed to menopause, as a first approximation to the representational world of this event. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted between September and October 1998, in twenty women aged 45-65 years, residents of Cuernavaca and Emiliano Zapata, municipalities of Morelos state, Mexico. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted using a guide, to collect data on sociodemographic variables, diagnosis, feelings and emotions, changes in life style, and physiological changes. RESULTS: Findings show that menopause is represented as the end of fertility and the beginning of old age. Characterization of menopause is related to womanhood, body, and sexuality representations. CONCLUSIONS: This paper analyzes women's practices related to life experiences such as medical visits. Implications of these findings are discussed using the social construction of meanings framework.

Aged↗