How spiritual cleansing may help bridge a mental health gap

There's growing interest among some Latinos and Southern California residents in understanding how traditional healing can complement Western health practices. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Los Angeles Times] [Essential California Newsletter] February 9, 2023 [View in browser]( [Click to view images]( Sesma does a limpia, a spiritual cleansing, with client Mario Ceballos during a curanderismo session at her home on Nov. 22, 2022. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) By Ryan Fonseca Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California [newsletter](. It’s Thursday, Feb. 9. A growing emphasis on mental health care — some of it brought into renewed focus during the pandemic — has led more Americans to seek therapy or other support. But recent data show Latinos are less likely to look for help. While the number of Black, Asian and white Americans seeking mental health treatment has increased in recent years, the rate for Latinos has barely changed, according to [an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](. The reasons why are complicated, but a lack of cultural context contributes to the trend, [Karen Garcia]( a reporter with the L.A. Times’ Utility Journalism team, told me this week. “If you don’t find someone that understands your cultural background, or maybe doesn’t even understand the words that you’re using ... not being able to understand those nuances can stop a person from wanting to talk about how they feel,” she said. That’s why some in the Latino and Indigenous communities have turned to curanderas, or traditional healers. Karen explored how these healers keep ancient traditions of spiritual cleansing alive and what it means to practitioners in [a story published this week](. While taking a class focusing on Chicano psychology, Karen became interested in the idea of curanderismo and how spiritual healing “really isn’t valued or understood” in the Western mental health field. “I wanted to understand why is that and also just get a better understanding of what curanderismo is,” she said. Her reporting brought her to the mountain community of Alpine in San Diego County, where Grace Sesma, a Mexican and Yaqui curandera, practices with a variety of clients. “The philosophy behind curanderismo is that diseases are not just caused by physical factors, but also social, emotional, environmental and spiritual ones,” Sesma told Karen. She was invited to observe several of Sesma’s sessions with clients, which are split between a limpia, or spiritual cleansing, and pláticas, a “heart-to-heart conversation,” she explained. “[They] were so different to what you would experience if you were seeing a therapist or someone else in the mental health field,” Karen said. “The amount of vulnerability between Grace and her clients really allowed them to open up to her, to talk to her, to share with her.” It’s not just Latinos and Indigenous people seeking the spiritual healing. Healers and researchers told Karen other Southern Californians not connected to the culture are turning to curanderismo. “Grace talks about seeing a lot of different people, including ... a lot of LGBTQ folks that feel that they can open up to her as well,” she said. [A woman brushes roses on the back of the neck of a man.] Grace Sesma works with client Mario Ceballos during a session at her home in November. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) Curanderismo traditions date to Aztecan, Mayan and Incan tribes, [according to researchers]( as part of those cultures’ religious beliefs of harmony with nature, spirit and self. The Spanish colonization of Mexico in the early 1500s led healers to incorporate European practices into those Indigenous traditions. That history instills a deep appreciation in students who want to learn and practice curanderismo, Karen told me. For both healers and those seeking healing, “it’s not something that’s taken lightly,” she explained: “This isn’t something that’s learned overnight. You can’t take a course in several months, and then, oh, you’re a curandera. It’s a calling ... that you learn over time. You’re an apprentice; you continue to learn, you continue to keep in touch with your elders and as a culture.” While the benefits of most physical and mental medicinal treatments tend to be straightforward to measure in clinical settings, spiritual healing is personal and difficult to gauge. But practitioners and researchers hope to learn more about how the practices can affect a person’s health. “Healers like Grace are asking the question: ‘Why can’t we complement doctors and mental health practitioners in traditional allopathic medicine?’” Karen said. “It’s not that she’s saying that her work is better than or will work better than, but it could work for someone else — or it could work in harmony with maybe seeing a therapist.” You can [read Karen’s reporting on curanderismo here](. And now, here’s what’s happening across California: Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. ADVERTISEMENT L.A. 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