Traditional Healing vs Dianetics: A Respectful Comparison
Many South Africans turn to traditional healers for mental health problems. Here's an honest, evidence-based comparison with Dianetics.
Traditional Healing in South Africa
Traditional healing is an integral part of South African culture. According to the World Health Organization, it's estimated that 80% of South Africans consult traditional healers at some point in their lives[12]. For many people, especially in rural areas and townships, traditional healers are more accessible and culturally acceptable than Western doctors, particularly for conditions like anxiety and depression.
There are different types of traditional healers:
Sangomas (Diviners)
Sangomas are spiritual healers who communicate with ancestors through divination (throwing bones, using cards). They diagnose problems as being caused by ancestral displeasure, witchcraft, or spiritual imbalance. Treatment involves rituals, sacrifices, and spiritual cleansing.
Inyangas (Herbalists)
Inyangas use traditional medicines made from plants, roots, and animal parts. They treat physical and mental ailments with herbal remedies. Some of these remedies have genuine medicinal properties, while others have no proven effect.
Faith Healers
Some traditional healers blend African spirituality with Christianity. They use prayer, holy water, and spiritual rituals to treat illness.
Why People Consult Traditional Healers
There are several reasons why South Africans turn to traditional healers for mental health problems:
- Cultural beliefs: Many people believe that mental health problems are caused by ancestral anger, witchcraft, or spiritual imbalance—not by psychological factors.
- Accessibility: Traditional healers are often more accessible and affordable than Western doctors, especially in rural areas.
- Language and understanding: Traditional healers speak the local language and understand the cultural context of problems.
- Holistic approach: Traditional healing addresses spiritual, social, and physical aspects of illness, not just symptoms.
- Distrust of Western medicine: Some people distrust Western doctors due to historical exploitation and racism in the medical system.
The Problem with Traditional Healing for Mental Health
While we respect traditional healing as part of South African culture, we must be honest about its limitations when it comes to treating mental health conditions:
1. No Evidence of Effectiveness
There is no scientific evidence that traditional healing methods cure depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other mental health conditions. Rituals, sacrifices, and herbal remedies do not address the underlying causes of these conditions.
2. Misdiagnosis of Mental Illness
Traditional healers often attribute mental health problems to witchcraft, ancestral anger, or spiritual possession. This misdiagnosis prevents people from getting effective treatment. Someone with schizophrenia might be told they're possessed by evil spirits. Someone with depression might be told their ancestors are angry.
3. Exploitation and Fraud
Some traditional healers exploit vulnerable people by charging exorbitant fees for rituals and remedies that don't work. They might demand expensive sacrifices (slaughtering animals, buying special herbs) while the person's condition doesn't improve.
4. Dangerous Practices
Some traditional remedies are dangerous. Herbal medicines can be toxic or interact badly with other medications. Some healers use practices like scarification (cutting the skin) or ingestion of harmful substances.
5. Blaming the Victim
When traditional healing doesn't work, the healer might blame the patient. "Your ancestors are still angry." "You didn't perform the ritual correctly." "Someone has put stronger witchcraft on you." This adds guilt and shame on top of the original problem.
The Placebo Effect
Some people do feel better after consulting a traditional healer. But this is often due to the placebo effect—feeling better because you believe you're receiving treatment, not because the treatment actually works.
The placebo effect is real, but it's temporary. The underlying mental health condition remains unaddressed. When the placebo effect wears off, the symptoms return.
Dianetics: A Different Approach
Dianetics offers a practical, evidence-based approach to mental health that respects your cultural beliefs while providing real solutions.
Unlike traditional healing, which attributes mental health problems to external spiritual forces, Dianetics (developed by L. Ron Hubbard in "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health") recognizes that the cause is within your own mind—specifically, painful memories stored in the reactive mind.
This doesn't contradict your spiritual beliefs. You can still believe in ancestors, spirituality, and cultural traditions. But when it comes to treating mental health conditions, you need a method that actually addresses the cause.
Comparison Table: Traditional Healing vs Dianetics
| Aspect | Traditional Healing | Dianetics |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis Method | Divination (bone throwing, spiritual consultation) | Systematic examination of traumatic memories |
| Cause of Mental Illness | Ancestral anger, witchcraft, spiritual imbalance | Painful memories stored in the reactive mind |
| Treatment Method | Rituals, sacrifices, herbal remedies, spiritual cleansing | Auditing to process and release traumatic memories |
| Scientific Evidence | None | Based on systematic observation and documented results |
| Duration | Ongoing rituals, repeat consultations | Finite process with clear endpoint |
| Cost | Varies; can be expensive with repeated rituals and sacrifices | One-time investment, no ongoing costs |
| Side Effects | Possible toxicity from herbal remedies; psychological harm from misdiagnosis | None |
| Personal Agency | You're at the effect of external spiritual forces | You're at cause over your own mental health |
Respecting Culture While Seeking Effective Treatment
We're not asking you to abandon your cultural beliefs or disrespect your ancestors. Traditional healing has value in providing cultural connection, community support, and spiritual comfort.
But when it comes to treating real mental health conditions—depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder—you need a method that actually works. You need a method that addresses the cause, not just performs rituals.
Dianetics offers that method. It's practical, effective, and doesn't require you to abandon your cultural identity.
Why Dianetics Works Where Traditional Healing Doesn't
Key Advantages of Dianetics
- Addresses the actual cause: Traumatic memories, not spiritual forces
- Evidence-based: Results can be measured and verified
- Finite process: Clear beginning and end, not ongoing dependency
- No harmful side effects: No toxic substances, no dangerous practices
- Puts you at cause: You control your own mental health, not external forces
- Cost-effective: One-time investment vs. ongoing rituals and sacrifices
Making an Informed Choice
If you're struggling with mental health problems, you have a choice. You can continue consulting traditional healers, hoping that rituals and sacrifices will work. Or you can choose a method that has a proven track record of addressing the actual causes of mental health conditions.
This isn't about disrespecting your culture. It's about making an informed choice based on what actually works.
You deserve effective treatment. You deserve a solution that addresses the root cause of your problems, not just performs rituals. Dianetics offers that solution.
Next Steps
If you're ready to explore an evidence-based approach to mental health that respects your cultural identity while providing real solutions, learn more about Dianetics.
Interested in learning more about Dianetics? Order the book online for R400 with free delivery to all South African provinces. The book provides a complete explanation of how the mind works and how to achieve lasting mental freedom.
You can also explore Dianetics auditing services available in major cities across South Africa.
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Tony Peacock
Humanitarian & Mental Health Research Advocate
Published: 2024 • Updated: November 2025
Tony is an Australian who moved to South Africa and made it his home. At 25, he overcame drug and alcohol addiction through Dianetics after trying alternative healing approaches. He served as Church staff in Australia for 12 years before moving to SA in 2022. As a humanitarian and philanthropist, he has made significant contributions to mental health infrastructure across Southern Africa. His mission: help the able become more able using technology that makes people causative.