Medicine Woman

The rift between Western medicine and native healing forms the backdrop for this evocative play dealing with the bond between two women who have very different backgrounds.A young psychiatrist moves into her grandmother’s hut in the jungles of Latin America. Determined to learn about her grandmother’s herbal remedies and healing rituals, she is nevertheless flummoxed when her grandmother insists she take the lead interacting with patients seeking healing. She is here to learn from her grandmother, not take her place!As the psychiatrist grows into her new role in the community, however, she learns more about her grandmother’s work as a curandera (a traditional native healer). Along the way, she uncovers some startling connections between modern psychology and traditional practices.Through these two women, playwright Maria Teresa H. de Holcomb, Ph.D., explores the fascinating relationship between traditional healing and Jungian psychology. Both approaches may rely on specific images, symbols, and animals to help patients deepen their understanding of their own psychology.The traditional and the modern do not have to be at odds. Instead, like the psychiatrist and her grandmother, they can learn from each other to better serve the people who depend on them.