| Myth As A Cultural Strength
I have found that cultural considerations can sometimes turn what originally was perceived as a “presenting problem” into a strength.
I can recall two different times when this happened to me.The first involved a court report I received where the name of the mother of the child for whom I was considering treatment was listed as Maria aka Miguel aka Manuel. I immediately began wondering if the mother was experiencing issues regarding her gender identity and if this were impacting the child. I also noticed that the woman was Guatemalan. I discussed my impressions with a coworker who is more conversant with Hispanic cultures than I. I was surprised to learn that it was customary in the cultures of some Native Central American women to add men's names to their own.
Could what I first perceived as problematic indeed be strength? Since Central America is Catholic, perhaps these can be names of saints. A coworker suggested that maybe they signify male ancestors as well. In either case, the extra names reinforce an identity that is positive and a culture that is meaningful.
The second time I initially misperceived myth as a problem was was in working with the mother of a schizophrenic girl. When I asked the mother, who, again, was a Central American Native, when did her child's problems with psychosis begin, she responded that it was the night when the mother heard “La Llorna”. When I explored with her the meaning of this, she responded -- as if I should have known --; that “La Llorona” was the woman wailing by the river. My suspicions, of course, went to superstition or delusion and I began considering whether in fact the mother was suffering from some sort of psychosis as well.
I began asking my Spanish-speaking friends about the meaning of La Llorona. I learned that it is an ancient Hispanic story with Aztec roots, with many different versions. It ultimately involves the story of a woman who drowned her children and can be heard at night crying by the river over the children she lost. Women to this day warn their children not to go out at night lest La Llorona snatch them.
Myth does not mean falsehood or story. Myths are ways we deal with the mysteries of human life. Every society and culture, including our own, have its myths. Then, could this even be a strength that I first perceived as problematic? When a person suffers a schizophrenic break, the reasonably functioning person they were suffers a profound setback. Maybe this was the mother's way of interpreting or coping with the loss she had experienced. Her daughter, who had been happy, attractive, healthy, now was acting strangely and no longer caring for herself. My new appreciation of the myth enabled me to understand and accept the loss this lady was experiencing. Consequently, I was able to help the mother realistically accept the impact of mental illness in her daughter and the daughter's need for psychotropic medication.
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