The Moth Presents Andrew Solomon: Notes on an Exorcism

Summary

In this compelling narrative, the speaker shares his journey from deep depression to recovery, exploring unconventional treatments across cultures. Initially a skeptic, he delves into various therapies, from medical to mystical. A pivotal experience in Senegal involves a ritual with a shaman, 'Madame D', which includes a symbolic 'wedding' with a ram and a community-driven exorcism. Despite his skepticism, the ritual's communal support and dramatic actions leave him feeling uplifted. The talk concludes with reflections on the importance of community and ritual in mental health, contrasting Western practices with the empowering approach of the Senegalese community.

Takeaways

• 📝 The speaker, Andrew Solomon, battled with severe depression and wrote about his journey to recovery.
• 💊 Initially, Solomon believed only medication and certain talking therapies could treat depression.
• 🔄 His perspective changed upon realizing that various treatments could alleviate depression if they improved one's mood.
• 🧘‍♂️ Solomon explored a wide range of treatments, from experimental brain surgeries to hypnotic regimens.
• 📝 A woman's yarn crafting helped her overcome depression, illustrating the diverse ways people can heal.
• 🌍 Solomon discovered that depression is not confined to Western cultures but is a universal human experience.
• 🇸🇳 In Senegal, he learned about tribal rituals and the 'unop', a traditional healing ceremony for depression.
• 🐏 Solomon participated in an 'unop', which involved a complex ritual including music, dancing, and animal sacrifice.
• 🩸 The central ritual involved Solomon being tied with animal intestines and burying the pieces of a sacrificed ram.
• 🌟 Despite not believing in the animistic principles, Solomon felt uplifted by the communal support and the ceremony's intensity.
• 📚 Solomon later learned that similar healing practices exist in Rwanda, emphasizing the importance of community and activity in mental health treatment.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial perspective on treatments for depression?

Initially, the speaker believed that only medication and certain talking therapies were effective treatments for depression.

How did the speaker's view on depression treatments evolve?

The speaker's view evolved to consider a wider range of treatments effective, realizing that if a treatment made someone feel better, it could be considered a cure for depression, which is an illness of how one feels.

What was the significance of the woman who made things from yarn in the speaker's research?

The woman who made things from yarn represented the idea that unconventional methods could be effective in treating depression, as she found relief through this activity.

Why did the speaker travel to Senegal?

The speaker traveled to Senegal to research tribal rituals used for treating depression, after learning about them from a friend living there.

Who is Madame D and what role does she play in the speaker's story?

Madame D is a practitioner of the unop, a traditional ritual for treating depression in Senegal. She plays a central role by conducting the ritual for the speaker.

What was required for the speaker to participate in the unop ritual?

To participate in the unop ritual, the speaker had to buy specific items including African fabric, a calabash, millet, sugar, cola beans, and live animals such as roosters and a ram.

What was the central part of the unop ritual like for the speaker?

The central part of the unop ritual involved the speaker getting into a makeshift wedding bed with a ram, being covered and buried under cloth by villagers dancing around, and then being 'released' with the ram's throat slit and covered in its blood.

How did the speaker feel after participating in the unop ritual?

The speaker felt exhilarated and 'up' after the ritual, even though they did not believe in the animistic principles behind it, due to the communal support and the unique experience.

What was the reaction of the Rwandan mental health worker to Western mental health practices?

The Rwandan mental health worker criticized Western mental health practices for not involving communal support, music, or outdoor activities, which they felt were necessary components for treating depression effectively.

Why were some Western mental health workers asked to leave Rwanda after the genocide?

Some Western mental health workers were asked to leave Rwanda because their practices did not align with the cultural needs and expectations for treating depression, lacking elements like community involvement and physical activity.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Personal Struggle and Exploration of Depression Treatments

The speaker, Andrew Solomon, shares his personal journey with depression, highlighting the severity of his condition and how it impacted his daily life. He initially believed that only medication and certain talking therapies were effective treatments. However, his perspective changed as he discovered the wide array of treatments available, including unconventional methods. He emphasizes the importance of how one feels, suggesting that if an unconventional method improves one's mood, it can be considered a cure for depression. Solomon also discusses the global nature of depression, noting its presence across cultures and time. His friend David introduces him to tribal rituals in Senegal as a form of depression treatment, prompting Solomon to travel there to learn more.

05:02

🌍 Cultural Insights on Depression Treatment in Senegal

Andrew Solomon's journey to Senegal to understand the local approach to treating depression is detailed. He meets Madame D, who practices the 'unop' ritual, and expresses his desire to witness this ritual. Although initially hesitant, Madame D agrees to perform an 'unop' for Solomon, tailored to address his depression. The preparation involves a shopping list of items, including African fabric, a calabash, millet, sugar, cola beans, and live animals. The process is described as a shamanic experience with music, and Solomon is instructed to participate in various activities, such as holding and dropping objects, to cleanse his spirit.

10:04

🐏 The Unop Ritual: A Cultural Healing Experience

The narrative continues with Solomon's participation in the unop ritual. He describes the intense and elaborate ceremony, which includes being in a makeshift wedding bed with a ram, symbolizing the expulsion of negative spirits. The ritual is a communal event with music, dancing, and the eventual slaughter of the ram. Solomon is covered in the animal's blood, signifying a rebirth. The experience is overwhelming, both physically and emotionally, but ultimately leads to a feeling of exhilaration and a sense of community support.

15:04

🌱 Cross-Cultural Comparison of Mental Health Practices

In the final paragraph, Solomon reflects on a conversation he had in Rwanda about the unop ritual and its similarities to local practices there. He contrasts the communal and celebratory nature of these cultural treatments with the more individualistic and somber approach of Western mental health practices. Solomon suggests that the Western methods may not be as effective because they lack the community involvement and the physical and emotional engagement that rituals like the unop provide. The speaker concludes with applause, indicating the end of his talk.

Keywords

💡Depression

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. In the video, the speaker discusses their personal experience with depression and how various treatments, including unconventional ones, can lead to recovery. The narrative illustrates the impact of depression on one's daily life and the journey towards healing.

💡Treatment

Treatment refers to the methods or therapies used to address health conditions, such as depression. The script explores a range of treatments, from medication and talking therapies to cultural rituals like the 'unop,' highlighting the diversity in approaches to mental health care and the importance of finding what works for the individual.

💡Recovery

Recovery in the context of the video signifies the process of healing or improving from a mental health issue like depression. The speaker's journey towards recovery involves not only medical treatments but also personal exploration and cultural experiences, emphasizing the holistic nature of mental health recovery.

💡Cultural Rituals

Cultural rituals are traditional practices or ceremonies that hold significance within a particular society or culture. The video discusses the 'unop,' a ritual from Senegal, as a form of treatment for depression, showcasing how mental health is addressed differently across cultures and how such rituals can provide a sense of community and support.

💡Anop

Anop, as mentioned in the script, is a specific cultural ritual practiced in Senegal for treating depression. It involves a series of symbolic actions and community participation, illustrating the video's theme of exploring alternative, culturally-rooted approaches to mental health treatment.

💡Community

Community in the video represents the collective support and involvement of people in an individual's healing process. The script describes how the entire village participated in the 'unop' ritual, emphasizing the role of community in mental health recovery and the power of social connection.

💡Symbolism

Symbolism refers to the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In the context of the video, the 'unop' ritual is filled with symbolic actions, such as the use of millet, live animals, and cloth, which carry cultural meanings and contribute to the healing process by addressing both physical and spiritual aspects of depression.

💡Spirits

Spirits, as discussed in the video, are part of the cultural belief system in which mental health issues like depression are seen as influenced by external forces or spirits. The 'unop' ritual aims to cast out these spirits, reflecting a cultural perspective on mental health that differs from Western medical models.

💡Healing

Healing in the video is not only a physical process but also an emotional and spiritual one. The speaker's experience with the 'unop' ritual and the subsequent feeling of exhilaration illustrate the multifaceted nature of healing, which can involve both traditional medicine and cultural practices.

💡Music and Dance

Music and dance are integral parts of the 'unop' ritual described in the video, serving to energize and uplift the individual undergoing treatment. They symbolize the communal and celebratory aspects of healing, creating an atmosphere of joy and support that contrasts with the isolation often associated with Western mental health treatments.

💡Cross-cultural Perspectives

Cross-cultural perspectives are highlighted in the video through the comparison of Western mental health practices with those of Senegal and Rwanda. The script emphasizes the importance of considering cultural context when addressing mental health, suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be effective or respectful of diverse cultural beliefs and practices.

Highlights

The author's personal journey from depression to recovery and their interest in various treatments.

The realization that depression is an illness of how one feels, and various treatments can be effective.

The exploration of experimental brain surgeries and hypnotic regimens as potential treatments for depression.

A woman's testimony about finding relief from depression through crafting with yarn.

The cultural perspective on depression and its treatment across different societies.

The author's friend David's invitation to Senegal to explore tribal rituals for treating depression.

The introduction to the 'unop' ritual, a traditional Senegalese healing practice.

The author's unexpected opportunity to participate in an 'unop' ritual for their own depression.

Preparations for the ritual, including shopping for specific items and the purchase of a live ram.

The detailed description of the 'unop' ritual process, including wearing a loin cloth and being rubbed with millet.

The use of music, specifically 'Chariots of Fire', during the ritual.

The central part of the ritual involving a 'wedding bed' with the ram and the community's participation.

The intense experience of being buried under cloth and the subsequent release during the ritual.

The slaughter of the ram and the symbolic meaning of the blood in the ritual.

The final parts of the ritual, including being tied with the ram's intestines and burying pieces of it while reciting a phrase.

The author's emotional response to the ritual and the community's support.

The contrast between the 'unop' ritual and Western mental health practices discussed in Rwanda.

The importance of community, music, and physical activity in mental health treatment as observed in Rwanda.

Transcripts

ladies and gentlemen Andrew

Solomon so I'm not depressed

now but I was depressed for a long

time I'm even less depressed now

I was depressed for a long time and I

wrote about being depressed and I lived

for a long time with blinding depression

and had long stretches when everything

seemed hopeless and pointless when

returning calls from Friends seemed like

more than I could do when getting up and

going out into the world seemed

painful when I was completely crippled

with

anxiety and when I finally got better

and started writing about the process of

recovery I became very interested in all

of the different kinds of treatment that

there were for depression and having

started as a kind of medical

conservative thinking that there were

only a couple of things that worked

medication and certain talking therapies

and that that was really it I very

gradually began to changed my mind

because I realized that if you have

brain cancer and you decide that

standing on your head and Garling for

half an hour every day makes you feel

better it may make you feel better but

the likelihood is that you still have

brain cancer and you're still going to

die from it but if you have depression

and you say that standing on your head

and gargling for half an hour makes you

feel better then you are actually cured

because depression is an illness of how

you feel and if you feel really great

after you do that then you're not

depressed anymore so I began to think

all kinds of things could work and I

researched everything ranging from

experimental brain surgeries to hypnotic

regimens of various kinds I had people

writing to me because I had been

publishing on this subject there was one

woman who wrote to me and she said that

she had tried actually electroshock

treatments and a variety of other

approaches to depression medication and

therapy and she had finally found the

thing that worked for her and she wanted

me to tell the world about it and that

was making little things from yarn

um some of which he sent

me and none of which I'm wearing right

now but in any event um I had that um

that rich engagement and I also became

interested as I was doing this work in

the idea that depression existed not

only in the Civilized West as people

tended to perceive it to exist but

actually across cultures and had existed

across time and so when one of my

dearest friends my friend David HEC who

was living for a little while in senagal

said to me do you know about the tribal

rituals that are used for the treatment

of depression here I said no I don't

know about them but I would like to know

about them and he said well if you come

for a visit we could try to do some

research on this topic and so I set off

for senagal and I met David and I was

introduced to David's then girlfriend

now ex-wife

elen and um uh it turned out that elen

had a cousin whose mother was a friend

of someone who went to school with the

daughter of a person who actually

practiced the unop and that I could

therefore go and interview this woman

who had practiced the unop and so we

went off to um a small town about 2

hours outside of takar and uh I was

introduced to this extraordinary old

large woman wrapped in miles and miles

of African fabric printed with figures

of eyes and she was Madame D and we did

an interview for about an hour and she

told me all about the unop and at the

end of it feeling rather daring I said

um listen I said I I hope I I don't know

whether this is something you would even

consider I said but would it be possible

for me to attend anop

and she saidwell I've certainly never

had a foreigner the local word was to

Bob I've never had a foreigner attend

one of these before she said but

actually she said I mean you've come

through these friends and these

connections she said yes the next time I

perform an end up you may be present and

I said that's fantastic I said when are

you next going to be doing anund up and

she said oh it'll be sometime in the

next 6

months and I said 6 months is quite a

long time from me to stay here in this

town waiting for you to do one I said is

there anyone who might maybe we could

expedite one for somebody move it

forward um I'll pitch in um she said no

it really doesn't work that way she said

I'm sorry but um that that's that's how

it is and I said well I guess I won't be

able to see an and up then but even so

this conversation has been so

interesting and so helpful to me and and

I I'm a little sad leaving here about

not actually getting to see one but but

I thank you and she said well I'm I'm

glad that you could come I'm glad it was

helpful and she said um but there is one

other thing she said I I I hope you

don't mind my saying this and I said no

what what is it and she said you don't

look that great

yourself she said are you you are

suffering from depression and I said

well yes I said I I was very acute it's

kind of a little better now but but yeah

I still do actually suffer from

depression she said well I've certainly

never done this for a tu before but I

could actually do an unup for

you and I said

oh I said what an what an interesting

idea I said well um yes uh sure yeah

absolutely yes let's let's let's do that

I said then I'll have an do and she said

oh well that's great she said and she

gave us some um some sort of fairly

basic instructions and then we left and

my

translator the aforementioned then

girlfriend now ex-wife of my friend

turned to me and she said are you

completely crazy do you have any idea

what you're getting yourself into and I

said well you know all these things very

interesting she saidou crazy she said

you're totally crazy but I'll help you

if you want so we had left and the first

thing we had was a shopping list there

had been a she had you could get them to

buy the stuff but you had to pay a

search charge i' said no we'd buy the

stuff so we had to go out we had to buy

seven yards of African

fabric um we had to get um a calabash

which was a large bowl fashioned from a

gourd we had to get um 3 kilos of millet

we had to get sugar we had to get cola

beans and then we had to get two live

[ __ ] rolls two roosters and a ram

um and so elen and I went to the market

with David and with these other um

people and we got most of the things and

I said well but what what about the the

RAM and aen said we can't buy the ram

today what are we going to do with it

overnight so I saw the sense of that so

the next

day the next day we got into a taxi to

go back out 2 hours to where we were

going and I said what about the RAM and

elen said oh we'll see a ram along the

way so we were going along and going

along and there was a sagales Shepherd

by the side of the road with his flock

and we stopped the cab and we got out

and we bought the RAM for $7 and then we

had a little bit of a struggle getting

the live Ram into the trunk of the taxi

cab um so but the cab driver seemed not

at all worried even by the fact that the

ram kept relieving himself in the trunk

of the taxi cam um and so then we got to

um rufis and we got there and said well

here I am I'm ready um for my closeup

and uh the thing about the endup is that

it varies enormously depending on a

whole variety of signals and symbols

that come from above so we had to go

through this whole shamanistic process

and I still didn't know really very much

of what was going to happen so first I

had to change out of my jeans and my

t-shirt and put on a loin cloth and then

I sat down and then I had my chest and

my arms rubbed with with Millet and then

um which is a grain and then someone

said oh we really should have music um

for this and I said oh great and I

thought you know drumming I thought some

atmospheric thing and she came out with

her very prized possession which was a

battery operated tape player for which

he had one tape which was Chariots of

Fire

so we started listening to Chariots of

Fire and in the meanwhile I was given

sort of various shamis objects I had to

hold them with my hands and drop them I

had to hold them with my feet and drop

them I they would s of say oh this ogur

is well this ogur is badly there were

five assistants to Madame doof who had

all gathered around and we sort of spent

the morning like this and it was all

really um just fine and then um they

said it was maybe we started at about 8

maybe about 11: 11:30 they said well now

it's actually time for the the central

part of the ritual and I said oh okay

and the sound of drumming be the

drumming I'd been hoping for the

drumming began and so there was all of

this drumming and it was very exciting

and we um went to the Central Square of

the village where there was a small

makeshift wedding bed that I had to get

into with the ram um and I had been told

it would be very very bad luck if the

ram escaped and that I had to hold on to

him and that the reason we had to be in

this wedding bed was that all my

depression and all my problems were

caused by the fact that I had spirits in

sagol you have Spirits sort of all over

you the way here you sort of have

microbes some are good for you some are

bad for you some are neutral anyway my

bad spirits were extremely jealous of my

real life sexual partners um some of

whom are here tonight and um uh and that

we had to um mify the anger of the um of

the spirit so I had to get into this

wedding bed with the RAM and I had to

hold the ram very tightly because he he

was not having a good life this R um and

he of course immediately relieved

himself on my leg and the entire Village

had taken the day off from their work in

the fields and were dancing around us in

concentric circles and as they danced

throwing blankets and sheets of cloth

over us and so we were gradually being

buried and it was unbelievably hot and

it was completely stifling and there was

the sound of these stamping feet as

everyone danced around us and then these

drums which were getting louder and

louder and more ecstatic and more

ecstatic and I was just about at the

point in which I thought I was going to

faint or pass out um not to tread on

anyone else's story here but um and at

that key moment um suddenly all of the

cloths were pulled off I was yanked to

my feet the loin cloth that was all I

was wearing was pulled from me the poor

old Ram's throat was slit um as were the

throats of the two [ __ ] rolls and I was

covered in the blood of the freshly

slaughtered RAM and the [ __ ] rolls um

and so there I was naked totally covered

in blood and they said okay that's the

end of this part of it and

um I said well okay and they said um but

uh you uh uh they said we're actually we

there's said the next piece comes now

and I said okay we went over back to the

area where we've done the morning

preparations and one of them said but

look it's it's kind of lunchtime why

don't we just take a break for a minute

would you like a

Coke I I don't drink Coke that much but

at that moment it seemed like a really

really really good idea and I said yes

and so I sat there naked and completely

covered in animal blood um with flies

kind of gathering as they will when

you're naked and covered in animal blood

and I I drank this coke and then when I

had finished the coke they said okay now

we have the sort of final parts of the

ritual they said um so first you have to

put your your hands by your sides and

and hold your stand very straight and

very erect and I said okay and then they

tied me up with the intestines of the

ram um and in the meanwhile it was

hanging from a nearby tree and they were

there were someone said of doing some

butchering of it and they took various

little bits of it out and then I had to

kind of Shuffle over all tied up in in

intestines which most of you probably

haven't done but it's hard

um I had to shuffle over and I had to

take these little pieces of the RAM and

I had to dig holes and I had to put the

pieces of the ram in the holes

and I had to say something and what I

had to say was actually to me incredibly

strangely touching in the middle of this

weird experience I had to

say spirits leave me alone to complete

the business of my life and know that I

will never forget you and I thought what

a kind thing to say to the evil spirits

you're exercising that I'll never forget

you and I haven't so anyway there were

various other little bits and pieces

that followed I was given a piece of

paper in which all of the Millet from

the morning had been gathered I was told

that the next morning I I should sleep

with it under my pillow and in the

morning get up and give it to a beggar

who had good hearing and no deformities

and that when I gave it to him that

would be the end of my troubles and then

I put my the women sort of all filled

their mouths with water and began

spitting water all over me which it

turns out as the sort of you know it's

the surround shower effect and rinsing

the blood away for me and it gradually

came off and when I was clean they gave

me back my jeans and everyone danced and

they barbecued the RAM and we had this

dinner and I felt so

up I felt so up it had it had been quite

an astonishing experience even though I

didn't believe in the animous principles

behind it all of these people had been

gathered together cheering for me and it

was very

exhilarating and I had had a very odd

experience 5 years later when I was

working on my current book and I was in

Rwanda doing something else alt together

and I got into a conversation with

someone there and I described the

experience I'd had in senagal and he

said oh you know we have something

that's a little like that he said that's

West Africa this is East Africa it's

quite different but there are some

similarities um in some rituals here he

said you know we had a lot of trouble

with Western mental health workers who

came here immediately after the genocide

and we had to ask some of them to leave

and I said what what was the problem and

he said okay he said they came and their

practice did not involve being outside

in the sun like what you're describing

which is after all where you begin to

feel better there was no music or

drumming to get your blood flowing again

when you're depressed and you're low and

you need to have your blood flowing he

said there was no sense that everyone

had taken the day off so that the entire

Community could come together to try to

lift you up and bring you back to Joy he

said there was no acknowledgement of the

depression as something invasive and

external that could actually be cast out

of you again he said instead they would

take people one at a time into these

dingy little rooms and have them sit

around for an hour or so and talk about

bad things that had happened to

them he said we had to get them to leave

the

country thank

[Applause]

you

[Music]

w