Breaching the Sacred Walls of Illness: A Girardian Model of Forgiveness as Healing

Abstract

Mimetic rivalry, as described in the work of René Girard, can be a cause of illness. Therefore, reconciliation can have beneficial somatic effects. Girard's theory is briefly introduced, especially his concept of differentiation. Arthur Kleinman's distinction between illness and disease is examined, and reinforced by Girardian theory. The placebo effect is used to illustrate the relationship between culture and disease processes. It is argued that primal healing methods reduce nosogenic mimetic rivalries by reinforcing cultural standards, but they rely on subliminal violence. Faith in God's grace offers an alternative, nonviolent, method.

KEYWORDS:

• René Girard
• placebo effect
• spiritual healing
• folk medicine
• cultural healing
• traditional healing
• faith healing
• acupuncture
• hot cold theory