In this episode I host a dialogue between Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan’s first psychiatrist and the Professor of Psychiatry at Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences, and Dr Caroline Van Damme, an adult psychiatrist and family and systemic psychotherapist specialising in chronic psychotic disorders.

Drs Dorji and Van Damme dialogue about their experiences as psychiatrists in very different countries, Bhutan and Belgium. They compare their experiences treating religious psychosis in which patients believe they are Jesus or Padmasambhava, address mental health stigma, and examine the interaction of supernatural beliefs such as spirit possession with modern psychiatry.

The Drs discuss the emerging mental health laws in Bhutan, including forced treatment laws, innovative treatment models, and pressures from pharmaceutical companies.

The Drs also consider the pros and cons of religion to both society and the individual, examine three levels of Bhutanese Buddhism, and reflect on the dire consequences of the death of Christianity in Europe.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep252-religion-psychiatry-dr-chencho-dorji-dr-caroline-van-damme

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro01:16 - How they met03:44 - Dr Chencho’s visit to the Night Hospital in Belgium05:12 - Dr Chencho’s side of the story06:07 - Fascination with the ‘Night Hospital’ model08:33 - Sharing models between countries09:39 - Not trying to cure12:36 - Mental health challenges in developed vs developing countries15:04 - Psychiatry is a simple science17:26 - Negligence of psychotic patients19:01 - Stigma around mental illness 23:03 - Pressure from pharmaceutical companies25:53 - Mental health laws in Bhutan30:17 - Forced treatment laws in Belgium 39:15 - Complications of supernatural beliefs in Bhutan41:28 - Getting the family on side45:02 - Anti-psychiatry beliefs46:57 - Psychosis or spirit possession?49:25 - Dangers of marijuana55:38 - Padmasambhava’s proscription against smoking58:00 - Religion at societal and personal level59:47 - Religious psychosis 01:01:23 - 3 levels of Buddhism 01:02:27 - Pros and cons of religious belief01:06:25 - Treating psychotic Padmasambhavas 01:08:06 - Patients who hear God01:11:00 - Fading of Christianity in Europe01:13:03 - Spiritual void and fading of religion in Bhutan01:13:55 - Today’s Buddhist monks’ failings01:16:00 - Learning from the fall of European religion01:21:17 - Science vs religion01:22:05 - Spiritual void and suicide01:24:04 - Is religion needed?01:26:38 - Lack of priests01:29:40 - Uniqueness of psychiatry 01:31:25 - Reflections on inter-cultural collaboration01:33:53 - Dr Caroline praises Dr Chencho’s accomplishments

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Previous episodes with Dr Chencho Dorji:- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=chencho

Previous episode with Dr Caroline Van Damme:- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=damme

To find out more about Dr Chencho Dorji, visit: - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057403100633

To find out more about Dr Van Damme, visit:- https://www.sowarigpainstitute.org/dr-caroline-van-damme

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James