Mental illness treatable in 14 days - inyanga
VUSWENI- While some people hold the notion that mental illness is incurable, Africa Gama believes it can be treated within 14 days.
Gama is a traditional healer who made history after winning a healing competition which was hosted by King Sobhuza II at Siteki on July 21, 1989.
Gama got position one after healing mental illnesses and likhubalo within 30 minutes, during the competition that was attended by both traditional healers and doctors in the country. This is according to a book that was compiled after the competition.
In an interview at his homestead last Saturday, Gama said mental illness was among the illnesses that he treated during the competition.
“In traditional healing, we have a bible which has verses for all illnesses that affect human beings. The names of illnesses may change with time, but the cure will always be the same in the bible. You can bring a mentally ill person if you want proof. By a mentally ill person, I do not mean someone who abuses drugs but I mean a person who suddenly loses his/her mental faculty due to witchcraft,” he said.
Gama made an example of soldiers, stating that some were treated for sudden loss of mental faculties due to witchcraft.
He said the bible had made him strong since he started practicing traditional medicine.
He stated that with all the medicine in place, curing a mental illness could only last for about 14 days. Gama said he treated mental illness in stages until the patient fully recovered.
“I administer an inhalable medicine (umbhunyiso) just to bring back the mental faculty. I then take the patient through the other processes until he/she fully recovers,” he said. Gama shared some verses from a booklet which he termed his bible. The bible had the name of the illnesses and medicine required for cure.
Patients
Asked if he provided counseling to patients, Gama stated that he treated the patients without counseling them, as he was not trained for counseling.
The traditional healer shared that some of the people who were found at his homestead were there for healing.
He mentioned that he provided them with accommodation, as he had no admission wards.
Gama shared that he trained traditional healers from across the African continent. He stated that his training lasted for three months for those who wanted to master the healing bible. He said many people knew about him ever since he won the competition. Gama wondered why people denounced traditional healing, claiming that such was embodied even in the Holy Bible. He said part of the treatment of the mentally ill patients was derived from the Bible. Without sharing the Bible verse, he said the Bible, which served as a guide, stated that top and short tree leaves could help in restoring mental faculty.
A Clinical Psychologist, Ndoniyamanzi Mdlalose, said emaSwati believed in witchcraft and traditional healing. She said she could therefore not argue with Gama. However, Mdlalose stated that as much as she agreed with Gama, there was a need for mentally ill people to get professional psychotherapy. She said her experience had taught her that most mentally ill people perceived themselves as royalty, queens or claimed to being chased by killers, which she said needed psychiatric help. She advised Gama to refer the patients to psychologists after treatment.
Apostle Jeremiah Dlamini said everything depended on one’s gift and therefore there was no need for competition and criticism. He said every gift was depended on the foundation and the source.
“With 40 years experience as an apostle, I have taught myself to focus on my gift. I do not want to behave like the young prophets, pastors and evangelists who go around criticising people for demonstrating their gifts. I believe a person can only be in a position to criticise another if he/she can demonstrate the real power,” he said.