An Approach to Mental Health Treatments Happening in Sevilla Now, by Kim Nunes

A few weeks ago I met a woman here in Sevilla who practices a form of meditational healing I had never heard of before. As a psychology major, I find things like this very interesting and am always eager to learn about ways we can improve our mental health without taking some form of medications or drugs. The woman, who was born and grew up in Sevilla, introduced me to the practice of ‘pranayama’. Prana is the Sanskrit word meaning “vital life force”, and Yana means “to gain control”. The concept behind pranayama is that we learn how to have control over our breath in a way that is beneficial to our physical and mental health. The woman told me many stories of how she has used Pranayama to completely cure her patients who each suffered from a range of different psychological disorders such as anxiety, claustrophobia, depression, and more. It is a completely medication-free practice that teaches patients how to deal with their stressors using the power of their own breath.

From a cultural perspective, I find this to be so interesting, especially relating back to some of the discussions we have had in this class over the course of the semester. One thing that stands out to me in particular is our discussions around America’s fast-paced culture compared to Spain’s more relaxed culture. I think that this is reflected in the way American doctors treat their patients suffering from mental health disorders: they look for the quickest way to solve the problem (i.e. prescribing medication) instead of more natural ways to help patients in a long term way. This practice of Pranayama that is being used right here in Seville is so amazing to me because it isn’t something we are doing in America (at least not to my knowledge), and we tend to have more mental health problems in America. For that reason, this is a cultural experience I had in Sevilla that I will never forget and will definitely bring home with me.

If you’re interested in reading more about this topic, here is a great psychology article with current research on all the benefits Pranayama has on the brain: https://www.psypost.org/2020/10/four-weeks-of-pranayama-breathing-exercises-reduces-anxiety-and-negative-affect-and-is-linked-to-changes-in-the-brain-58300