He korowai o ngā tīpuna: Voice hearing and communication from ancestors

Abstract

Objective: This article describes the voice hearing experiences of a young Māori man, and the joint Māori healing and psychiatry assessment he received, in which the Māori healer (WN) concluded that some of the young man’s experiences could be accounted for by ancestral kaitiaki (spiritual guardians). Conclusions: Kaitiaki are commonly accepted in Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) as an explanation for some types of voice hearing experiences. Collaboration between a Māori healer and a psychiatrist can offer Māori whānau (individuals and families) more appropriate mental health assessment and intervention than conventional psychiatric assessment alone when Māori spiritual experiences are suspected.