Healing practices related to psychological diseases in Adana Turkish folk medicine

Folk medicine is part of traditional efforts to cure illnesses and originates from the Shamanistic beliefs of ancient Turks. Today, it continues through practitioners such as healers, charmers, and traditional therapists (known as ocaklı) and forms the basis of modern alternative medicine. The treatment methods are generally categorized into two types: spiritual-magical and rational-realistic approaches. This study is based on field research conducted in Adana and its 15 districts and examines folk healing practices applied to psychological disorders. Rituals, herbal treatments, sacred healing sites (ocaks), and pilgrimage places used particularly against conditions like depression have been evaluated. It was found that these traditional practices continue to exist in collective memory and are preserved despite modernization. Interviews with key informants reveal the cultural background, belief systems, and treatment processes of these methods. The findings are interpreted in terms of the continuity of folk culture. The appendix includes the interview questions directed to these informants. The study is composed of three sections: the first part provides information about the research area; the second discusses the conceptual framework, historical development, transformation, and terminology of folk medicine; the third focuses on the healing practices for psychological illnesses in Adana and its districts. The overall aim is to highlight the continuity of Anatolian folk culture through the lens of folk medicine.