When it comes to seeking treatment for perceived jinn-related disorder, many studies have found out that Muslims will prefer to resort to religious leaders for advise or treatment. If the person perceives that his or her jinn-related disorder is a “punishment from God”, religious leaders will then become a natural source of guidance for advise on the expiation of sins in order to remove the “punishment from God”. Doctors will be the last resort as they are perceived as unable to deal with metaphysical jinn issues. Mental Health professionals e.g. psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists are also ranked low compared to religious leaders or those who are directly involved in treating jinn-related disorders.
Religious leaders are equipped with knowledge to empower a person to increase their spirituality. Many studies have also found out that spirituality helps in increasing the well-being of a person and enables one to come to terms with their predicament. However, jinn-related disorders are not just a simplistic spiritual issue and religious leaders are not equipped with the knowledge to deal with the impact of the disorders, nor are they equipped with solutions that deliver therapeutic benefit.
Jinn-related disorders can be psychological, psycho-somatic or even somatic in nature. Somatic illnesses caused by jinn can go unnoticed for years and may only be realised after all modern medical treatment has failed and the person starts to make recovery after undergoing jinn-related therapy.
Compared to 5 years ago, Muslims nowadays are more open to explore the possibility of themselves having some kind of jinn-related disorders. Increasing numbers of Muslims who have been having symptoms associated with psychological disorders are now taking several actions to check if their disorder is jinn-related. This can be done through self-diagnosis e.g. reciting or listening to a collection of verses of the Quran or visiting someone who can recite the verses upon them. In many jinn-related disorders, the person can have somatic reactions like pain or involuntary movements of the limbs. From then on, the person may get somatic reactions whenever selected verses of the Quran is read.
If we broaden the definition of “psychosomatic” to include the somatic effect caused by a jinn-related disorder, we can possibly say that the person’s disorder has transformed from psychological to psychosomatic. Without an effective therapy program, those who suffers from the psychosomatic effect of jinn-related disorders may have to cope with double the burden compared to when the symptoms were just psychological. Going to the wrong person in search for help can turn the condition from bad to worse.
With more people now being affected by psychosomatic effect of jinn-related disorders, many are also jumping into the bandwagon to become exorcists. Some will learn through systematic education from experienced teachers whilst some may resort to self-learning via books and/or the internet. Those who rely a lot on the internet will tend to find conflicting and sometimes disturbing allegations by some ruqyah reciters against their rivals e.g. allegation of so-and-so is a magician simply because the rival uses a different form of ruqyah. The rivalry is more of an attempt to deny the rivals from getting a bigger market share of clients. Sufferers of jinn-related disorders somehow rather may get trapped in this rivalry and may align themselves to who speak the loudest. They may then restrict themselves to one form of therapy instead of opening up to the various available Islamic-compliant therapies. Sufferers, unknowingly, may end up to be the real losers.
It would not be a surprise if the character-assassination is the result of bankrupt of ideas. After talking about the role of the miraculous Quran in therapy, jinn, black magic and the evil magicians, there seems to be nothing else to talk about. When someone else comes out with a “new improved” therapy, instead of challenging the efficacy of the therapy, the person will appear as a threat and the character-assassination will begin.
Currently, very little research is done on improving therapy for jinn-related disorders. It is a big problem if ruqyah reciters only visualise a jinn inside the body and forgot that there is also a human soul as well in the body. The problem will be magnified if they only visualise the body as an empty vessel apart from a jinn inside it, and forget about the complex organs and systems in the body.
We need a paradigm shift for a new generation of Quranic Therapists. Muslim professionals in the health care sector (e.g. doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists) can be better candidates for Quranic Therapists. They already have a vast knowledge of the human psyche and body and other relevant skills such as patient care and ethics. Through systematic learning of Quranic Therapy, they will be able to extend their knowledge further to deal with jinn-related disorder. This will also enable them to do more research on improving therapy for jinn-related ailments whether it is psychological, psychosomatic or purely somatic. Perhaps, the involvement of these professionals will bring new research and understanding on the etiology of certain diseases.
