Umbanda as Therapy in the Light of Psychoanalysis

This article aims to demonstrate that Umbanda is a form of symbolic therapeutic practice in the light of psychoanalysis, since it explores the mechanisms of listening, welcoming, catharsis and transference present in its rituals. In order to demonstrate these similarities with psychoanalysis, a qualitative and investigative study was carried out with mediums and consultants from a particular terreiro in Curitiba-PR to analyze how spiritual services operate processes of emotional re-signification similar to those observed in psychoanalytic settings. The results indicate that the majority of consultants perceive Umbanda as a healing and welcoming space, often comparable or complementary to traditional psychoanalytic psychotherapy, while the mediums see it as a spiritual therapy of a complementary nature. It can therefore be concluded that Umbanda acts as a popular and symbolic psychoanalytic psychotherapy, legitimized by the subjective experiences sometimes found in psychoanalysis, although it is not to be confused with formal therapy along biomedical lines.