Trephination was used to treat mental and physical conditions by our ancestors. In this technique, the physician drills the patient’s skull and makes a hole. The archeological research shows that these practices were performed thousands of years ago.
This process was not only used for head injuries, but it was also practiced for avoiding illnesses related to spiritual interferences. Modern scientific research in medicine and mental health has somehow halted the trephination practices. However, in some corners of the world, trephination techniques are still practiced for mental and physical well-being.
Trephination as a cure for spiritual forces
In many parts of the world, mental and physical illnesses were directly associated with spiritual forces. Usually, people blame spiritual forces for headaches, unusual behavior changes, traumas, low mood, and other physical imbalances. People at the time believed that by drilling a hole in the skull, all the vital forces would escape through that hole. As a result, patients will find relief after this procedure.
Traces of trephination
Archaeological research showed broken skulls in various parts of the world. The most amazing thing was that the patients survived the trephination process, which is now an unbelievable phenomenon.
How do people survive the trephination process?
Even after the trephination process, there may be several explanations for how the patient survives the harsh treatment. The first is that ancient people were physically stronger and had a special inclination to endure serious injuries. The second reason was their belief. People at that time clearly believed that trephination would resolve their physical and mental health issues. This belief, fueled by hope and hope, led them to ignore even the serious injuries of trephination.
Trephination didn’t need to be 100% curative. It is possible that many people died during trephination techniques. It might be understood that the individual had been taken up by the strong spiritual forces.
Was trephination useful for physical injuries?
Today, it would be impossible to encourage someone to create a hole in their skull for healing. But the concept is used to treat headaches. Gradually, when the scientific studies revolutionized the medical field, such ancient procedures have lost their importance.
However, the trephination techniques are used in modern surgeries with proper care and precautions. A modern example is nail drilling, in which a hole is made in the finger so that the pressure inside the wound is released along with the blood. Apart from that, some brain surgeries require skull opening for better treatment in modern medical procedures. Yes, trephination techniques are indeed used in traditional medical fields. However, their usage has become very limited.
Trephination techniques for mental illnesses
In ancient times, mental illnesses were not divided into separate categories. Initially, mental illnesses were called spiritual forces. However, even after medical advancements, mental illnesses were still associated with physical health conditions. Mental health is mainly focused on our sentiments, emotions, and mood patterns,
Mental illness has to do with our emotions, sentiments, feelings, and our unconscious mind. Therefore, using trephination techniques to treat invisible mental processes and emotions has been a strange experiment. But these techniques were the only treatment our ancestors expected in ancient times. As we have mentioned earlier, trephination techniques must have proven to be an excellent solution for treating mental illnesses at that time, as there was no other alternative method. But today, anxiety, depression, stress, and other psychological diseases have proper methods to be resolved.
Modern medical techniques as an alternative?
In the past, the success rate of conventional trephination was 70-80 percent.
Trephination techniques did not change all at once. Rather, these techniques changed over time. The advancement in modern medical research has made the trephination techniques less practical. Most of the studies show that this turn shift occurred between the 17th and 19th centuries. Although the first mental asylums were established in France, in the asylums, the patients were still treated like animals. Some of the patients with mental issues were kept in chains, while others were locked in close rooms.
The 20th century was the paradigm shift towards mental health care, community engagement, and stigma free approach towards Imbalanced mental conditions. Wilhelm Wundt played a key role in modern methods in Psychology. Wilhelm Wundt established the first Laboratory for psychological tasting in the University of Leipzig, Germany. These laboratories were established to study human nature in controlled situations. After that, mental conditions are assessed with proper care and procedures.
Trephination practices in the contemporary world.
Some collectivistic cultures in the modern world still practice trephination techniques to some extent. For example, cultural tribes in East Africa still leverage such techniques for illness cures. Apart from African cultures, some parts of central Asian countries also practice the trephination method, especially to release spiritual interference in physical and mental well-being.
Conclusion
The trephination method was an ancient medical procedure where physicians used sharp lasers and nails to make a hole in the patient’s skull, believing that the spiritual forces would escape through that hole. This would be unbelievable these days, but for the ancient people, it was the only hope.
Treatment methods have been evolving since the presence of humans on the planet. There might be other techniques, such as trephination, as well.
Trephination methods became less practical when Wilhelm Wundt established a psychiatric laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. These psychological inventions made the Mental illnesses treatable with proper psychiatric methods.
Today, more than 200 psychological diseases have been identified. and these diseases are treated properly. While in ancient times, mental illnesses were often related to spiritual forces, even later, when some medical research began, mental illnesses were still considered physical illnesses. Later, researchers discovered that mental illnesses were a separate entity, and separate procedures were developed for their treatment.
