Healing is a cultural system.
It is a system of interrelated attitudes, motivations, theories, beliefs and practices. This system is called a cultural one because its constituent ingredients differ from one group to another, just as worldviews, artistic styles, moral sensibilities, religions, social structures and socioeconomic situations differ. The main cultural track is African-American healing systems, and especially healing in Haiti. Focus on one family of healing beliefs and practices is necessary in order to have the depth of exposure needed to see the complexity of the issues involved in healing. Yet there will also be comparisons between African-American material and material drawn from a range of other cultures.