SAĞALTMA OCAKLARININ KİMLİK İNŞASINDA RÜYA
DREAM IN IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION OF HEALING CENTRES

Summary/Abstract: Occupying a pivotal position in Turkish life prior to Islam, folk healers or shamans, were subjected to disintegration in their tasks they took over subsequent to conversion to Islam. Many tasks carried out by these folk healers began to be conducted by other individuals dubbed different names as an outcome of the socio-cultural conditions emerging from the newly adopted religion and accordingly. One of their foremost missions was to heal diseases. In this respect, the folk healers given different names overtook the medical missions carried out by these shamans. Healing centres has had a pivotal role within Turkish folk medicine. Healing one or more diseases benefitting heavily from religious-magical powers like shamans, these clinics acquired their healing powers through various means, one of which is dreams. Having significant functions and roles in different religions and cultures, dreams represented an initiation of these centres’ healing authority acquisition as well as being an introduction to shamanism and devotion to god. Dreams in the tradition of folk medicine centres earned individuals an identity, informed him about his entitlement to healing profession, unearthed the innate healing ability he acquired consciously or unconsciously, reinforced and endorsed his healing powers and got his the authority of these capabilities, thereby enhancing his dignity in the eye of the society.

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