Ep. 94: Maristans and Islamic Psychology: Reviving A Groundbreaking Legacy - Rania Awaad

Dr. Rania Awaad joins the ImanWire Podcast to discuss mental health and the history of the Maristans throughout the Muslim world. Ahead of their time, these institutions of healing provided an integrated system of care treating the mind, body and soul. Rooted in the foundations of the religion itself, their innovative approach provide a model for reimagining and revitalizing health care today. Rania Awaad, M.D. is the Co-Founder and President of Maristan, a nonprofit reviving the Islamic legacy of holistic healing through spiritually and culturally congruent clinical care, education, and training. She is also a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Muslim Mental Health & Islamic Psychology Lab. Dr. Awaad is a nationally recognized speaker, award-winning teacher, researcher, and author in both the Islamic and medical sciences. She holds traditional certifications (ijaza) in Qur’an, Islamic Law, and other Islamic sciences. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction 2:09 - Human Psychology in the Qur'an and Sunnah 4:06 - Mental Health and the Objectives of the Shariah 5:02 - Majnun in the Hadith: A Treatable Condition 8:52 - Ahead of Its Time: Maristans as a Place of Healing 15:15 - A Shared Ethos Across Time and Space 17:02 - Sustainability Through Awqaf 18:27 - Holistic Healing Rooted in the Religion 19:58 - Caring for the Poor: A Central Spiritual Motivation 22:11 - The Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Framework 24:19 - Customized Sound Therapy and Engaging the Five Senses 27:26 - Talk Therapy 29:01 - Fitrah Alignment: Healing Through Architecture 35:53 -Ihsaan in Practice: The Responsibility of the Provider 39:26 - The Caregiver is the Mirror to the Patient 41:58 - Why Did Mental Illness Become Stigmatized? 47:03 - Colonization of the Mind 50:26 - Shifting Trends: Islamic Psychology and Contemporary Psychiatry 54:34 - Implementing the Maristan Model Today