Rates of mental illness are on the rise across the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every one in five people will experience it within a given year.

But mainstream talk therapy doesn't work for everyone, especially if your culture looks down on it.

Like Latinos.

I hate to say it,

but the stigma around one of us seeking mental health services is real.

But we also have an alternative, traditional healing methods,

and more and more people are seeking them.

I'm Gustavariano. You're listening to the Times.

Essential news from the LA Times.

It's Friday, April 7, 2003.

Today, we look at Curanderas and Curanderos,

healers who draw from indigenous traditions to treat not only the mind, but also the body and spirit.

Karen Garcia is a reporter on the LA Times' utility journalism team.

Karen, welcome to the Times.

Thanks.

So before we really get into this, we should probably offer some definitions for listeners.

So when people talk about traditional

healing, what do they mean in general? Traditional healing is practiced by folks who are guided by their

ancestors, their elders, and sometimes generational teaching. Sometimes it's a mix of all three.

And their service is to heal people, specifically the people in their communities.

So this method of healing is focusing on the whole of the person, the mind, the body, and the

...