Indigenous Healing Practices and Psychological Therapy Integration in Southern Nigerian Communities: An Ethnopsychological Theory Development Study

The integration of indigenous healing practices with Western psychological therapy in Nigeria represents both a clinical necessity and a theoretical challenge, as the epistemological frameworks of biomedical psychology and traditional healing in Southern Nigerian communities diverge in fundamental ways. This study develops an original theory of indigenous healing and psychological therapy integration in Southern Nigerian communities through a multi-phase ethnopsychological investigation. Phase 1 conducts 12-month participant observation at indigenous healer practice sites in Anambra State and Cross River State, documenting healing rituals, explanatory models of illness, and therapeutic mechanisms. Phase 2 applies 60 in-depth interviews with traditional healers, community members, and mental health clinicians. Phase 3 tests the theoretical integration model through focus groups exploring how integrated care is actually experienced by 80 community members who have accessed both healing traditions. Ethnopsychological analysis using Nelson's Indigenous Psychology Framework and Kleinman's Explanatory Models of Illness provide the analytical reference alongside Decolonial Psychology Theory. The original contribution is an Ethnopsychological Integration Framework specifying the conditions and mechanisms under which indigenous healing and psychological therapy can be ethically and effectively combined in Southern Nigerian mental health practice. This addresses a critical theoretical gap in the global literature on pluralistic mental health care. Findings will guide policy on integrative mental health service development in Nigeria's Southern zones. Keywords: indigenous healing, psychological therapy integration, ethnopsychology, Southern Nigeria, cultural mental health.