Latah - Cultural Bound Syndrome

[Neeranam]

Latah is a 'startle disorder' that involves a person acting strangely after a shock - dancing, mimicking others, laughing etc. Seemingly common to Thailand and some other SE Asian nations. I saw a woman dancing like a go go girl last night on the street in Khon Kaen. She was doing the pelvic thrust style moves. It looked like she had fallen off her motorcycle. Weird I know - I don't think she was drunk and was too fat/old/ugly to be a real gogo girl. Ever seen this?

Edited July 12, 2014 by Neeranam

[mrtoad]

I have seen similar, but not specifically Latah. Interesting , time for some more reading on the different syndromes.

[opalred]

yes have seen and was told by thais a bad spirit enters body and cannt control yourself and can happen to anyone

i was in cm one day an elderly lady was rolling around on road hitting her head on kerb i held here arms to stop here

till medics came she was as strong as 3people thats when they told me what happens cheers

[Seastallion]

Had to refer to Wiki for latah. Bizarre.

At first I thought it was the same as what happened to one of my wife's students last week, but Wiki disabused me of that notion.

The student studies English, and apparently knows no Chinese. In class, all of a sudden slumped over as if asleep, then woke and started speaking in Chinese, and couldn't understand Thai. The Chinese Language teacher was called in, and she (the teacher) was startled as she said the girl was fluent and that it was very formal old fashioned Mandarin.

Of course the conclusion was that the girl was possessed by a Chinese spirit.

(i just went and asked for an update; Apparently she snapped out of her possession ten minutes later, and everything was back to normal. A non-event, forgotten.)

[Neeranam]

Had to refer to Wiki for latah. Bizarre.

At first I thought it was the same as what happened to one of my wife's students last week, but Wiki disabused me of that notion.

The student studies English, and apparently knows no Chinese. In class, all of a sudden slumped over as if asleep, then woke and started speaking in Chinese, and couldn't understand Thai. The Chinese Language teacher was called in, and she (the teacher) was startled as she said the girl was fluent and that it was very formal old fashioned Mandarin.

Of course the conclusion was that the girl was possessed by a Chinese spirit.

(i just went and asked for an update; Apparently she snapped out of her possession ten minutes later, and everything was back to normal. A non-event, forgotten.)

Interesting, would you say she had a mental disorder or was in fact possessed?

[thehelmsman]

Her way of getting rid of the demons within.

[onionluke]

One of my uncle's up country was possed by spirit and had to go the wat .

[h90]

Had to refer to Wiki for latah. Bizarre.

At first I thought it was the same as what happened to one of my wife's students last week, but Wiki disabused me of that notion.

The student studies English, and apparently knows no Chinese. In class, all of a sudden slumped over as if asleep, then woke and started speaking in Chinese, and couldn't understand Thai. The Chinese Language teacher was called in, and she (the teacher) was startled as she said the girl was fluent and that it was very formal old fashioned Mandarin.

Of course the conclusion was that the girl was possessed by a Chinese spirit.

(i just went and asked for an update; Apparently she snapped out of her possession ten minutes later, and everything was back to normal. A non-event, forgotten.)

impossible hoax story, either she learned Chinese, even years ago or not. But there is no magic that can put the language into your brain.

Most probably she had a Chinese grandmother......

[Neeranam]

Had to refer to Wiki for latah. Bizarre.

At first I thought it was the same as what happened to one of my wife's students last week, but Wiki disabused me of that notion.

The student studies English, and apparently knows no Chinese. In class, all of a sudden slumped over as if asleep, then woke and started speaking in Chinese, and couldn't understand Thai. The Chinese Language teacher was called in, and she (the teacher) was startled as she said the girl was fluent and that it was very formal old fashioned Mandarin.

Of course the conclusion was that the girl was possessed by a Chinese spirit.

(i just went and asked for an update; Apparently she snapped out of her possession ten minutes later, and everything was back to normal. A non-event, forgotten.)

impossible hoax story, either she learned Chinese, even years ago or not. But there is no magic that can put the language into your brain.

Most probably she had a Chinese grandmother......

Why impossible? May have been Chinese in a previous life. More than half the world believe in reincarnation.

[Seastallion]

Had to refer to Wiki for latah. Bizarre.

At first I thought it was the same as what happened to one of my wife's students last week, but Wiki disabused me of that notion.

The student studies English, and apparently knows no Chinese. In class, all of a sudden slumped over as if asleep, then woke and started speaking in Chinese, and couldn't understand Thai. The Chinese Language teacher was called in, and she (the teacher) was startled as she said the girl was fluent and that it was very formal old fashioned Mandarin.

Of course the conclusion was that the girl was possessed by a Chinese spirit.

(i just went and asked for an update; Apparently she snapped out of her possession ten minutes later, and everything was back to normal. A non-event, forgotten.)

Interesting, would you say she had a mental disorder or was in fact possessed?

Being an atheist (although somewhat spiritual, if that's not a contradiction), I do not put much store in possession in the sense of an actual spirit entering a person. However if we define "spirit" as not an ethereal entity but a product of the mind, then I could say both mental disorder AND possession.

However, I think she, as has been mentioned, probably had a Chinese grandma, learnt the language subliminally as a child, and had some sort of brain storm in class.

Having said that, then I suppose she did have a minor, temporary mental dysfunction.

[TheFishman1]

No

[submaniac]

Ooooh, the Chinese language one is interesting. My vote would be for spirit possession. Anyways, here's a wikipedia article entry on xenoglossy which is the name for the phenomenon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoglossy

[evadgib]

Residents of Koh Phangan observe a 'synchronized Mr Bean' phenomena affecting thousands per month @ Haad Rin

Edited July 13, 2014 by evadgib