Voodoo death (psychogenic death)

Voodoo death, sometimes known as hex death, refers to the sudden death of otherwise healthy people who believe they have been cursed by a practitioner of the voodoo religion. This curse can come in the form of a direct utterance by a voodoo priest, through the use of an object believed to be cursed, or by disobeying a directive issued by a shaman. A key factor in voodoo death is the belief of the person and their close family and friends that the curse is real.

Voodoo death is most commonly associated with specific cultures in Haiti, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands, and parts of Africa and Australia. However, a similar phenomenon has been observed in other cultures.

Background

Voodoo is an overstated version of the voudon religion. It originated in West Africa and Haiti and was carried to other areas—including the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Jamaica, other parts of Africa, and parts of the United States, particularly Louisiana—as voodoo-practicing populations were enslaved and trafficked to different areas, or migrated on their own. It is unclear when voudon first began, but it is believed to be very ancient. During the 18th and 19th century, some of its followers were forcibly moved to other areas and enslaved. They brought their religion with them, sometimes incorporating aspects of Christianity through the practice of syncretism, or the merging of religious beliefs. However, some voudon practices were misunderstood or deliberately misrepresented. This gave rise to the idea of voodoo, with a much stronger focus on curses and the idea that voudon practices brought the dead back to life as zombies. Many came to refer to the religion as voodoo instead of voudon.

Voodoo’s central god is Bondye, the creator of the world and of the numerous other gods called loa that reign over various aspects of it. Those who practice voodoo believe that offering gifts and sacrifices to the loa can help with human problems such as illness and poor crops. Voodoo teaches that the soul can and does leave the body during dreams and that people can be possessed by the loa, both good and evil. Spiritual leaders known as medicine men, shamans, or witch doctors are often called upon to help with sacrifices, rituals, and removing undesirable spirits.

Voodoo priests are considered to be very powerful and are held in the highest respect. Voodoo followers generally put a great deal of faith into the rules and proclamations issued by their spiritual leaders. These rules can apply to every aspect of life, from where people can go to who they marry and what they eat. It is believed that the priest has the ability to call down the wrath of one or more loa on people who do not obey what the priest said. Voodoo followers also believe strongly in curses, or ill wishes directed from one person or group of people toward another.

Overview

Voodoo practitioners’ strong faith in curses or hexes and in the power of their priests gave rise to a phenomenon known as voodoo death. These curses and the rules of the shamans often include the threat of death. For example, a shaman might establish a rule that people cannot drink from a certain stream under penalty of death, or one party in a dispute might utter a curse against the life of the other.

By themselves, these statements cannot cause death. However, observers noted that many people who were the subject of a curse or who violated a shaman’s order would in fact die in a very short time. This sometimes would happen even if the person was otherwise healthy and there was no known reason for them to die.

Several things appear to be key to the ability of a curse or broken rule to cause voodoo death. First, the person has to be aware of the curse or be aware that they have broken a rule or violated a societal taboo. It does not appear to matter if the person broke the rule intentionally or accidentally. Second, the people around them must also believe that the person is now destined to die and act accordingly. In many cultures where voodoo is practiced, family and friends will dance and sing around the hexed person and then leave them alone to die. Death usually follows within two to three days.

The idea that a person could be killed by a curse or disobedience was largely discounted by those who do not practice voodoo until the mid-twentieth century. In 1942, American physiologist Walter B. Cannon (1871–1945) published an article entitled “Voodoo Death.” He proposed that these deaths were the result of the human nervous system’s response to the curse or disapproval of the shaman. In effect, Cannon said that the person was so convinced that they were going to die because of the threat or curse that their body responded as if they were actually dying. Ultimately, the physical responses to the mind’s acceptance of the death threat actually caused death.

Cannon’s research methods as outlined in his article were not up to contemporary standards. For example, he relied heavily on anecdotal evidence, or stories he was told about people who were cursed and died. He also included unproven hypothetical conclusions. However, his analysis of the body’s reaction to the idea of being cursed was so accurate that it formed the basis of science’s understanding of the neuro-physical reaction known as the fight-or-flight response. Cannon coined the term to refer to the collection of physical responses produced when a person is under threat. He emphasized the way the nervous system responds by directing the body to contract blood vessels, release adrenaline and additional fuel in the form of sugar, and change the lungs that prepare the person to either fight off danger or flee from it. Cannon’s theories on this topic have stood the test of time; additional research has only added to his work and increased science’s understanding of the physical processes behind the fight-or-flight response.

Scientists have observed that unexplained death after a death sentence is not limited to voodoo practitioners. It has also been noted in people who were told they have a fatal illness and given a limited time to live. In some instances, the patient’s faith in the medical diagnosis and prognosis is so strong that the person will die in a shorter time than would be expected even with their illness. Cases have also been documented when people were told they had a fatal illness and died within months even though the original diagnosis was later revealed to be a mistake. These deaths are attributed to the same neuro-physical responses to the perceived threat of death as voodoo death.

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