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900 Years Ago, Damascus Treated Mental Illness Better Than We Do | Dr. Francesca Bocca-Aldaqre

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Source: ThinkingMuslim
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  • description: Help us expand our Muslim media project here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membership Donate to our charity partner Baitulmaal here: http://btml.us/thinkingmuslim In this episode of The Thinking Muslim, we sit inside the historic Al-Nuri Bimaristan in Damascus with Dr. Francesca Bocca-Aldaqre to explore one of the most remarkable institutions in Islamic civilisation. The bimaristan was not simply a hospital. It was a place of healing that understood the human being in their entirety, body, mind, and soul. At a time when much of the world had yet to develop humane approaches to mental healthcare, Islamic civilisation had already built institutions rooted in dignity, compassion, and holistic care. Together, we explore what made the bimaristan unique, from its patient-centred design and therapeutic environment to the waqf systems that sustained it for generations. We also reflect on what Syria has lost through war, what traditional Islamic approaches to healing can still offer today, and whether these institutions can once again play a role in rebuilding a wounded society. As Syria looks toward recovery, this conversation asks an urgent question: can true reconstruction happen without healing the people themselves? Here is Dr Francesca's profile if you wish to find out more about her: Dr. Francesca Bocca-Aldaqre is a neuroscientist, Islamic psychology practitioner, and author. She’s appeared on our channel before, discussing mental health and Islamic thought — but her connection to Syria runs deeper than that. Through conversion, years of study, and a family she acquired here, Syria sits at the very heart of her Islamic psychology practice. In this episode, she explains how the very place we’re recording in today was once the crown and glory of Muslim mental health. To hear more of her work, subscribe to her channel, Islamic Psychology with Dr. Francesca: https://youtube.com/@IPwithFrancesca?si=B0Hu_9VyQ-EySwZV https://linktr.ee/francescabocca IG: https://www.instagram.com/francescabocca Become a member here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membership Or give your one-off donation here: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/donate Listen to the audio version of the podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636a Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762 Purchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on: X: https://x.com/thinking_muslim LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-thinking-muslim/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/ Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thinkingmuslim.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.com/@thinkingmuslimpodcast Find Muhammad Jalal here: X: https://twitter.com/jalalayn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jalalayns/ Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.com Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Disclaimer: The views expressed in this video are those of the individual speaker(s) and do not represent the views of the host, producers, platform, or any affiliated organisation. This content is provided for lawful, informational, and analytical purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice. Viewer discretion is advised. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:14 - Understanding the history of the bimaristan in Syria 05:39 - The patient experience: walking through the doors of the bimaristan 08:50 - The central healing of a patient: combining environment with therapy 13:14 - Who was treated in the bimaristan at its height? Understanding preservation through waqf 16:09 - What makes the funding structure unique? 18:42 - A deeper look into the mechanisms of waqf 25:10 - Music, light, and views: the duality of body and soul 27:57 - The first institution to keep systematic patient records 32:40 - What type of people became professionals in these institutions? 35:47 - Bimaristans at the height of war: treating patients with trauma 39:20 - Comparing Islamic approaches to suffering with Western psychiatric care 41:58 - What was lost when the bimaristan closed and became a museum? 44:00 - Have we moved too far from traditional Islamic care, and can we revitalise it? 46:00 - Steps to revitalise these forms of medicine within Syria 47:40 - Should revitalising these institutions be a priority for the state? Discussing poverty in Syria 50:10 - What would Nur al-Din Zengi do first? 52:32 What has the war taken away from Syria?
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