Giovanni Maciocia Lecture on GUI: Ghosts and Spirits in Chinese Medicine
Gui has appeared consistently in the Chinese medicine discourse over many centuries. Gui are the souls of dead people wandering in the realm of after-life. In ancient times, the main aetiological factor of diseases was invasion of gui. People fell ill because of invasion of gui. Indeed, the acupuncture vocabulary reflects this in many of its terms.
The talk will introduce the concept of Gui in its historical context first; it will then explore possible modern psychological interpretations of the concept of Gui and their clinical application.