The belief in spirit, demon or jinn possession is present in many cultures, and even ICD-11 has a description for “Trance and possession disorder”. Mental disorders and jinn possession have overlapping symptoms, resulting in different diagnoses. Three non-Muslims with mental disorders were used as case studies, and they were diagnosed as having jinn possession using a newly developed jinn possession scale. The scale was initially developed for diagnosing jinn possession amongst Muslims. The diagnoses were also confirmed using ruqyah, a popular method for diagnosing jinn possession. A multi-psyche model of jinn possession helps explain the “feeling suicidal” symptom in two subjects. The symptom resulted from the inter-psyche conflict between the human psyche and the jinn psyche. With cases of mental disorders on the rise, it is recommended that patients with mental disorders are screened for jinn possession. Complementary therapy for the treatment of jinn possession in association with modern medicine can bring better therapeutic outcomes in treating mental disorders.

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Jinn possession and mental disorder have overlapping symptoms, and different therapy disciplines may diagnose those with overlapping symptoms as either mental disorder or jinn possession or both. The different approaches to psychotherapy do not recognise the existence of jinn possession and thus may be shunned by those with jinn possession. Jinn is spiritually similar to humans and is accountable for their actions. Like the human, jinn has a psyche comprising the aql (intellect faculty) and the qalb (cognitive faculty). In jinn possession, the jinn psyche exists alongside the human psyche in the human body, creating inter-psyche conflicts between both psyches. The conflicts are not limited to psychological but can also extend to physical conflicts when both psyches compete to control the human central nervous system. Therapy for jinn possession requires changing the power balance to eliminate the dominance of the jinn psyche over the human psyche. Ruqyah can weaken the jinn’s physical ability, but psychotherapy is needed to strengthen the human mind to address the inter-psyche conflicts. Using Islamic existential philosophy as an approach, a new Islamic Existential Psychotherapy (IEP) discusses both human and jinn existential issues and the conflicts between the two species. The impact of IEP on 209 patients with jinn possession, 65 of them with mental disorders, who attended a treatment retreat programme was analysed. Thus, two main themes emerged in the IEP sessions, and IEP was highly successful in changing patients’ approach to the diagnosis of jinn possession, increasing their self-esteem, higher motivation, and compliance through the understanding of inter psyche conflicts. As a result, IEP is highly suitable for the psychological intervention of jinn possession as it recognises jinn possession and addresses inter-psyche conflicts between the jinn psyche and the human psyche. It is also in harmony with the belief of Muslims and is more palatable to Muslim clients in explaining issues such as the purpose and meaning of life, guilt, grief, and coping mechanisms.

This case study looks into the treatment of endometrial cancer using al-ṭibb al-nabawī. The subject, a 55-year-old female Malay, had a medically-baffling condition but was later diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Her CA 19.9 pancreatic cancer marker had risen from 49 U/ml to 1878 U/ml, astronomically exceeding the normal 37 U/ml. She also had a hypermetabolic lesion measuring 1.0 cm × 0.8 cm with SUVmax 9.1 on the fundus of her uterus. She underwent jinn exorcism and underwent intensive al-ṭibb al-nabawī treatments for two weeks. Her health condition improved remarkably, with the CA 19.9 decreasing to 161 U/ml within a short period. The lesion was later reduced to 0.6 cm × 0.8 cm with SUVmax 2.98. This case study looks into the intensive al-ṭibb al-nabawī treatment programme that she underwent. It also aims to find alternative explanations for the cause of her endometrial cancer based on Islamic epistemology and ontology. Her rapid recovery is consistent with jinn possession as the underlying cause, and is comparable with a few other cases of jinn possession with extraordinary rapid recovery. The likely explanation is that the jinn inside her produced toxins that resulted in her endometrial cancer and extraordinarily high readings of CA 19.9. The exorcism of jinn had removed the source of the toxins, enabling supplementary food recommended by al-ṭibb al-nabawī to be effective in the healing process. The upliftment of spirituality also contributed to the extraordinary speed of recovery.