Entre espiritualidade, corpo e cura: uma etnografia sensorial da apometria

Abstract

This dissertation focused on a sensory ethnography of Apometry, exploring the complex intersection between spirituality, body, and healing in the context of the apometric group “Amor e Caridade” in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. The core of the investigation was to uncover how this practice establishes itself as a “technique” rather than a religion, and how it produces healing and meaning in a hybrid field that challenges and, at the same time, reinforces the boundaries between scientific discourse and spiritual beliefs. The analysis focused on spiritual therapies and the meanings attributed to the body, illness, and health by mediums and patients, revealing a coherent and effective belief system for its practitioners. To capture the immaterial and experiential nature of Apometry, the research adopted an ethnographic approach marked by sensory ethnography and the concept of affectation. Methods such as ethnographic drawing and conversation circles were essential for describing the field, constructing a dense and polyphonic description, valuing the interlocutors' point of view. Theoretically, the analysis broke with Cartesian dualism by considering the body not only as a biological object, but as the main instrument of healing and the site of spiritual experience, manifested in the complex conception of the body within Apometry. Apometry thus establishes itself as a valuable object of study for the ongoing dialogue about the tensions and complementarities between science and belief, demonstrating the importance