Abstract
Spirituality and healing are two distinct realities in form and nature. While healing deals
practically with physical bodily disorders, spirituality concerns the sacred and the supernatural
aspects of human life. The study is devoted to the uncommon relationship between spirituality
and healing and the effects of this relationship which have become a common phenomenon in
many developing countries and which have contributed to both the physical and spiritual
developments of many persons. It is aimed at examining connections between healing and
spirituality among the Akan in Ghana, and to identify changes in traditional healing since the
introduction of western-based healing practices. With this purpose, the research improves health
care by resurging and re-instating indigenous spiritual meanings to healing and the work of
traditional healers which has for many years aided the promotion of holistic health among the
Akan people. Significantly, the research intensifies the relevance of spirituality in both
traditional and modern healing, even as modern healers (conventional medicine) seem to
dominate general health care delivery in Ghana. The research description being focused on a
culturalist approach employed the method of ‘thick descriptions’ allowed the researcher to
explain not just the spiritual behavior, but its context as well, such that the behavior becomes
meaningful to an outsider. This method allowed an in-depth interpretation of the Akan
spirituality and culture. The research revealed that Akan spirituality is inseparable from
traditional medicine and is a conscious phenomenon in modern medicine as well. It establishes
the fact that healing is both a physical and spiritual activity. Significantly, the study revealed that
Akan spirituality enhances coping and quality of life during illness; it is a source of identity,
meaning, purpose, hope and transcendence, and can mitigate the uncertainties of illness
