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rootwork

n. a cultural or folk health belief system, common in the southern United States and the Caribbean, that attributes illness to witchcraft, hexing, voodoo, or spells (i.e., “roots”). The individual displays intense fear, symptoms of anxiety, and related somatic complaints and typically remains in this state until a traditional healer, called a root doctor, ostensibly removes the root. Also called brujeria; mal puesto.

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Psychology term of the day

February 20th 2025

tickle experience

tickle experience

a sensation produced by impulses from adjacent skin receptors that are stimulated lightly in rapid succession. It is assumed that the receptors involved are also responsible for the sensations of itch and pain and that the method of stimulation accounts for the different sensations.