power sickness

power sickness (pawˑ·er sikˑ·ns),

n in Native American medicine, a condition that occurs when a spiritual power possesses a person who is ill, in distress, or needs to be initiated to a higher level of being. The spirit manifests in the form of fainting spells, restlessness, heavy breathing, or crying that cannot be controlled. Through the initiation of song, dance and ceremony, the affected person is taught to ‘bring out’ the spiritual power.