Containing fright is a traditional healing remedy that is performed in Taiwanese temples to treat or cure individuals suffering from “fright”. “Fright” is a type of medical condition that is not reducible to physiological terms and may be shaped in part by psychosocial and cultural factors in the person’s environment.
The medicine involves charms such as writing, tracing, and speaking to procure knowledge from the realm of the divine. It can also include fumigation with incense and other kinds of performance until the “fright” has been dispelled or contained.
The rite was widely practiced across Taiwan in the middle of the twentieth century. Although the folk belief has gradually disappeared since political reform in the 1980’s, it is still carried out in some communities today as a powerful tool for healing based on the knowledge of previous generations.