Trance and Shamanic Cure on the South American Continent: Psychopharmacological and Neurobiological Interpretations
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2010 Francois Blanc
ABSTRACTThis article examines the neurobiological basis of the healing power attributed to shamanic practices in the Andes and Brazil in light of the pharmacology of neurotransmitters and the new technological explorations of brain functioning. The psychotropic plants used in shamanic psychiatric cures interfere selectively with the intrinsic neuromediators of the brain. Mainly they may alter:...