Neuroanthropology of shamanic trance: a case study with a ritual specialist from Mexico.
Hugo Toriz, Antonella Fagetti, Guadalupe Terán-pérez, Roberto E. Mercadillo
Frontiers in Psychology 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1325188 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 81-year-old Mexican shaman |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Keywords | Consciousness Divination Electroencephalography Limpia Neuroanthropology Trance |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Electroencephalographic recordings during shamanic activities showed alpha activity during concentration and predominant beta and gamma oscillations, suggesting a hypnagogic-like state and a plastic phenomenon integrating mnemonic, sensory, and imaginative elements. |
Abstract
In Mexico, shamans are recognized for the gift of entering a deep trance that allows them to know the origin of the diseases and conflicts that afflict people. They commonly treat patients through limpias (cleansing) to extract negative elements sent by a witch or that were "collected" in places that harbor "evil winds." We present a case study of an 81-year-old Mexican shaman who noticed her gift in childhood. Electroencephalographic recordings were made while the shaman performed three activities: reading cards to diagnose a patient and answer the questions he posed; limpia with chicken eggs, stones, and bells to absorb adverse "things"; and the incorporation trance through which the deceased is believed to occupy the shaman's body to use it as a communication channel. Alpha activity was observed when concentrated, suggesting a hypnagogic-like state. Predominant beta and gamma oscillations were observed, suggesting a potential plastic phenomenon that modulates the assimilation of external and internal referents guiding temporal schemes for action, attention, and the integration of mnemonic, sensory, and imaginative elements. We used a neuroanthropological approach to understand shamanic trance as a biological potential of the human brain to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness linked to cultural beliefs and practices.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain changes during a shamanic trance: Altered modes of consciousness, hemispheric laterality, and systemic psychobiology A normal subject with extensive training in the Mongolian shamanic tradition | 2017 | Case study | n = 1 |
| The Diaspora of Brazilian Religions | 2013 | Ethnographic case studies | |
| Transformation in Dang-ki Healing: The Embodied Self and Perceived Legitimacy. A male dang-ki, 10 temple assistants, and 9 clients at a shrine in Singapore | 2016 | Case study | n = 20 |
| (Neo)Shamanic Dialogues Members of a Guarani Indian village on the Atlantic coast of Santa Catarina, Brazil | 2012 | Case study | |
| Kambô: A Shamanic Medicine - Personal Testimonies | 2018 | Case study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The rhythms of trance: Cultural phenomenology and neural mechanisms of music-induced non-ordinary states of consciousness. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews July 1, 2026
- États modifiés de la conscience : Revue systématique PRISMA et preuve de concept Cortica December 15, 2025
- Brain activity and the production of written text during mediumistic trance: A controlled EEG study. PLoS One 2026
Cites 8
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- The Unmaking and Making of Self: Embodied Suffering and Mind–Body Healing in Brazilian Candomblé Ethos August 4, 2010
- Voluntary Out-of-Body Experience: An fMRI Study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Shamanism and Altered States of Consciousness: An Introduction Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 1989
- Is Hypnotic Induction Necessary to Experience Hypnosis and Responsible for Changes in Brain Activity? Brain Sciences May 29, 2023
and 3 more in the library