Skip to content

Long-term outcomes of shamanic treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders.

Nancy H Vuckovic, Louise A Williams, Jennifer Schneider, Michelle Ramirez, Christina M Gullion

The Permanente Journal 2012 DOI: 10.7812/tpp/12-004 (opens in new tab)

Read Full Text
Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Phase I feasibility and efficacy study with longitudinal follow-up Qualitative Peer reviewed
Sample size 23
Population Women aged 25 to 55 diagnosed with TMD
Intervention shamanic healing
Duration 9-month follow-up
Topics Shamanism
Citations 13
Key findings Improvements in pain and functional impairment reported at end of treatment did not change during the 9 months after treatment ended.

Abstract

Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are chronic, often refractory, pain conditions affecting the jaw and face. Patients least likely to respond to allopathic treatment have the most marked biologic responsiveness to external stressors and concomitant psychosocial and emotional difficulties. From a shamanic healing perspective, this describes individuals who are thought to be "dispirited" and may benefit from this ancient form of spiritual healing. To report on the long-term quantitative and qualitative outcomes relative to end-of-treatment status of a phase I study that evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of shamanic healing for people with TMDs. Participants were contacted by telephone at one, three, six, and nine months after treatment and asked to report pain and disability outcomes and qualitative feedback. Portland, OR. Twenty-three women aged 25 to 55 years diagnosed with TMD. Participants rated their TMD-related pain and disability (on the TMD Research Diagnostic Criteria Axis II Pain Related Disability and Psychological Status Scale) at each follow-up call and were asked to describe their condition qualitatively. Improvements in usual pain, worst pain, and functional impairment reported at end of treatment did not change during the 9 months after treatment ended (p > 0.18). Shamanic healing had lasting effects on TMDs in this small cohort of women.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on shamanism, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Ayahuasca Tourism: Participants in Shamanic Rituals and their Personality Styles, Motivation, Benefits and Risks Foreigners who traveled to South America to use ayahuasca 2015 Observational study n = 77
Examining changes in personality following shamanic ceremonial use of ayahuasca. Participants from three ayahuasca healing and spiritual centers in South and Central... 2021 Observational cohort n = 256
New mescaline concentrations from 14 taxa/cultivars of Echinopsis spp. (Cactaceae) (“San Pedro”) and their relevance to shamanic practice 14 taxa/cultivars of Echinopsis (Cactaceae) subgenus Trichocereus 2010 Observational study n = 14
Neural Correlates of the Shamanic State of Consciousness Shamanic practitioners and healthy controls 2021 Observational cohort n = 48
The experience of altered states of consciousness in shamanic ritual: the role of pre-existing beliefs and affective factors. Participants in a sweat lodge ceremony 2010 Observational study n = 55

Citations in the library

Cited by 6

and 1 more in the library

Cites 5

Related reading

Explore topics

Shamanism