A Shaman's Cure: The Relationship Between Altered States of Consciousness and Shamanic Healing1
Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-3537.2009.01016.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Nepalese shamans and their patients |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness Shamanism |
| Citations | 23 |
| Key findings | The shaman's altered state of consciousness contributes to therapeutic changes in the patient through patient-healer interactions, not just through the shaman's internal psychological state. |
Abstract
ABSTRACTThis study, which is based upon ethnographic data collected between 1999 and 2008 in Nepal, examines the connection between the shaman's altered states of consciousness (ASC; i.e., what goes on inside the healer's mind/brain) and therapeutic changes that take place in the patient's mind/body. Unlike other studies that primarily emphasize the shaman's internal psychological state, this article attempts to explain the role of the healer's ASC and elucidate how desired therapeutic changes depend upon patient–healer interactions. This question is explored in the context of a healing ritual highlighting various aspects of the cosmology of Nepalese shamans.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Plantas con madre": plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon. Curanderos, apprentices, and herbalists in East-Central Peru, including Mestizo,... | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 36 |
| Purging and the body in the therapeutic use of ayahuasca Healers and participants in shamanic tourism contexts of the Peruvian Amazon and... | 2019 | Ethnography with literature review | n = 227 |
| The Globalization of Ayahuasca Shamanism and the Erasure of Indigenous Shamanism Western tourists and indigenous peoples in Iquitos, Peru | 2016 | Ethnography | |
| Shamanism and Rock Art in Far Western North America Historic hunter-gatherer cultures of California and the Great Basin | 1992 | Ethnographic review and analysis | |
| Working with “La Medicina”: Elements of Healing in Contemporary Ayahuasca Rituals Ayahuasqueros and Western participants in shamanic tourism in Iquitos, Peru | 2012 | Ethnography |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Conceptual Systems Theory: A Neglected Perspective for the Anthropology of Consciousness Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2017
- Changes in high-order interaction measures of synergy and redundancy during non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by meditation, hypnosis, and auto-induced cognitive trance. Neuroimage June 1, 2024
- Hypnosis, Meditation, and Self-Induced Cognitive Trance to Improve Post-treatment Oncological Patients' Quality of Life: Study Protocol. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
- Spirit possession, mental suffering, and treatment by theurgic flight anthropological study of a culture-bound syndrome among the Turkmens of Iran Culture & Psychology March 3, 2022
- Shamanic Imagery and Ritual Experience: An Empirical Study of Emotions, Beliefs, and States of Consciousness Religions July 11, 2025
and 6 more in the library