Shamanism: Addiction and Soul Sickness

Abstract

The path of healing, self-discovery, and tackling the existential questions as to why people use drugs is addressed in this chapter. The chapter outlines the healing concepts within the Quero tradition, as these peoples were direct descendants of the Inca from ancient Andean Peru. The cosmology and oral traditions through healing motifs are timeless irrespective of cultural and chronological differences. The case examples serve as an ideal platform to launch this chapter on healing and the shamanic path in addiction treatment. Exploration of time, space, relativity, quantum physics—and their interconnectivity to the healing path—are explored. As a valuable addition to the classic approach to addiction and recovery, this chapter conforms to the whole person spiritual approaches available through medical anthropology cultural exploration: in this case, the Inca descendants, the Quero and their wisdom healing traditions.