Shamanic Healing Ceremonies, Hypnosis and the Survival of the Suggestibles

Shamanic rituals share the same stages—induction, deepening, suggestion, and enactment—as modern hypnosis. Shamans claim to gain information through visions and journeys, which they use to heal community members. Tribal members who did not respond to shamanic treatment may have lacked the ability to mobilize self-healing, so their genes were rarely passed on. Contemporary humans retain adaptive traits like responding to placebos, suggestion, imagination, and hypnotic induction, which likely originated in prehistoric shamanism.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Shamanic rituals typically consist of induction, deepening, suggestion, and enactment, the same stages that characterize most forms of contemporary hypnosis. Shamans claim to obtain information in ways not typically available to their peers, such as “visions” and “journeys.” They use this information to help and to heal community members. Tribal members who did not respond to the shaman’s treatment may have lacked the ability to mobilize their self-healing processes, thus their genes would rarely be passed down to future generations. Contemporary humans are able to respond to placebos, suggestion, imagination, hypnotic induction, and other adaptive traits that had their origins in prehistoric shamanism.