Form of transcendence in sports. Suggestion from Hollywood

Lifestyle sport practitioners experience forms of transcendence, altered perception, and connection with nature that can be meaningfully interpreted through concepts associated with shamanic practice. Drawing on Roger Caillois' taxonomy, the paper identifies experiential and symbolic parallels between sport and shamanism, focusing on fandom, vertigo-oriented practices, and spiritualized imagery in extreme sports. An exploratory quantitative survey of master's students in shamanic studies investigates perceived overlaps between shamanic experience and sporting activity, particularly regarding transcendence, flow-like states, inner transformation, and embodied engagement with natural environments. The work proposes a new line of inquiry into how transcendence, ritualization, and ecological attunement shape contemporary sports practices.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper examines how lifestyle sport practitioners experience forms of transcendence, altered perception, and connection with nature, and considers whether these experiences can be meaningfully interpreted through concepts associated with shamanic practice. Drawing on Roger Caillois’ taxonomy, it explores how elements of ritual, ecstasy, and symbolic imagination appear within contemporary sporting contexts. The first section reviews classical scholarship and journalistic sources to identify experiential and symbolic parallels between sport and shamanism, with particular attention to fandom, practices oriented toward the pursuit of vertigo, and the spiritualised imagery of some lifestyle and extreme sports. The second part presents an exploratory quantitative study administered to participants of a master’s program in shamanic studies. The survey investigates perceptions of overlap between shamanic experience and sporting activity, especially regarding transcendence, flow-like states, inner transformation, and embodied engagement with natural environments. The aim of the paper is to contribute to lifestyle sport studies by proposing a new line of inquiry into how transcendence, ritualisation, and ecological attunement shape contemporary sports practices, particularly in extreme or highly symbolised disciplines.