Heal Thyself
Comparative Studies in Society and History August 6, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0010417526100577 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key findings | Argues that metaphysical healing practices persist across diverse cultures, with mindfulness promoted for national psychological health in the UK, ayahuasca experiences shaped by cultural presuppositions, Spiritualist mediums connecting visitors with spirits, and a distinction between learned and inherited shamanism that may explain social hierarchy origins. |
Abstract
Abstract Recent work on metaphysical healing practices extends William James’s observations on what he called the “mind cure.” Four titles are reviewed on the topics of mindfulness, ayahuasca use, Spiritualism, and shamanism. In the United Kingdom, advocates join forces with parliamentarians to promote mindfulness as the key to ensuring a psychologically healthy nation. At commercial ayahuasca retreats in Peru, Australia, and China, spiritual seekers have different experiences with the drug based on their cultural presuppositions and relationships to local communities. The village of Lily Dale, New York, is populated entirely by members of Spiritualist churches, especially mediums who work to communicatively connect visitors with the spirits of their deceased loved ones. Finally, an analysis of shamanism in far northern Asia identifies a significant and consequential distinction between practices in which shamanic ability is learned and open to all to cultivate and those in which it is inherited—a distinction that the author speculates is at the origin of the formation of social hierarchy. Although the topics and sites vary widely, all demonstrate the persistence of ideas and practices in which the mind is understood to be an agent of healing.