Quantum physics, spirituality, and Sámi traditional healing – An interview study
Jing Liu-Helmersson, Helene Lindmark, Annette Andersson
Journal for the Study of Spirituality September 2, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/20440243.2026.2681671 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | Healers from North Sweden, three with Sámi background |
| Key findings | The authors propose that quantum entanglement and complex spacetime can explain Sámi healing, identifying connections between healer and healee and between healer and high spirits. They suggest healers enter a quantum state of mind that allows extrasensory perception, and that healing is a mind-matter interaction mediated by spirits or the healer's mental state. |
Abstract
This study attempts to use quantum physics to understand spirituality in Sámi traditional healing. Sámi are Indigenous people from Arctic Europe. Research methods include a theoretical model and an in-depth interview study with five healers from North Sweden (three have a Sámi background/blood). The theoretical model is based on two physics concepts: quantum entanglement and complex spacetime. We live in an eight-dimensional complex spacetime. The imaginary spacetime is full of consciousness and information. A strong desire to heal or to be healed establishes human entanglement. Informants described that to be a healer, one needs to be in the present, have a strong faith, and be an instrument to be guided by his/her high spirit(s) (God, Jesus, or ancestor healers). We found that (1) there exist two strong connections: healer – healee, healer – high spirit(s), (2) spirituality is part of the healing process, (3) all healers entered a relaxed or altered state of mind, which we suggest is the quantum state of mind. It allows the healer to tap into the imaginary spacetime to get information about his/her healee – extrasensory perceptions. Healing, a mind-matter interaction, is mediated by either healer’s high spirit(s) (‘doing’) or the healer’s mental state, a therapeutically entangled state (‘being’).