Shamanism: The "Wounded Healer"
The Primitive Mind and Modern Man December 30, 2010 DOI: 10.2174/978160805087111001010095 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Argues that shamanism is a widespread healing discipline grounded in animism, where shamans treat mind, body, and spirit as a unit and attribute illness to supernatural causes including taboo violations, possession, sorcery, or ancestral ghosts. |
Abstract
Shamanism is a widespread healing discipline, grounded in animism. Healing, divination, rain-making and settling disputes are among the shaman’s duties. Many people rely on shamans for primary health care and spiritual guidance. The mind, body and spirit are treated as a unit by shamans. The shaman will seek to determine the supernatural cause of an illness. This can be anything from the violation of a taboo or some other transgression against the supernatural world, possession by an evil spirit, sorcery practiced by an enemy, or the actions of an offended ancestral ghost.