Jaguar medicine: a qualitative study of healing and transformation

Abstract

Shamanic practices frequently create hypnotic-like states, with altered states of consciousness, heightened suggestibility, and a perception of an abundance of meaning in everyday events. Jaguar medicine (JM) is a form of shamanic healing with roots in the indigenous cultures of South and Central America. Recent years have seen increasing interest in translating shamanic practices for use in North American community settings, for emotional and spiritual healing and life transformation. This study examines the experiences of five individuals who participated weekly for five weeks in 5-h-long seminars in 2011 in North Carolina. For one-year thereafter the participants continued to gather monthly to deepen their experience and knowledge of JM. The researchers implemented a qualitative research design, utilizing semi-structured interviews. Case narrative and thematic analysis (TA) provided an excellent qualitative base for acquiring knowledge about the transformative healing experience of the participants. The case narratives described the participants’ responses to the research questions. TA was used for the cross-case analysis. Results presented in the form of a cross-case TA identified two sections: (a) Participants and their perceptions of JM (early history of suffering, exploring spirituality, insight into JM, and principles of JM), and (b) Experiences of healing and transformations through JM (connectedness, dreams and stories, healing and transformation, and new directions in life). The identified themes emerged consistently across the interviews and elucidated participants’ processes of healing and transformation during and after the JM seminars. Case narratives will be presented in a later article.