The Narrative Effects of Shamanic Mythology in Palliative Care
Alfonso Santarpia, T. Ricci, Glenn Meuche, Nadia Gamberini, Mireille Destandau
Journal of Humanistic Psychology May 28, 2018 DOI: 10.1177/0022167818777055 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A single psycho-oncology patient (Mrs. AA) undergoing end-of-life experience |
| Measures | T-LAB software linguistic analysis |
| Topics | End-of-life distress Shamanism |
| Key findings | The authors suggest that shamanic sessions enabled the patient to produce a larger and more singular narrative about her end-of-life experience, shifting from an initial narrative position of 'the acute consciousness of finiteness' to an emergent position based on 'consciousness of an interdependence/interconnection in all human and spiritual relationships.' |
Abstract
We make meaning of disease, suffering, and death through narrative, by telling a story. In a therapeutic narrative approach, this article explores the influence of shamanic intervention in psycho-oncology. This qualitative study seeks to present the narrative effects of detailed shamanic sessions (the use of the drum and telling and interpreting visions according to the shamanic mythology) in the context of psycho-oncological treatment. In particular, the narrative positions of a patient (Mrs. AA) are described (using a software linguistic analysis, T-LAB) as they occurred before and after shamanistic sessions. The authors suggested that the shamanism sessions enabled Mrs. AA to produce a larger and more singular narrative about her end-of-life experience: from the initial narrative position of feeling “the acute consciousness of finiteness” to an emergent narrative position based on “consciousness of an interdependence/interconnection in all human and spiritual relationships.”
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on end-of-life distress, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Nature Communications July 18, 2016
- Shamanism as a healing paradigm for complementary therapy. Complementary therapies in nursing & midwifery August 1, 2001
- An Assessment of Contextual Mediation in Trance States of Shamanic Journeys Perceptual and Motor Skills August 1, 1997
- shamanism and schizophrenia: a state‐specific approach to the “schizophrenia metaphor” of shamanic states American Ethnologist August 1, 1983