Indigenous Treatments: Shamans

Holistic Approach

Most traditional healers make little distinction between physical and mental well-being. Many shamans perceive human distress as an indication that a person has fallen out of harmony with both the internal and external environment. Therefore, shamans may be consulted for a wide range of physical and emotional issues, which are often treated in a holistic manner.

Nonordinary Reality

In many indigenous helping systems, shamans believe in multiple levels of human experience, which often include a spirit world, where it is believed that answers to human destiny can be discerned. Shamans will generally “journey” to these other levels of reality on behalf of others to find answers to their problems. During the journey, the shaman will enter an altered state of consciousness. Indigenous healers in some cultures induce this altered state with drugs, whereas others use a monotonous percussive sound, such as the steady beating of a drum.

Emphasis on the Psychospiritual Realm of Personality

Shamanic helping activities usually focus on the realm of personality that transcends thoughts, feelings, and actions to arrive at a spiritual domain of consciousness. Shamans consider this personality domain to be the seat of the soul. Helping or healing practices, therefore, often involve religious or spiritual rituals that invoke higher powers or forces for assistance with problem resolution or decision making.

The shamanic tradition can be observed in the ancient helping practices of individuals throughout the world who are acknowledged as healers within their communities. For example, in Korea, shamans called mudangs are traditional healers who use sorcery to chase out demons or evil spirits believed to be in possession of an individual. In many Islamic countries, piris and fakirs are religious leaders within the Muslim faith who use verses from the Koran to treat illness. Similarly, in Mexico, the shamanic tradition is carried on by curandero/as, healers who use herbalism to alleviate suffering.