What Is Shamanism?
The origins of shamanism go back to Stone Age times, making it the oldest of all
healing therapies. All over the world, evidence from ancient cave drawings and sim-
ilar records support the conclusions that indigenous peoples shared a similar under-
standing of how the universe works, how to maintain health and strength, how to
cope with serious illness, and how to deal with the trauma of death. One of the most
remarkable aspects of shamanism is that concepts and treatment methods are simi-
lar in widely separated and remote parts of the planet among peoples isolated from
one another. Anthropologists have studied shamanism in North, Central, and South
America, Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bali, Tibet, Korea, Siberia, and
across Europe, and found that shamans functioned fundamentally in much the
same way and with similar techniques worldwide. The basic uniformity suggests
that, through trial and error, people arrived at the same conclusions.
Today, shamanism survives in less “developed” regions of the world in spite of the
advent of Western scientific medicine. The field of holistic medicine is reclaiming
many techniques long practiced in shamanism, such as visualization, altered state
of consciousness, hypnotherapy, meditation, positive attitude, and stress reduction.
Shamanic healing is rapidly gaining popularity among urban Americans as people
turn back to the old cultures for help and guidance in finding a better balance with
nature and with themselves. Shamanic practice and biomedical treatment are not in
conflict. Contemporary shamans are perfectly willing to have their patients see a
conventional physician, because the primary goal is wellness. Any kind of techno-
logical treatment or medication that will contribute to the strength of the patient is
welcomed.Becoming a Shaman
People discover in a wide variety of ways that their purpose in life is to become a
shaman. Often potential healers have prophetic dreams about their future calling.
The dream may even include details about locating a teacher and the length of the
training. In some cases, people are led to shamanism through personal and private
mystical experiences, while in other cases, they are drawn from the ranks of cured
patients.
The journey from apprentice to shaman is illustrated in the following example of
Native American shamans. The first step is “embracing personal history.” This
process includes working through old traumas, fears, anger, hate, abandonment,
betrayals, and wounds. The purpose is to heal the emotions so that one is no longer
controlled by them but rather, consciously guided by feelings. The second step is260 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE