What You Need to Know about Shamanism – Part 7

Ed. Note: This article is part of our "Various Views of Jesus"

[Extracted from the authors’ book, Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1995)]

Reader advisory: Some themes and descriptions in this article may be difficult to read. Approach with caution.

Shamanism in Contemporary Medicine

The influence of shamanism in contemporary medicine is significant. As leading American shaman Michael Harner says, “The burgeoning field of holistic medicine shows a tremendous amount of experimentation involving the reinvention of many techniques long practiced in shamanism, such as visualization, altered states of consciousness, aspects of psychoanalysis, hypnotherapy, meditation.”^[1]

Traditional Shamanism vs. Integrated Medical Practices

Shamanistic medicine per se may involve either a traditional approach, which is entirely occult and opposed to the scientific principles of modern health care, or it may involve a blending of the techniques of ancient shamanism with modern science and medicine. In the former, Rolling Thunder observes it is always true that “the healing comes from the spirit world.”^[2] Concerning the latter, Harner, who has personally trained many orthodox physicians to accept shamanistic methods into their practice, comments:

“In fact, in some hospitals... visits by native healers are being increasingly encouraged as the Western medical staff becomes more aware of the benefits produced and there is no conflict between shamanic practice and modern medical treatment. Every North or South American Indian shaman I have ever asked about this matter has agreed there is no competition whatsoever. Jivaro shamans [into which Harner was initiated] are perfectly willing to have their patients go to see a missionary doctor, for example.... One day, and I hope it will be soon, a modern version of the shaman will work side-by-side with orthodox Western physicians. In fact, this is already starting to take place.”^[3]

Examples of Shamanic Techniques in Healthcare

One example of the incorporation of shamanistic techniques into modern medical health care can be found in O. Carl Simonton, Stephanie Matthews-Simonton, and James Creighton’s Getting Well Again: A Step by Step Self Help Guide to Overcoming Cancer for Patients and Their Families.^[4] This book not only incorporates several shamanistic techniques, it also encourages patients to contact their own “inner guide” or “power animal.”

Another illustration is the book by psychologist Dr. Alberto Villoldo and noted parapsychologist Dr. Stanley Krippner, Healing States: A Journey into the World of Spiritual Healing and Shamanism.^[5] They propose the adoption of a shamanistic worldview, the acceptance of shamanistic practice, and the integration of shamanism and modern medicine.^[6] Indeed, in the United States, the AMA has followed the trend:

“In 1980 the American Medical Association revised its code of ethics and gave physicians permission to consult with, take referrals from, and make referrals to practitioners without orthodox medical training. This move opened the way for physicians to initiate some degree of cooperation with shamans, herbalists, spiritists, homeopaths, and other non-allopathic practitioners.”^[8]

The Essence of Shamanic Healing: Spiritism

Not surprisingly, then, shamanistic techniques are now increasingly used at modern medical health centers. Jeanne Achterberg, director of research and rehabilitation science at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas, revealed how easy it is for practitioners to incorporate these techniques. But however else she conceptualized it, she conceded that the essence of shamanism is spiritism:

“The focus of the shamanic journeying is on obtaining power or knowledge.... The shaman is identified as one who has guardian spirits (also sometimes called power animals, helping spirits, tutelaries, totems, or fetishes), from whom power and knowledge is gained.... The shaman, then, is defined both by practices and intent: Shamanic practice involves the ability to move in and out of a special state of consciousness, a notion of a guardian spirit complex and has the purpose of helping others.”^[9]

The Irrationality and Risks of Shamanistic Procedures

Introducing shamanism into modern medicine is ironic because of its essentially antiscientific nature, such as its occultism and irrationalism. Shamans often perform bizarre procedures, such as “placing spirits” in their mouth to suck out “poison” or rubbing patients with small animals to transfer illness. These practices represent a spiritual quest rather than a medical treatment. Patients and practitioners are often unaware that these methods are rooted in occult spirit-possession rather than objective science.

Conclusion: Buyer Beware

To summarize, hundreds if not thousands of healthcare practitioners are experimenting with shamanistic techniques. Some are even using them on their patients without patients’ knowledge. Shamanism is also being camouflaged by a “scientific” reclassification of its characteristics, with even the spirits being redefined into neutral psychological categories. That old adage “let the buyer beware” is quite relevant here.

Endnotes

1. Michael Harner, The Way of the Shaman: A Guide to Power and Healing (NY: Bantam, 1986), p. 175.↑
2. Jim Swan, “Rolling Thunder At Work,” Shaman’s Drum, Winter 1985, p. 43.↑
3. Harner, The Way of the Shaman, pp.130,176-177.↑
4. O. Carl Simonton, Stephanie Matthews-Simonton, Getting Well Again (Los Angeles, CA: J.P. Tarcher, 1978).↑
5. Alberto Villoldo and Stanley Krippner, Healing States: A Journey Into the World of Spiritual Healing and Shamanism (NY: Fireside/Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1987).↑
6. Ibid., pp. 147-48.↑
7. Ibid., p. 187.↑
8. Ibid. p. 188.↑
9. Jeanne Achterberg, Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine (Boston, MA: New Science Library/Shambhala, 1985), p. 13↑
10. Virginia MacIvor, Sandra LaForest, Vibrations: Healing Through Color, Homeopathy and Radionics (NY: Samuel Weiser, 1979), pp. 151-157.↑
11. Debra Carroll, “Dancing on the Sword’s Edge,” Shaman’s Drum, Fall 1985, p. 26.↑
12. Harner, The Way of the Shaman, p. 173.↑
13. Carroll, p. 26.↑
14. Harner, The Way of the Shaman, pp. 104,108.↑
15. Ibid., p. 108.↑
16. cf. Harner, The Way of the Shaman, pp. 16,71-77,107,210-11.↑
17. Achterberg, Imagery, p. 100.↑
18. see I. M. Lewis, Ecstatic Religion: An Anthropological Study of Spirit Possession and Shamanism (Baltimore, MD: Penguin, 1975), p. 192.↑