In his essay, "Shamanism as Neurotheology and Evolutionary Psychology," author Michael Winkelman looks at various instances of shamanism across cultures to find similarities that reveal "universals" about the practice.
Associate Professor Arizona State University
Winkelman recently retired from his post as an associate professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University to begin studies in Brazil. Winkelman focuses his research on shamanism as medicine, applied medical anthropology, and cross-cultural relations. His knowledge of cross-cultural relations allow him to find these shamanistic "universals" that he argues are the basis of the practice's modern resurgence. After receiving his Bachelors degree from Rice University, Ph.D from the University of California at Irvine, and Masters Degree from the University of Arizona, Winkelman made strides in researching shamanism's ability to heal substance abuse issues as well.
To preface his research, Winkelman starts by noting that shamanism is "humanity's most ancient spiritual, religious, and healing practice" and is currently having a resurgence because it is rooted in the basic functions of the "brain, mind, and consciousness." In the past, this rooting provided shamanism with a functional role in survival and cultural evolution in hunter-gatherer societies. Since shamanistic rituals date back to human prehistory, they produced what Winkelman characterizes as an "evolved psychology" that gives shamanism relevance in a modern society.
In order to have a resurgence however, there must have been a decline somewhere along the line. Confusion about the true nature of shamanism created skepticism because of the variety of shamanistic rituals that span contrasting countries and cultures. Winkelman also adds that the practice's origin outside of the western world and association with altered states of consciousness helped to create a stigma. However, treatments for "spiritual emergencies" and substance addictions have helped prove the worth of shamanistic ritual in modern society.
Modern research, like that done by Winkelman, has helped to empirically prove an association between shamanistic practices and opioid releases in the brain that "enhance serotogenic function." In order to do this, practitioners use a plethora of shamanistic activities and symbols designed to elicit "physiological, psychological, and emotional" responses. When these responses are quantified they form the biological bases of the shamanic "universals." These include shamanistic healers, altered states of consciousness, analogical thought, and community rituals.
Winkelman found in his cross-cultural study that Shamanistic healers are a "universal" in shamanistic cultures and that they even share many similar characteristics across cultures. The healers share a common background in alternated states of consciousness, which forms the basis for their "universal institutionalization of mechanisms for altering consciousness and healing through integrative brain functioning." Shamans also share many other characteristics such as interpreting illnesses as being caused by spirits, symbolic manipulations for healing, and attributing illnesses to the work of other shamans. Their work focuses on achieving a state of "religious ecstasy" that is a form of altered consciousness. This state causes a natural nervous system reaction that triggers a sense of relaxation and brain synchronization. Lower brain structures are stimulated to create a "synthesis of behavior, emotion, and thought"
Another "universal" in shamanistic healing that has already been mentioned is altered states of consciousness. Rhythmic activities employing music, dance, and mimetic control are frequently used to achieve altered states through theta and alpha wave brain patterns. Rhythmic activities are also beneficial when trying to promote group cohesion. Large groups are able to connect easily through music because it promotes "synchrony, coordination, and cooperation among group members." (Hint: get ready for tomorrow) Visionary experiences are also important in shamanistic healing as the symbolic method as opposed to activity method employed by the rhythmic activities. Winkelman's research finds that these visionary experiences are "a natural brain phenomenon" that occurs when the brain "releases the normal suppression of the visual cortex."
Analogical thought is also often present in shamanism as Winkelman finds that innate processing modules for natural history of intelligence nand mental attributions regarding "others" manifest themselves in shamanism through analogs. Animism, animal allies, and examples of self-representational death and rebirth all reflect preverbal brain structures dating back thousands of years. Animism involves the attribution of of human mental and social capabilities to animals, nature, and the unknown. According to Winkelman's research, organisms model their own mental states to other organisms mind and behavior. Animal allies also employ the natural history model that animism employs, but involve representations of "sacred others" and attribute more specific brain capacities to specific animals. Soul Flight as well as death and rebirth experiences are also universally manifested in shamanism. A common example of this is a near death experience where the soul goes on a momentary "journey."
Community rituals are also highly important to shamanism as attachment and affectional bonds are also helpful in releasing the natural brain opiates necessary for healing. These opioids are known for stimulating the immune system, providing senses of euphoria, certainty, and belongingness, enhancing coping skills, maintaining homeostasis, reducing pain, decreasing stress levels, and allowing for greater environmental adaptation. Community rituals are important in treating "soul loss" which is one of the main shamanic illnesses. Shamans also use cultural symbols that the community helps to reinforce in order to manipulate physiological responses. Symbols can manifest themselves unconsciously, allowing shamans to heal through advanced methods of engagement with "neurocognitive structures to produce therapeutic changes."
Through these "universal" processes, shamanistic healing allows for the restructuring of ego and identity in the person. The "universals" that Winkelman found in his research also help to create a special mode of consciousness that creates synchronized brain wave discharge patterns. These patterns help to coordinate the hierachical functions of the brain in a more positive manner. Through better coordination of the functional levels of the brain in this state of consciousness, the self is better able to induce personal, cognitive, and social integration as a means of healing.
Overall, the main points to take away from Winkelman's research are...
- Shamanism has experienced a resurgence in modern society as it reflects basic concepts of human nature
- Shamanism's healing powers come from creating an altered state of consciousness that release natural opiates stimulating serotonin flow.
- Shamanistic healing rituals alter physiological, psychological, and emotional responses by using activity (dancing, music) and cultural symbols.
Your sources are out of date. Winkelman retired from Arizona State & moved to Brazil several years ago. Check out his website (his name is the url, I believe) for more current bio info.
Please update your bio to reflect this so we're not disseminating inaccurate info.
It makes perfect sense how shamanic rituals could be used to help treat or cope with addictions and traumas, and I’m shocked that I haven’t heard of these practices before reading this article. Most addictions stem from an individual abusing their natural opioid system and synthetically promoting over-stimulation of endogenous morphine. From my understanding, shamanistic practices work to naturally exploit this system in similar ways that were practiced by our ancestors, therefore promoting internal efficiency of the system as opposed to forcing it to become externally dependent. The whole idea of lower brain structures being activated to produce a “synthesis of behavior, emotion, and thought” reminds me of the workings behind meditation. After reading the article and doing a little research it appears that these practices differ technically in their approach to reaching an altered state of consciousness as well as the depth of consciousness that they ultimately attain. Apparently, standard meditation practices (what I picture to be the stereotypical low humming, eyes closed, sitting upright and Indian style type of meditation) generally only stimulate the alpha brain waves. This barely scratches the surface when compared to shamanistic altered states of consciousness which can achieve stimulation of theta brain waves; however, I’m sure that theta waves can be reached by standard meditation with plenty of practice and experience. Given that theta brain waves are also associated with REM sleep, I may be taking up shamanism pretty soon as I feel my brain often cuts my REM sleep cycle short, leaving me exhausted all day. Shamanic practices also reminded me of how the Zār rituals in northern Sudan induce altered states of consciousness. Both utilize rhythmic drumming (the Zār ritual also uses rhythmic chanting) and require large groups that work together to create an atmosphere of what the article refers to as “synchrony, coordination, and cooperation among group members” which activates the body’s natural opioid system. This of course promotes the healing, the sense of well-being, the energy boost (or “runner’s high”) as well as the “religious ecstasy” that both shamanism and Zār rituals are performed to attain. The use of symbols can also be used to parallel the similarities between both practices. The Zār ritual is symbolized by various spirits, each with different personalities and behavioral characteristics. Once possessed, the human self is ejected from the body allowing the spirit to have complete influence over its host’s behavior. This is comparable, I think, to the analogical thought present in shamanism, with animism and animal allies following the same symbolic approach of the spirits present in Zār rituals. More specifically, it is directly relatable to the idea of a “Soul Flight” where the soul goes on a momentary journey. There are plenty of more comparisons I could make between the two practices which solidifies the reasoning behind a rhythmic community ritual. If I would have stumbled on a group of people performing any of these types of behaviors, before reading these articles, I would have deemed them odd, but the logic behind it actually seems pretty rational now, with plenty of biological backing to support an argument for it. I’d definitely like to know more about other similar types of practices.
I really love the idea of some sort of universal human experience. Really taking time to consider what unites humanity across time, culture, distance, and not just the basic “we all feel fear, we all feel pain, we all feel love,” tropes. As a Classicist, I’ve found it fascinating how applicable the stories and histories of those far removed from ourselves are, and even more so how similar various traditions and mythologies actually are. In Dr. Kirk Summers’ class on Greek and Roman Mythology (which I highly recommend to everyone), we introduce the study of mythology with a discussion of Jungian Archetypes: universal, archaic patterns and images that derive from the collective unconscious and are the psychic counterpart of instinct. We discussed how, even in cultures that never had any significant contact with one another due to distance or time, the stories told often have very similar archetypes and tropes, expressing common underlying concerns and values shared by mankind.
Isn’t it interesting that, while scientifically unfounded and for all intents and purposes inconceivable, there are dozens of traditions and myths involving a “Great Flood”? If no such global aquatic apocalypse happened (and science indicates that this is the case), what does it mean that so many cultures—Mesopotamia/Sumeria (the epics of Ziusudra and Atrahasis), Babylon (the Epic of Gilgamesh), Hindu mythology (the Satapatha Brahmana), China (Gun-Yu), Israel (Genesis), Bronze Age Greece (Plato’s Timaeus), and even the Americas—record such a story? What does that say about mankind, that we all tell this peculiar story? What is the significance to mankind of this righteous man—Ziusudra, Utnapishtim, Manu, Noah, Deucalion, etc.—who built a boat and saved his family and the animals from a divinely sent flood? I don’t actually know the answer to the question, but it’s fascinating to discuss and consider. (If you’re interested, here’s what I mean: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_flood_myths )
Anyway, back to Shamanism. I’m by no means an expert, but it seems to me that the idea of a universal human consciousness is entirely possible. I also agree that music and rhythm is probably the best way to achieve a shared consciousness since, as the article says, it promotes “synchrony, coordination, and cooperation among group members.” As we walked around the room today in class creating a manual rhythm, I found myself focusing more on the unity of the experience, creating and doing something active together, and more cognizant concerns (do we look stupid? What do I have to do later today?) subsided. It certainly got the sense of the beginning of a type of community rituals which fosters “attachment and affectional bonds…helpful in releasing the natural brain opiates necessary for healing… [and] known for stimulating the immune system, providing senses of euphoria, certainty, and belongingness, enhancing coping skills, maintaining homeostasis, reducing pain, decreasing stress levels, and allowing for greater environmental adaptation.” I should socialize more.
If one of my friends had told me a few months ago that they were going to see a shaman, I would have undoubtedly labeled them a hippie. While I still think a shaman is definitely not the best person to go to if you have cancer, I now realize that visiting one might not be a bad idea for spiritual problems. What I have come to understand in this class is that there are some sicknesses that modern medicine can't fix because we don't have a very good grasp on spirituality. Instead of being able to provide some kind of spiritual treatment, the best our modern medicine can do is prescribe medication to help with the symptoms. It's really amazing that our bodies are capable of releasing its own opiates without the use of prescription drugs. Now that we know the chemistry of our brain and what the specific compounds that regulate it, we are quick to artificially stimulate ourselves with a dose of said compound. The problem is, spiritual healing with a shaman takes more time and (in the case of western society) a more open mind than simply popping a pill (sad I know).
I found it particularly interesting in the reading that shamanism is part of our 'evolved psychology' as humans because it is something tying us to some of our earliest ancestors. This ancient practice is the root of religion and medicine throughout history. Since it is part of our ancestral memory, I have hope that the fad will be more embraced as people give it a chance. It would be an eerie feeling to undergo rituals similar to those our ancestors experienced, but perhaps this ancient art is just what we need.
I had a lot of fun exercising some of the practices in class today. I felt a little stupid at first, but then I just started having fun because everybody was doing the same thing. Not unlike our Zar possession ritual, it took a minute for us to overcome our embarrassment and really enjoy the activity. Of course, we didn’t experience any kind of altered state because we lacked time and a real shaman, but I think the fun we had was enough of a statement that such activities are great for stimulating the brain.
Something I found very interesting in this topic was that the "visionary experiences" occur when the brain has released it's normal control over the visual cortex. I feel like this is an interesting vantage point on shamanistic rituals and altered consciousness in general. Many states of altered consciousness, and experiences within those states, could be attributed to release of control rather than the forcing of an unusual action. Sometimes it appears that the ritual is just a collection of strange behaviors, when really it may be natural behavior that's finally allowed to happen because the brain is not micromanaging the situation. Perhaps this is what allows the rituals to heal people; if they release control and allow their brains or bodies to do more extraordinary functions than they do on a daily basis, somewhere in the mix they might encounter a function that heals whatever was wrong, or allows them to experience a sensation that they feel heals them.
This ties into shamanism being used as treatment for addiction. If the addict is seeking an altered state of consciousness, it may be the desire for a release of control. They need whatever substance it is in order to release the normal constraints on either their brain function or their behavior. These rituals allow them to experience that transcendent state of release, perhaps without any substances or without the substance they are addicted to.
Furthermore, the therapeutic changes experienced in communities has a lot to do with this release of normal constraints. People begin to form more bonds and trust each other more when they lose control in each others' presence. It may not be that they are acting in order to gain the trust of the others in the group, but rather they trust each other more after the fact, simply as a result of their vulnerability.
The most fascinating point in this article is the inclusiveness of the shamans. I’ve always known that shamans have had a religious and spiritual leadership, which sometimes expands into politics. For example the ancient Druids who not only had the ability to connect with the spirits and gods, but also had political power. What I find interesting is that they unknowingly had an expert knowledge of how some parts of the brain worked. Not only that but there status in the society allowed them to behave without restrictions, i.e. the altered states of consciousness.
Which leads me to my second point, how they achieved this altered state. Obviously they used several types of drugs or alcohol. But what is most fascinating is the use of music or rhythmic beats. From my own experiences I have fallen into a trance like state from listening to a really good song or even a rhythmic beat, but I never thought of it as reaching an altered state of consciousness. When it comes to shamans it seems that its not just the music that allows them to reach this state, but also the atmosphere. I imagine these healing rituals involved either a fire or candles, a good beat, and most likely a sense of community. It seems that these things combined could contribute to a calming atmosphere where those involved in the ritual can become synchronized and as a group become immersed in the ritual, eventually reaching that altered state of consciousness.
Another interesting fact from the article is the idea of an universal shaman culture. The fact that shamans all over the world have similar approaches to healing rituals, community rituals, and altered states of consciousness is an important thing to note. It appears, to me, that humans use shamans as an outlet to explain both spiritual and medical phenomenon. In ancient times humans needed an explanation of the world and shamans provided that. Not just through giving answers about nature, but also creating rituals. Even in modern society people need rituals, from secret societies to Greek organizations, even court trials have a ritual aspect to them. Which shows that humans like activities that involves rituals. In many cases these rituals make them feel like they are apart of some bigger organization. They are a way for people to make something ordinary appear sacred.
I am curious as to way humans, or at least Western culture, did away with shamanism. Is shamanism strictly for horticultural societies and when people started to build cities they moulded into priest. Was it because the healing rituals that were used by shamans were replaced by primitive medicines? Or was it because these societies moved away from rural life to a more urban life, therefore humans' spiritual needs changed? These things seem important to study if shamanism is becoming a popular thing to study in modern anthropology. Especially since they have found scientific reasons as to way these rituals where therapeutic.
First off, I would really like to know more about this School of Human Evolution and Social Change- that’s a thing? That has an entire college within a university?
Secondly, I really think shamanism is just another way of altering consciousness to help the group bond or help the individual heal by releasing opioids. As we have discussed throughout the semester, altered states of consciousness help a group give the correct signals of belongingness.
I think one of the most interesting things about extremely ritualistic religions, like Shamanism, is that they really only occur is areas where resources are scarce or easily depletable. When you only have so much, you begin to depend on sources outside yourself, I suppose. Also, according to the wikipedia page on Shamanism, apparently they have hunting restrictions and a belief that breaking these will cause illness. That would certainly help to keep game populations growing!
I was also wondering, since we drew our own “spirit animals”, are the animals Shamanists choose as representative of themselves usually more evolutionarily related to us (as in mostly mammals, amniotes, or tetrapods)? Or did they go for a more diverse array and include the invertebrates? How often to people relate to insects, really? The other day in my lab final for vertebrate zoology, one of the questions on the exam was which dissection we had enjoyed the most. Mine was definitely the mammal (rat). I think mammalian bodies are way more interesting than birds or fish or even snakes because they’re like miniaturized human organs. They are virtually the same in appearance and it’s adorable, or, rather, adorable as a dead rat can be. I think, in a round about way, that my interest in mammals is a type of kin selection. When I’m watching nature shows, I typically root for the mammal (even when it happens to be a seal eating a penguin). I feel sad for the mouse being eaten by the owl.
I know that paragraph was totally off subject, but really it’s something I’ve always wondered about. Maybe the reason we care so much about our charismatic mega-fauna versus the rest is simply because they’re more closely related to us.
Anyway, back on subject. Clearly Shamanism is extremely useful in these tropical areas with limited food resources. I do, however, understand why Shamanism may have been in decline. When other extremely prevalent cultures find your own religion silly, you might be less inclined to practice that religion. Of course, if those other cultures had a less ethnocentric view, and a more scientific understanding of the opioid release, then perhaps Shamanism would have never declined.
It's an interdisciplinary program at Arizona State University & an amazing program, based on the folks I know teaching there. One of my former students is in the PhD program there now.
After reading this blog I really think we should implement these practices more in our society as well as our medical treatments. I agree with someone’s earlier statement that Americans especially are over medicated and under educated. I think these practices would help solve medical and spiritual problems with less unnatural chemicals going in and out of our bodies. I also think implanting these rituals and practices would greatly help us as a society bond. Our world now struggles with many social skills due to the advancement of technology, but group rituals would help us learn how to better connect with each other without computers or phones and get a genuine experience.
It all makes sense as I realize now the calmness I feel when I am hearing music. The rhythm does do something to me neurologically, giving me a sense of a transcendental experience. When we did the class activity for this all walking around the table drumming on things and making different rhythms, I felt like I was being healed from my stress as well as deepening bonds with classmates.
I also really liked how we drew up symbols that reflect our own qualities. I was a dolphin, one, because I love dolphins, two, because I went swimming with them over spring break, and three, because I really do feel like I can relate to them. I love to swim, I am very intelligent and intuitive as well as friendly, and am nurturing and kind.
I just never realized the neurological effects these practices could have. It has definitely changed my thinking when I experience different mental states. I will now always break down how and why I feel a certain way. I thought what Winkelman said about synchronized brain waves was really interesting, that a feeling could literally translate to identical brainwaves.
One thing I would like to see would be more of these healing practices to be implemented on patients with depression or anxiety, just to see how much it curbs these conditions. Those with depression are often in that state due to low levels of serotonin, and this practice increases these levels.
Looking back now at this blog, I start to think about how this relates to our course and research project as a whole. The large goal of this class is to see how religion, even in the form of these rituals, changes brain function. I think this study can easily be tied to our research project. At Canterbury, we all sat in a circle and sang songs along to an acoustic guitar. They all repeated prayers together and passed around a cup for communion. Shaminism can largely be connected here as the rituals of both groups have similarities. This makes me think, are people more easily accepting of things when they are in these mental states? How does this play into religion? What do you all think?
Shamanistic rituals have always fascinated me, especially the power of music within the rituals. The blog mentions that rhythmic activities involving music can achieve altered states of consciousness through theta and alpha brain patterns. I have never looked into it, but I’m curious as to the correlation between music and the development of shaman rituals. Did humans create music for rituals or were they first recreational? Secondly, why does music have such an effect on people? Back to shaman rituals, the animal spirit activity was actually a little challenging for me. I never actually thought of projecting my characteristics onto an animal. When I think of animal spirits I normally think of my favorite animal and not an animal that would share my characteristics. But this makes since, especially for ancient peoples who might not have a ‘favorite animal’ as we think of it. I’m guessing this way of thinking revealed how close our ancestors were to nature, compared to Western society.
As humans advanced in civilization did we forget the power of shamanism? Or did our idea of religion advance along with society? In fact, when studying shamanism from a modernist perceptive do scientist focus on religion? From this article it seems that they are mainly concerned with the functional role of these rituals within society. I’ve always thought of shamanism as both reaching an altered state of consciousness along with religion. That those participating have to believe and be well versed in the rituals. For example projecting an animal spirit onto yourself, you'd have to truly believe that animal reflects your characteristics to fully grasp the ritual.
One of the things I loved about this article was the mention of the “physiological, psychological, and emotional” because it immediately made me think of the Wizard of Oz. I like to think that these three elements of basic human function may be compared to having a brain, courage, and a heart, and how important it is for people to maintain these qualities in their day to day lives. The thing that made me laugh was that of course the story of the land of Oz came to me during the paragraph with the phrases “altered states of consciousness” (because let’s face it, L. Frank Baum was definitely on something while writing the story).
Another thing that Shamanism reminds me of would have to be the rituals of old Native American tribes. In grade school I would be taught stories of how members in the tribe sang and danced during rituals and rites of passage. How there were healers, and how their ceremonies would often include some altered state of consciousness. You hear about how connected the tribes were and how community rituals are so common and important, and they seem to be qualities that really define Shamanism. In the modern world, people are so distant and disconnected from one another. Everyone is so obsessed with the latest trend, or when the next Iphone is coming out, that we seem to have lost the more important aspects of community and belonging. Technology is great in so many ways because we have become a “global village” and are capable of communication and an expression of ideas that we can share with people who live thousands and thousands of miles away. On the other hand, this new technology can keep us from becoming connected with the people closest to us. We become so enthralled with social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter that we have lost the ability to be connected with people on a more personal level. Of course there is always an exception to the rule, and I feel like that exception is when tragedy strikes. In times of struggle or hardship or natural disaster, I feel as though that is when our sense of community is the strongest. As we continue to be told to watch for storms and heed tornado warnings, that is when I have felt most proud to be in the state of Alabama. People are constantly looking out for each other and lending a helping hand through these difficult times, and I only wish this camaraderie was an aspect of our culture that we could enact on a more regular basis. I appreciate the level of community that is found within the practice of Shamanism, and I don’t think that level is a bad goal for every one of us to strive for in today’s impersonal society.
LAST POST. LAST POST. LAST POST.
I just wanted to use this moment to say goodbye to my dear fellow classmates. It’s been a fabulous semester, and I’m glad to have met y’all and to have witnessed you all in extremely embarrassing situations. I wish there were more videos.
I love the questions Annemarie asked in her comment- I imagine that the music for the ritual came first and then the ritual itself once people realized the effects that dancing and music have! I think it does bring up an interesting point though about all the rituals we’ve been discussing. We also talk about why things happen, but never really how. Who was the first person who decided to go into the creepy cave or deprive themselves of food and water to trigger hallucinations? Maybe they were just starving in the woods and realized, “oh hey, this is neat!” But how do you also convince your other friends to do the same? Exactly how does it become a ritual? Peer pressure is a powerful tool, but is it that powerful?
I also like how Ashlyn points out that she felt she was bonding with us, her classmates, during the desk drumming ritual. I felt bonded in slight in embarrassment and an “oh dear god, what are we doing” feeling which I’m sure others were feeling as well. Annemarie, Ashlyn, and I bonded a lot over the semester during our group research project and also by sitting near each other in class. During the hypnosis attempt we all kept looking up at each other and cracking up because clearly none of us could get into it. Maybe that’s how some of the less hypnotizable people in groups bond, by finding everyone else crazy.
In revisiting this topic, I find that shamanistic rituals aren't essentially that far from what we witnessed at Cornerstone. There was certainly rhythmic music, clapping, dancing, singing, chanting, which elicited all kinds of responses in people. I feel quite certain that there were some opiates flowing in people’s brains as we watched them get more and more into their worship and more and more emphatic with their prayers. They also had integration of some symbols, such as the cross, in the services but they were not used as much as other activities. All of this to say, I feel very certain that the human experience and evolved psychology discussed in this article is very pervasive and alive today, as evidenced by the data we collected.
Our attempt at the shamanistic ritual in class helped me understand how important belief is for psychological immersion in such an event. For some reason, my belief in the hypnosis we did was much higher than my belief in the shamanistic ritual we created, and therefore my experiences were much different. But as has been said, I think the essence of bonding over what we were doing together still remained. Even if we did not achieve exactly what was expected, the act of coming together to TRY is what connected it to that universal experience. As I said in our group presentation, the emotional experience that we witnessed in the Cornerstone congregants was very real and alive, whether or not we could validate or quantify the spiritual experience. Similarly, the release of feel-good brain chemicals in the shamanistic rituals, and in our class’s attempt to keep a steady beat, is noticeable. I think showing up, trying, and feeling are major components of the universal experience.
First off I have to give a quick shout out to Winkelman for being my fellow Houstonian (I mean getting a B.A. at Rice counts right?). The concept of shamanism is rather interesting. I never thought I would be sitting here appreciating their work as a valid approach to healing, yet here I am. After learning about how beneficial dissociation practices can be in healing mental issues I’m convinced shamanistic rituals can be very useful. We have seen throughout the semester how achieving states of altered consciousness have elicited tremendous emotional responses, which we’ve experienced in our research and read about in earlier articles. The Zar spirit possession we discussed earlier is similar to the rituals Charlie discusses in this article, and we were able to see that the Zar had many positive benefits for the women in its culture. It’s really interesting that shamanistic practices can cause opioid releases in the brain but it explains why these practices have been so common throughout history. It’s kinda like a toned down version of “The Stoned Age” as we use non-psychoactive approaches to still produce drug benefits. Our body has so many impressive natural mechanisms that release drugs to help us cope with difficult situations. Endorphins bonding to opioid receptors are just the tip of the iceberg. I know a few years ago it was discovered that breast milk contains cannabinoids, which was likely developed as a mechanism to sooth upset babies in stressful situations.
Both activities we did for your presentation were surprisingly therapeutic. It was really cool seeing the way we naturally fell into sync and formed a simple rhythm and even cooler watching how hard it was to not stay on beat (which makes how bad I am at keeping a beat that much more embarrassing). Since these practices are so simple to partake in yet so effective it’s no wonder they have become universal throughout shamanistic cultures. You briefly touched on Winkelman’s research in visionary experiences, which we obviously attempted to replicate in class but I don’t think I truly noted any suppression of the visual cortex. What sort of altered consciousness do people using the symbolic method undergo prior to the drawings? Even though drawing is relaxing and can be a way to dissociate, it doesn’t seem particularly conscious altering. In class we discussed that there were likely rituals deep within the caves prior to paintings and that a trip through such intense darkness could alter consciousness. Or maybe it works for most people and I’m just upset because I’m awful at drawing and my “spirit animal” happens to be a demented sea horse duck creature.
From learning about all of the different types of rituals, like Shamanism, discussed in the articles we have read this semester, I believe the most interesting concept is that all human beings, given the right situation, can achieve this state of consciousness at the same time. Like Hannah Gene said, it is extremely cool to think we all have the potential to be united by a universal stream of consciousness. The way to get there sounds fun too. I wish we could have done a more full-out, authentic version of the Zar ritual because I truly believe that with the right setting, this experience could have been attained. Shamanism is, as I've already posted about, in many ways very similar to the Zar ritual. For these separate cultures, separate groups of people, to be able to reach the same state of dissociation, it just reinforces the idea of a universal human experience. And as I posted earlier of my anxieties about whether or not my experiences and perceptions of things are anything like other people's experiences and perceptions, this is really interesting to think about. There are so many things that factor into people's perceptions, such as memories and different experiences in their lifetime, so it's nice to know that there is potentially a way to over ride this fact. It is something that connects all of us as human beings and I'm glad we got to explore it in this class.
I can definitely relate to the sense of “what the hell are we doing,” that Hillarie is talking about, but by no means was this the most embarrassing thing we did. I do also agree that there was a sense of camaraderie amongst us, partly because there were so few of us and partly because of the embarrassing stuff we had to suffer through together. I feel like our initial hesitance to do these in class activities is probably also what our ancestors felt. However, they participated because they were prompted by their spiritual/ group leaders as we were prompted by our teacher (the authority figure). I can picture how this hesitance could soon turn into willingness however as they realized all the benefits that came from these rituals and mind altering substances. And I think Hannah’s point of breaking addiction was very interesting. I was a former psychology major and I think I can shed some light on this. A lot of the “addicting” substances we think of today are substances that PRODUCE dopamine in our system. This flood of dopamine is that feel good sensation or the “high.” There are however, substances and even activities that just prevent reuptake of dopamine back into the neurons which means the sensation lasts longer (this happens naturally). The reason sex feels so good and you still feel good afterwards is because actions with negative feedback trigger this reuptake inhibition response. A good example of this is crack versus cocaine. Both are extremely addictive, but crack is WAAAAY more addictive than cocaine (cocaine being the lesser of two evil) because of one simple reason. Crack is just diluted cocaine that triggers less of a dopamine response. Basically the high is more intense, but lasts less than a cocaine high because cocaine induces the dopamine being fired over and over (again, cocaine would be less addictive if it prevented reuptake rather than kept producing more). Hopefully that made sense, but probably not; I was starting to confuse myself there at the end.
After I had gotten used to some of the activities we were participating in during class, I found myself getting used to looking pretty weird around all of you and was looking forward to performing our shamanistic ritual in class. That is right up until I was the one asking all of you to stand up hop/skip/jump around the lab tables while drumming out rhythms. It is one thing to participate in one of these activities with everyone, but being the person asking everyone to do something so ridiculous made me extremely self-conscious because all of a sudden everyone was following my lead!
This experience led me to connect with Hillarie's response here asking how in the world these rituals got started in the first place? How do you convince those around you to participate in these rituals and that they have benefits for the individual? I think the only answer that I can reasonably come up with is that we live in such a different time that it only really seems weird to us. I think a lot of the rituals probably also started by accident (Ex: Hey guys, I ate some weird plants and went down into the cave and listened to Dark Side of the Moon and painted, you should try it). I also suspect that a lot of the rituals were based off of superstition similar to how many athletes have WEIRD superstitious rituals when suiting up for the game or when they are about to step in the batter's box, etc.
Follow-up comment:
A few years ago, I was pretty sick for a very long time. I had over 30 blood tests, 2 MRIs, a bonescan done, took several trips to the emergency room, had surgery, was sent around to various specialists, all that jazz. Five months passed, and I still had no conclusive diagnosis. At one point my dad told me "It's just all in your head." A few more months passed, and nothing helpful. I was eventually diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelits or post-viral chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome, which does not have any cures or even real treatments. And since it was an encephalitis, it was literally in my head. And in some ways, it was "in my head" like my dad said too. But to use my favorite quote by the one and only Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore:
"Of course it is happening inside your head... by why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
Illness can be a whole-self experience. Your body might be sick, but your mind/spirit/self becomes weary and depressed from the lack of wellness as well. Sometimes, during that time when I was sick, I would sit at the top of the stairs by a window and just soak in some sunlight. No medicine or physical remedy was of much use to me, but the sunshine made it feel lighter.
In Ancient Greece, healing involved the mind, body, and spirit. People would travel to the sanctuary of Aesclepius in Epidaurus to be cured of their ailments by the god of healing. At this sanctuary, the priest-doctors would tend to the specific health concern, but patients would also excercise at the gymnasia and track and would attend theatrical productions-- particularly tragedies, as these were said to provide an emotional release and spiritual purification called katharsis.
I think it odd that in a society that has had 2600 to advance and improve from that point, we have fallen away from the spiritual, emotional, and mental aspects of our overall health. Because sometimes it really is "all in your head." But it is still your well-being and you should take care of that all the same.