Shamanism Research Paper

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To those individuals who practice Shamanism, they consider it a way of life. It allows people to connect with nature and all aspects of creation. It originated from the Tungus tribe in Siberia. Shamanism is defined as the practice of ancient spiritual sessions of indigenous cultures. The practices are considered to have originated in nature and is it believed that shamanism is the only way that human beings can strengthen themselves through a connection with nature. A shaman is an individual that reaches altered states to interact with the spiritual world to lead them into the practice of divination and healing. Research shows that over thousands of years there has been the tradition of modern healing practices. When dealing with shamanism …show more content…
It is used as a particular shamanic medicinal brew. The effects depend on the potency of the ayahuasca and the environment of the ritual-taking place. People experience hallucinogenic visions. “Most people report revisiting the most significant events of their lives, like sequences in a chaotic film. The drinker [ayahuasca is a tea] is vaulted from one subconscious vision to the next, and as buried memories rise to the surface, it often leads to acute emotional catharsis” (Vitebsky, 2001, pg. 15). Ayahuasca is known to expand one’s consciousness. There is an increase in the twilight state between being asleep and being awake which is called a hypnagogic state. During the state, the individual is awake but is in a relaxed, dreamlike manner. When one is taking ayahuasca they are able to access their unconscious thoughts. It allows a person to get new insight on old behaviors and thinking. It allows them to get an understanding on how to apply unconscious material to a better and high level of …show more content…
The drugs are distributed in the brain and spinal cord. The serotonin system is in control of the behavior, perceptual and regulatory systems. The parts that are affected is mood, hunger, body temperature, muscle movement, sexual behavior, and sensory perception. Certain hallucinogens used in shamanism affected the glumate receptor which is highly important for the perception of pain, responses to one’s environment, learning and memory. In the past years, many western industrialized societies have increased interests in learning more about shamanism. People get the image of a shaman as someone who is “a noble savage” who stands in primal contact with nature and who speaks-like Orpheus” (Mayer, 2008, pg.71). The shaman is seen as the gifted healer and many western societies want to learn more. “It is the result of a widespread psychologization of shamanism which took place as a result of increasing interest in studies on altered states of consciousness” (Mayer, 2008,
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