Shamanism
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Shamanism is the oldest form of healing known to mankind. Shamans are intermediaries between the human world and the spirit world. According to Shamanism the main cause of illness is 'soul loss'. When a person experiences a deep trauma or loss of a loved one, part of their spirit may leave them and they can become ill. The shaman communicates with the spirit world to find out the cause of a person's illness. Most shamans work with helping spirits, these may be relatives who have passed on to the next world or the spirits of animals. Shamans also work with the power of the elements and with crystals. Most shamans have a particular power animal that they work with. The power animal helps the shaman to find a person's spirit and bring it back to them. This form of healing is called 'Soul Retrieval'. Shamans use sound in their work. This generally involves singing healing songs and drumming. Shamanic drumming has been scientifically proved to alter brain rhythms and take people into altered sates of consciousness. In this altered state of awareness people are more open to healing and transformation.
Special Precautions of Shamanism
There are few negative effects reported from Shamanic experiences, however it is described as a powerful adventure and for some the trance could be disorienting, traumatic or have other adverse effects. Practitioners warn that the ecstasy of the trance can become an escape from mundane problems that can become addictive. It is generally accepted that people regress to earlier levels of development with the stress of serious pain or illness. Regression may foster an increased dependence on any source of relief. The eventual efforts of shamanic followers to emerge from the "culture of embeddedness" with their shamans into more independent functioning can be problematic. Shamanism can be used wisely to determine the root of an addiction, yet taken to an extreme it can become an addiction itself. One should be cautious when seeking help from a shaman; shamanic healers can have a cult like draw, entering the spirit realm and making claims that are not supported. Shamanism sometimes ignores scientific methods of healing and so must be used only as supplemental therapy for serious disorders. Much thought and consideration, as well as research for each situation should be done before plunging into any method of shamanic treatment.
Benefits and uses of Shamanism are
With an incresed awarness of the connection between spiritual life and health, interest in Shamanism has also grown. The link between health care and religion is strongest at the point of confrontation with life-changing events. Pain is more than a physiological phenomenon, it is also an emotion. Therapist have been exploring additional avenues for pain management such as shamanism. The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders addressed the need for a consideration of cultural and religious issues and ethnic diversity of the patient population. The manual approved a new diagnostic category entitled religious or spiritual problem. Increasingly doctors are to realizing that total wellness encompasses the spiritual and emotional side of life.
