Shamanic Perspectives
on Schizophrenia and Voice
Hearing
Indigenous populations developed a variety of medicinal
practices over millenia. These are often referred to as
shamanic practices. While there are many variations within
these traditions, it seems clear that some at least
developed an understanding of the phenomenon we know as
hearing voices. In their terminology, what is referred to
as "soul stealing", "soul loss", and "soul pieces", can be
seen as analogous to aspects of schizophrenia and mental
illness. While shamans were probably unaware of the role of
prenatal trauma, they did develop an array of empirical
methods to address the problem. Although some
anthropologists argue that schizophrenia was venerated in
shamanic tradition, this is probably a confusion between
shamanic experiences of altered mental states and the voice
hearing problem itself. However, it's fascinating to note
that shamanic traditions managed to develop non-drug
treatments for voice hearing centuries before the developed
world managed to do so. Indeed many of the clues which lead
ISPS to discover the successful treatment for voice hearing
came out of an in-depth study of shamanic teachings. We are
therefore indebted to those indigenous peoples who managed
to explore the frontiers of consciousness and health well
before the current scientific model was formulated.
"Shaman Supernova" by artist Ceder Hope
http://www.sonoran-sunsets.com
Revision History
1.0 Sept 29, 2009: First draft.