What is Shamanic Practice?
Shamanic practice refers to a set of spiritual and healing techniques centered on inducing altered states of consciousness to interact with what practitioners understand as the spirit world. A shaman—traditionally a designated person within indigenous communities—acts as an intermediary between the physical and spiritual realms, journeying to retrieve information, perform healing, or restore balance. Core techniques include rhythmic drumming, rattling, chanting, dance, fasting, and in some traditions, the use of entheogenic plants. The practice is characterized by the concept of the “shamanic journey,” a controlled trance state in which the practitioner’s consciousness travels to non-ordinary reality to meet spirit guides, power animals, or ancestors.
Origins & Lineage
Archaeological evidence suggests shamanic practices date back at least 30,000-40,000 years, with cave paintings in France and Spain depicting therianthropic figures (part-human, part-animal) that many scholars interpret as shamans in trance states. The term “shaman” itself comes from the Evenki (Tungus) people of Siberia, where Russian explorers first documented these practices in the 17th century.
Indigenous shamanic traditions exist independently across every inhabited continent: the ayahuasceros of the Amazon basin, the sangomas of southern Africa, the noaidi of the Sámi people in northern Scandinavia, the mudang of Korea, and the medicine people of various North American tribes. Each tradition developed its own cosmology, techniques, and cultural context, though anthropologists have noted structural similarities: the three-world cosmology (upper, middle, and lower worlds), the initiatory crisis or “shamanic illness,” and the use of repetitive percussion to induce trance.
The academic study of shamanism began with Mircea Eliade’s influential 1951 book Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, though his universalizing approach has been critiqued for flattening cultural distinctions. Anthropologist Michael Harner, who studied with indigenous shamans in the Amazon in the 1960s, later developed “core shamanism” in the 1970s and founded the Foundation for Shamanic Studies in 1985, extracting what he considered universal techniques from their cultural contexts—a move that remains controversial among both anthropologists and indigenous practitioners.
How It’s Practiced
Traditional shamanic practice typically involves a multi-phase process. The shaman prepares through fasting, isolation, or ritual cleansing, then enters an altered state using sonic driving (usually drumming at 4-7 beats per second, a frequency that induces theta brain waves), dance, or plant medicines. In this state, the shaman reports traveling to non-ordinary reality—often described as journeying through a tunnel or opening in the earth to reach the lower world, or ascending to the upper world via a tree, mountain, or ladder.
In the spirit realm, the shaman interacts with helping spirits: power animals (animal spirits that lend strength and guidance), teachers in human form, or ancestral spirits. The shaman may perform “soul retrieval” (recovering fragmented parts of a person’s essence lost through trauma), extraction (removing spiritual intrusions causing illness), divination, or psychopomp work (helping the deceased transition).
Modern neo-shamanic practice often adapts these techniques to individual spiritual development rather than community healing roles. Practitioners use recorded drumming tracks, attend group journey circles, or participate in weekend workshops. Plant medicine ceremonies—particularly ayahuasca, peyote, or psilocybin mushrooms—have become popular, though their removal from traditional cultural and ceremonial contexts raises significant ethical questions about cultural appropriation and safety.
Shamanic Practice Today
Contemporary seekers encounter shamanic practice through several channels. The Foundation for Shamanic Studies offers training programs in core shamanism worldwide. Individual practitioners offer services including shamanic counseling, soul retrieval sessions, and divination. Retreat centers host immersive experiences, from Peruvian ayahuasca retreats to Mongolian shamanic initiations. Books like Sandra Ingerman’s Soul Retrieval (1991) and Alberto Villoldo’s Shaman, Healer, Sage (2000) have introduced these concepts to mainstream audiences.
Some practitioners seek training directly from indigenous teachers, traveling to the Amazon, Mongolia, or Peru. Others engage with neo-shamanic frameworks that blend multiple traditions with Western psychology. Urban shamanic circles and online communities have proliferated, making practices once geographically isolated available to global participants.
The clinical application of shamanic techniques is an emerging field, with researchers studying drumming-induced trance states, the therapeutic potential of guided imagery journeys, and the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapy with traditional healing frameworks.
Common Misconceptions
Shamanic practice is not a single, unified tradition but rather a descriptive term for structurally similar practices across diverse cultures. Not all indigenous spiritual leaders are shamans—the term specifically refers to practitioners who journey in altered states, distinct from priests, herbalists, or diviners who may use other methods.
Shamanism is not inherently safe or benign; traditional training involves years of apprenticeship, and working with altered states or potent plant medicines without proper guidance carries psychological and physical risks. The romanticized image of the shaman as a universally wise, peaceful figure contradicts historical records showing shamans could use their abilities for harm as well as healing.
Core shamanism, while making techniques accessible to modern practitioners, is not equivalent to traditional indigenous practice. It removes methods from their cultural, cosmological, and community contexts, which many argue are inseparable from their meaning and efficacy. The appropriation of indigenous practices—particularly by those with no cultural connection or proper training—remains a significant ethical concern, especially when commercialized.
How to Begin
For those interested in exploring shamanic practice ethically, begin with education. Read The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner for core techniques, or Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy by Mircea Eliade for anthropological context. Sandra Ingerman’s work offers accessible entry points for contemporary applications.
The Foundation for Shamanic Studies offers introductory workshops in core shamanic journeying that teach basic techniques in a structured format. Seek teachers with clear lineages—whether trained in specific indigenous traditions (with appropriate cultural permission to teach) or established neo-shamanic frameworks. Avoid practitioners making grandiose claims or charging exorbitant fees for “shamanic initiations.”
Begin with simple journey practices using recorded drumming (widely available online), setting clear intentions, and journeying to meet helping spirits. Keep a journal of experiences without over-interpreting or forcing meaning. If drawn to plant medicine work, research extensively, verify facilitator credentials and safety protocols, and ensure ceremonies are led by practitioners trained within the tradition of the medicine being used.
Consider whether your interest is personal spiritual development or a calling to serve others—traditional shamanic paths involve years of training, often initiated through crisis or profound calling, not casual interest.