Shamanism based Psychology

The oldest references to psychology within shamanic traditions are found in archaeological artifacts and rock art dating back tens of thousands of years, as well as in the earliest recorded medical and religious texts of ancient civilizations. Shamanism is widely regarded as the most ancient form of medicine and psychotherapy, with practices aimed at healing the mind, body, and spirit through altered states of consciousness.

1. Archaeological and Paleolithic Evidence (c. 40,000–30,000 BP)

The earliest evidence of shamanic "psychology"—understood as the use of symbols and rituals to mediate internal experience—is found in Upper Paleolithic art and burial sites.

● The Lion-Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel: Carved from mammoth ivory approximately 40,000 years ago, this figurine represents a human with a lion's head. It is interpreted as an early record of "transformation," where a shaman merges with an animal spirit, representing one of the oldest known examples of complex symbolic thinking and the projection of identity.

● Cave Paintings (Lascaux, El Castillo, Chauvet): Dating back to 40,000–30,000 years ago, many of these paintings contain abstract geometric markings (zig-zags, dots) that modern researchers liken to hallucinations reported during altered states of consciousness. These works are often interpreted as journeys into a "spirit world" to resolve community or individual distress.

● Shamanic Burials: The earliest burial interpreted as that of a shaman dates to approximately 30,000 BP in the Czech Republic. Other Mesolithic sites, such as Bad Dürrenberg (c. 7000 BCE), show individuals buried with animal remains and ritual attire, suggesting a long history of specialists who managed the psychological and spiritual needs of their groups.

2. Fundamental Psychological Concepts in Shamanism

Traditional shamanic worldviews, particularly those of the Tungus (Evenki) people from whom the term "shaman" originates, developed sophisticated systems for analyzing the self.

● Soul Loss and Retrieval: Shamanism identifies "soul loss" as a primary cause of mental and physical illness. It is conceptualized as a survival mechanism where part of the soul flees the body during emotional or physical trauma. "Soul retrieval" is the therapeutic ritual where the shaman enters a trance to track and reintegrate these fragmented parts of the self.

● Soul Dualism: Many shamanic cultures, including the Evenki and the Inuit, recognize multiple souls within a single person. This includes a "fixed soul" responsible for biological functions (breathing, digestion) and a "free soul" (spirit) that experiences emotions, travels during dreams, and leaves the body during a shamanic "soul-flight".

● Altered States of Consciousness (ASC): The use of rhythmic drumming, dancing, and occasionally psychotropic plants to induce trance states is perhaps the oldest "technique" for accessing the unconscious. Modern neuropsychoanalysis notes that these practices integrate different brain systems, projecting slow-wave (theta) discharges into the frontal brain to facilitate healing.

3. Early Written and Systematic References

As oral shamanic traditions transitioned into the earliest civilizations, they were formalized into systematic practitioners.

● Ancient Mesopotamia (āšipu): Scholars and priests known as āšipu (or mašmaššu) practiced in the Tigris and Euphrates valley around 3200 BC. They functioned as "exorcist-healers" who diagnosed mental and behavioral disorders by observing symptoms and identifying the divine or demonic "sender" of the illness.

● Australian Aboriginal "Dreaming": Often called "Dreamtime" (Jukurrpa), this is a timeless religio-cultural worldview. It represents a state of "Everywhen" where the unconscious, the ancestors, and the land are interconnected. It provides an ancient framework for understanding human identity as an accumulation of ancestral knowledge.

● Sumerian Dream Interpretation: By 2144–2124 BCE, kings like Gudea were responsible for "sacred dreaming," a role originally belonging to shamans, where dreams were systematically interpreted by priests to understand the intentions of the gods.

4. Modern Scholarly Synthesis

Modern psychological science has frequently looked back to these shamanic roots to validate its theories.

● Mircea Eliade: In his seminal work Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (1951), Eliade positioned shamanism as the "original religion of humanity," defining the shaman as a "technician of ecstasy" and a "healer" of the soul.

● Carl Jung: Jung linked shamanic rituals to universal archetypes and the collective unconscious. He viewed the shaman as having a "direct line to the unconscious," using symbolic imagery to heal the "shadow" or repressed parts of the psyche.

● Neuropsychoanalysis: Proponents like Mark Solms argue that the subjective insights of ancient shamanic practices (such as the importance of dreams) can now be mapped onto objective biological data, bridging ancient wisdom with contemporary brain science.