The Psychoanalytic Approach to the Phenomenon of Shamanism

Shamanism has been raising interest among psychologists and psychoanalysts for quite a long time, but to a much greater extent it had been studied by experts in anthropology, ethnography and religion. The techniques of shamanic treatment from the point of view of psychoanalysis were considered by O. Pfister, A. Green, A. Ellenberger, P. Mitrani and many others followed. This study aims to explore the phenomenon of shamanism using the psychoanalytic concept. The study hypothesis is the idea that shamanism is the primary experience of psychotherapy, carrying signs of psychoanalytic theories. As a result, the analysis of the adjacent areas of the shamanism and psychoanalysis proposed by A. Green was made. Various features of shamanic cosmogony, cosmology and techniques of interaction with patients were considered. The confirmation of the hypothesis about the psychotherapeutic nature of the shamanism was revealed. Information about the phylogenetic nature of some myths and symbols was also obtained. Based on the partially confirmed hypothesis about the psychotherapeutic bases of shamanism, it is concluded that the use of the psychoanalytic method is effective to study the phenomenon of shamanism. The data obtained as a result can enter the metaphorical "fund" of psychoanalysis, to expand the set of tools of a psychoanalytically-oriented consultant.