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Some needed psychological clarifications on the experience(s) of shamanism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2018

Etzel Cardeña  and
Stanley Krippner
Etzel Cardeña
Affiliation:
Lund University, Lund 22100, Sweden. etzel.cardena@psy.lu.sehttp://portal.research.lu.se/portal/en/persons/etzel-cardena(d53593d2-7c3f-492b-98d0-5b28ae46f227).html
Stanley Krippner
Affiliation:
Saybrook University, Oakland, CA 94612. skrippner@saybrook.eduhttps://www.saybrook.edu/faculty/byname/Stanley_Krippner/
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Abstract

The target article's use of core concepts is confused and excessively broad. Two main types of experiences have been described in relation to shamanism: magical flight and mediumship/possession. The first refers to visual and remembered experiences of events in other realms, the second to embodied experiences of ceding mental control and personality to a preternatural entity. These experiences grossly correspond to two main experience modalities exhibited by highly hypnotizable individuals in a secular setting.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 41 , 2018 , e72
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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