A Scoping Review of the Empirical Literature on Neo-Shamanic Healing as a Psychological Intervention
Year: 2025
Type: other
Abstract: This study is a scoping review of the empirical literature on neo-shamanic healing as an intervention for psychological distress and mental illness within Western, non-indigenous populations. While shamanism has been widely studied in anthropology and religious studies, empirical research on its therapeutic applications remains limited. Existing literature tends to concentrate on aspects such as altered states of consciousness, psychedelics, and cultural studies, with less attention given to neo-shamanic healing as a structured mental health intervention. The review aims to determine the extent to which neo-shamanic healing has been explored as a psychological intervention and how the broader literature on shamanism and shamanic healing is categorized. Specifically, it addresses two key research questions: (1) What is the scope of the empirical literature on neo-shamanic healing as a mental health intervention in non-indigenous populations? and (2) How is the remaining empirical literature on shamanism and shamanic healing distributed across different domains, such as psychedelics, cultural studies, and other related areas?
Source: Open Science Framework
Author: Lyons, Geoff
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7117716773
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