Chapter 4

• Shamanism may be the root source for all spiritual traditions as well as the original form of

energy medicine practice.

The word shaman is derived from the language of the Tungus people of Siberia.

Shaman - someone who enters an altered state of consciousness to contact and utilize an

ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge and power and to help other

people.

Shamanic practitioner - someone who is not a shaman but is applying and adapting the

traditions and/or teachings in beneficial ways to enhance various healing, mediative, and

self-development practices.

• Drumming, singing, and chanting are powerful method for shifting consciousness, physical,

and energetic states.

The human voice is the most healing and mystical of all instruments.

The drum is the most common and profound external instruments, it is also an ancient

practice. This instrument acts as a focusing device to move the mind to a specific point.

Reticular activating system (RAS) - the function is to regulate the general level of electrical

activity in the brain.

Drumming stimulates auditory tracts that pass into the RAS.

Through auditory driving, the sound of drumming creates strong, repetitive neuronal firing

in the auditory pathways.

Overloads mundane circuits of the brain while creating an opening to higher levels of

consciousness.

• Brain wave rhythms generally correspond to:

Beta: found in waking state, found when our focus is on actives in the external world

Alpha: found while we are daydreaming, associated in light states of meditation, allowing

access to subconscious worlds

Theta: found in states of high creativity, deep meditation and sleep

Delta: found in states of deep sleep or unconsciousness

• Frequency following response (FFR) - driving or entrainment of brain waves through use of

specific sonic techniques.

Beat frequencies - triggering brain wave entraining effects of very low frequencies using

higher audible sound frequencies (ex: two tuning forks at different hertz levels, two tones

will produce beat frequency)

Altered state does not have to be a mystical excursion, it can be a simple as shifting into a

different state than the one previously occupied (ex: working on something and then shifting

to take a moment to stare out the window)