SHAMANISM AND QUANTUM PHYSICS

Ancient healing techniques in the dawning light of quantum physics

by

Michaela C. Brummer
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Introduction Page 1

Chapter 2: Review of Literature Page 2

Chapter 3: Methods Page 5

How the knowledge of quantum physics changed my approach to
heal clients in my practice using shamanic techniques
3.1 Case 1
The effects on a phobic client searching the personal spirit animal helper
3.2 Case 2
The effects of a soul retrieval on a sexually abused victim embedding
a split part of the soul
3.3 Case 3
The effects on a schizophrenic client after an extraction of energy
pattern, the client perceived as completely alien to himself

Chapter 4: Findings Page 11

4.1 The concepts of Quantum Physics
4.2 How the findings of Quantum Physics change our view
of the concept of healing
4.3 How leaving the Newtonian Mechanics and entering
the world of Quantum Mechanics changed the view
of psychotherapy
4.4 What is shamanism?
4.5 What do shamans do?
4.6 How much do shamanic techniques fit in the
new picture of quantum healing?

Chapter 5: Discussion
How to bridge the gap between quantum theories and shamanism Page 18
5.1 through culturally unspecific phenomena
5.2 through archeological evidence
5.3. through the concept of energetic layers of the body
5.4. How could and why should we integrate alternative medicine into our current
health system?

Chapter 6: Summary & Conclusion Page 21

Bibliography Page 22

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to complete this
thesis. I want to thank the University of Metaphysic Science giving me the inspiration to
commence this thesis in the first instance. Especially I want to thank my wonderful mentors Maru
Dana, guiding me through my bachelor and master study and to Heather Lovig who was never
ever tired of answering my questions according to this paper and my dear friend Anette
Oberhauser who encouraged me not just to be good but to be excellent: thank you from the
bottom of my heart! I have furthermore to thank my shamanic teachers Paul Uccusic, Director of
the Foundation for Shamanic Studies in Europe and his wonderful wife Roswitha; both taught me
Michael Harner`s methods of core-shamanism in a very affectionate and sometimes winking way.
I am deeply indebted to Dr. Wilhelm Schmidt who introduced me to the shamanic techniques
taught by Alberto Villoldo. He was there for me, helped me through the process of casting of my
old skin, offer stimulating suggestions and encouragement to stick to my own vision.
I am bound to the honorable Pampa Mesayoc Don Sebastian Suclle Apaza, Quero elder and Dona
Paulina Jerillo Churo; both gave me my first initiation and connected me to the wisdom of the
earthkeepers.
I want to give thanks to all my clients – they supported me so open-minded and trustful in my
research work. Each of them gave me valuable hints hidden in their symptoms. I also want to
thank all the attendees of my shamanic seminars. They gave me a clear vision of my spiritual
power but also reminded me of the responsibility to fulfill the obligation of being an intermediary
between dimensions. My soul-sisters Olivia and Simona were always there in times of doubt and
helped me through difficult periods. But my greatest teacher who pushed me unfailingly through
the birth canal of “real life” is my daughter Laura – she was the one who took me to the limits -
and beyond.

iii

1
CHAPTER 1

Introduction

While more and more scientist are developing a new model of “how everything is entangled” by
discovering the world of quantum physics we have to realize, that this knowledge already exists
since thousands of years.

With this thesis I endeavor to build a bridge between the findings of quantum physic science and
the ancient techniques of shamanism. I will do research on how the new insights of energy
medicine could change the way from curing into true healing.
I chose this topic because during a period of my own life, I went through a serious health crisis.
TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Shamanic healing stopped the traumatic journey from
conventional specialist to conventional specialist.

Deep healing took place but not only in the sense of fixing the body. My view of the world
changed and so did my profession. Working nowadays as a psychotherapist I can prove the
effects of shamanic interventions every single day. This brought me to the idea to investigate if
ancient techniques can be explained by the new findings of quantum physics.
Finding the key to explain, how energy medicine works may change the acceptance of healing
methods such as Reiki, family constellation or distance healing. So this investigation has quite an
importance to the study of metaphysics.

In this paper I will first document in the methods sector three of my cases which show the benefit
of shamanic interventions. Then I will recapitulate the findings of quantum physics according to
the sector of healing. I will demonstrate, how leaving the Newtonian Mechanics and entering the
world of Quantum Mechanics changed the view of Psychotherapy. I will then examine how
exactly shamanism is defined and how much certain shamanic techniques are fitting in this new
model of quantum healing. This leads to the question, how we could bridge the gap between
quantum theories and shamanism. Concluding the paper I will summarize how we could integrate
alternative medicine techniques into our current medical and psychotherapeutic health system.

2
CHAPTER 2

Review of Literature

Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2004 by

Mircea Eliade, first published in 1951, soon became the standard work in the study of shamanism
and will remain the reference book even for the next decades. Eliade reveals in his opus the
shamanic traditions all over the world: from Siberia and Central Asia to North and South
America, from Indonesia to Tibet and China. He did very excellent research work and helps
readers to understand the role of the shamans through history. In other words: if you want to
discover the world of Shamanism you have to read this book.

The Way of the Shaman, Haper One, New York, 1980 by Michael Harner provides the definite
handbook on practical shamanism - what it is, where it came from, how you can participate.
Harner is not just an anthropologist who has studied shamanism: he is an authentic shaman and
tells you step by step how you can enter the shamanic world. He peeled off local features of
shamanic traditions and extracted the core of ancient healing techniques. What came out is the so
called “Core-Shamanism” that is now taught all over the world.

Shaman, Healer, Sage: How to Heal Yourself and Others with the Energy Medicine of the
Americas, Harmony Books, New York, 2000 by Alberto Villoldo reveals the concept of the
"luminous energy field" that surrounds our physical bodies. In this book you will find not only
simple exercises to activate the chakras but also find personal stories from Villoldos own journey
into deeper wisdom. This book is a real treasure if you want to dive deeper into the knowledge of
the earthkeepers.

Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner's Guide, Sounds True Inc, Boulder, Co, 2004 by Sandra
Ingerman shows you exactly how you can enter the so called “non ordinary world”. It is an
interactive learning experience. While following step by step the instruction you will get access
to spiritual guidance and healing.

3
Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self, Harper, SanFrancisco, 1991 by Sandra
Ingermann is a deeper approach to shamanic techniques of healing. In this book she describes the
concept of soul retrival and offers a clear guide to understanding soul loss, soul retrieval, long
distance healing, and integration of returning soul parts. The case studies are meant to give
people a good idea of the dramatic results of soul retrival.

Shaman`s Path: Healing, Personal Growth and Empowerment, Shambala Publications, Boston,
1988, compiled and edited by Gary Doore is a collection of previously unpublished writings of
leading figures of the neo-shamanism movement such as Michael Harner, Joan Halifax, Stanley
Krippner, Serge King, Jeanne Achterberg, Stanislav Grof, and many more. In this book they try
not just to explain why practices of shamanism still are relevant in the modern world. They also
show that shamanic healing methods are compatible with Western medicine.

Masters of the Living Energy: The Mystical World of the Q`ero of Peru, Inner Traditions,
Rochester, Vermont, 1999 by Joan Parisi Wilcox. If you are interested in the spiritual traditions
of the Andes, this book is a MUST. This work is a serious research into the Q'ero mystical
tradition of Peru. Joan Parisi Wilcox documented her experiences in talking directly with the
Q'ero who represented a genuine lineage behind an ancient tradition which probably reaches back
to the Inka. This book is a combination of interviews and reliable information on Q'ero
worldviews. For westerners and their concepts of the world it is not that easy to understand but if
you try to get the key you will discover "the keepers of the ancient knowledge."

Handbook of Ethnotherapies, BoD Hamburg, 2002, edited by Christine E. Gottschalk-Batschkus

& Joy C. Green on behalf of Ethnomed – Institute for Ethnomedicine, Munich, Germany is a
compilation of healing traditions from all over the world. From today`s magic-religious healing
rituals in Central Switzerland to “folks medicine” in Africa, from Healers in Asia, India and
North America to the Syncretic Systems of Brasil. This Book shows that Holistic Healing
Tradition even nowadays is still alive all over the world – even in times of High Tech Medicine.

Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and modern medicine, New Science Library, Shambala
Publications, Boston, 1985 by Jeanne Achterberg brings together modern scientific research and
the practices of the earliest healers. She says that imagery is the world's oldest and most powerful
healing resource. The book has become a classic in the field of alternative medicine and shows
once more that imagery can have a direct and profound impact on the workings of the immune
system.

4
Beyond the brain: Birth, Death and Transcendence in Psychotherapy, State University of New
York Press, 1985 by Stanislav Grof presents the essence of his lifework. The Editorial Review
says: “Beyond the Brain seriously challenges the existing neurophysiological models of the brain.
After three decades of extensive research on those non-ordinary states of consciousness induced
by psychedelic drugs and by other means, Grof concludes that our present scientific world view
is as inadequate as many of its historical predecessors. In this pioneering work, he proposes a
new model of the human psyche that takes account of his findings”. This book is not easy to read
but a real treasure!

The Self-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates The Material World, Putnam Inc., New
York, 1993 by Amit Goswami, PH.D. In this broad minded book he discusses the world view of
material realism. Goswami states that consciousness and not matter is primary and describes his
new paradigm of monistic idealism. It seems that most books exploring the space between
science and spirituality are written by non-scientists who explain some basic scientific principles
and then mix it with their own spiritual viewpoint. Goswami, a physics professor, approaches it
from the other direction.

The Quantum Doctor: a physicist`s guide to health and healing, Hampton Roads Publishing
Company, Charlottesville, 2004 by Amit Goswami, PH.D. investigates alternative methods of
healing such as acupuncture, homeopathy, Chinese medicine and Ayurveda in the light of
physics and consciousness. He shows – as the back cover says: “…that these seemingly different
models can be integrated into a new multi-tiered system based on the new science within
consciousness.” This is my favorite book to explain how energy medicine could change our
health system.

The Biology Of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles, Hay
House, New York, 2005 by Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. shows that genes and DNA do not control our
biology, that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic
messages emanating from our thoughts. Even if the subject seems to be brain-breaking it is easy
to read and for me one of the most important writings of our time.

The titles and authors of the quoted works in the thesis can be found in the bibliography. Any
detail or critical concept missing in this thesis can be found within the pages of the books I have
listed.

5
CHAPTER 3

Methods

How the knowledge of quantum physics changed my approach to heal clients in my practice
using shamanic techniques

After my formation in the foundation of shamanic studies, a two-year-education corresponding to

Alberto Villoldo`s approach of the Quero`s knowledge and the initiation of Don Sebastian, a
Quero Elder, I was prepared to get started with using old shamanic techniques in my practice. I
wanted to prove how far energy techniques are adaptive in the psychotherapeutic process. Instead
of approaching the symptoms with the conventional analytic or behavioral methods I add
techniques of core-shamanism. Here are three cases out of my daily practice:

3.1 Case 1
The effects on a phobic client searching the personal spirit animal helper

Case history:
A client, female, age 35, was sent to me by a psychiatrist. His diagnose was a generalize anxiety
phobia and he prescribed anxiolytic drugs. His recommendation was, to support the therapy by
behavior therapy. She was in a constant and tremendous state of fear about everything. She got
tachycardia by just thinking of leaving her flat and sometimes she had to return before leaving the
front door of the building. She skipped two appointments in my practice because she was not able
to go out of her flat.

Intervention:
My intention was, first of all, to find a solid resource for the client. If she would be able to leave
the house without fear more and more often, this would encourage her trust in coping with her
phobia and anxiety. Although I knew that I could travel to the non-ordinary-world by myself to
get her power animal spirit I wanted to prove her trust in herself. So I offered my client a guided
journey to find her power animal by herself. She first was skeptic and anxious whether she would
be able to travel and what could happen, if she`d get lost. But finally she agreed - if I would
attend her journey.

6
Process:
While guiding the client through the process by drumming and a constant feedback, she managed
to enter the "lower world". After some encounters with residents of the lower world she found her
power animal: a cow! Tears of joy ran down her cheeks when she got in contact. While meeting
this enormous resource she explains, how love caring the cow is: “Oh my god, the cow is wiping
away all my problems with the tail, and giving me so heart-warming food. I can lean on her warm
body and just relax – there is nothing to do. This wonderful being allows me, just to be how I
am.” She asked the cow to come with her to support her in the ordinary world and the power
animal agreed. After the journey to the “nonordinary world” I helped the client to integrate the
energy of the power animal into her energetic body by balancing the energies. After the process,
the energy field seemed much more vibrant and harmonized.

Achievement:
Three days after the intervention the client called and told me, that she went to the "Starnberger
See", a lake about a 45-minutes-trip by car away. She not just only managed to leave her flat but
also to catch a public train and to travel all by herself! During the following six months she
stopped taking the anxiolytic drugs and returned to a normal life.

Summary:
I assert that without the application of the shamanic technique of searching the power animal, the
client would have needed much more conventional therapy interventions to come to the point of
leaving the flat. But with the idea of an immense protector guiding her to through the fields of
fear and anxiety she could trust her abilities to cope with these obstacles. In studying classical
behavior cases I could not find a single case where the client could leave the state of phobia in
such a short time. The client`s doctor attested a spontaneous healing – he could not find an
explanation of what was the cause of the disappearance of the symptoms.

7
3.2 Case 2
The effects on a sexually abused victim embedding a split part of the soul

Case history:
A client, male, age 62, was sent to me from a psychiatrist.
Three years ago he went to a general practitioner because he had problems with his eye-sight. As
a carpenter he had to work very precisely, but he was not able to do his work anymore. The
doctor diagnosed a depression and issued a sick certificate for his company and antidepressant
drugs. After one year of staying at home he was sent to a company medical officer. The officer
confirmed the depression. Another year of staying at home followed. The client got more and
more aggressive. After an attack to his wife he was sent to a locked ward of psychiatry. After 12
weeks he was sent home. He was escorted to my practice by his wife. He was still filled with
drugs, not capable to interact with a person, without any emotions - a living zombie. .

Intervention:
I asked the wife to wait in the waiting room while I tried to establish a conversation with the
client. It was impossible, so I asked him to the treatment bench. After discussing the case with
my spirit helpers I did a soul retrieval to the client.

Process:
While travelling to the non-ordinary-world I met a child that trembled and shivered and was full
of fears. I asked him if he is a soul piece of my client. He nodded and after both client and soul
piece - child agreed to unite again I blew the lost soul part into the body of the client. I could feel
how the soul essence filled that client`s body and how he slowly came "to life". Then I worked on
the client`s energy system. I could see that a lot of “wholes” were located all over his body,
especially in the area of the lower chakras. I try to recover them with a technique called
“illumination”. Therefore I opened the chakras, cleaned them and refilled them with healing light.
I smoothened the energy pattern and filled the client`s body with energy.

Achievement:
In the next therapy session I sat face to face with a much more agile person. He said to me that he
wants to share a secret he never mentioned to anyone anytime before. At the age of five he was
sexually abused by a friend of his father, a former Gestapo man of Hitler`s Nazi regime. As we
worked on this issue we found out that three years ago, my client got a new foreman at work that
reminded him of his childhood perpetrator. His subconscious rebelled but the client ignored the
signs - he could not interpret them by then. Slowly he faced his fears and worked on this trauma.
After 10 therapy sessions I had to transfer this case to a company therapist.
8
Summary:
To my opinion without the application of the shamanic technique of soul retrieval the client
would have needed much more conventional therapy interventions to leave the state of a living
dead person and to face his trauma. With the shamanic technique a very quick rapport was
possible and the client had a rapid confidence in me as a therapist. So a profound work on the
client`s trauma could be established within a very short time.

3.3 Case 3
The effects on a schizophrenic client after an extraction of energy pattern, the client
perceived as completely alien to himself

Case history:
A client, female, age 40, came to my practice.
Two years ago she had started with Kundalini yoga, meditation practice and Reiki. At the
beginning she entered very quickly a spherical space but then voices spoke to her. Since out of
curiosity she opened her body for outer-space-entities she felt energy abusing her body. It seemed
as if those entities took control over her life. She was desperate because her husband forced her to
a psychiatry hospital where she was filled up with drugs.

Intervention:
Although I knew that this schizophrenic episode should not be treated without medical support I
offered her to accompany her during her conventional therapy. I offered a shamanic
diagnostically journey to see how I could support the healing process diagnostically.

Process:
Meeting my spirit guides in the non-ordinary-world I got the information that my client is unable
to "shut the doors" which means that she could not close the space where those entities entered
her physical body. So with the help of my allies I closed the ports. I fixed the delicate fabric of
the luminous energy field, especially at the sole of the feet. It felt like knotting broken warp
threads together. After this process I filled the energy field that was nearly discharged, and
harmonized the chakra fields.

9
Of course the main work has to be done by the client. Until she won`t be able to be the leader and
exclusive "user" of her body and mind, until she is not capable of setting limits and boundaries all
alone, there won`t be freedom in her mind. She has a tremendous capability in working as a
channel but since she is not able to handle the energies she will be a puppet on the string for the
entities.

Achievement:
After the intervention my client told me that since weeks it was the first night that she slept well.
There were no voices at all.

Summary:
Unfortunately - as predicted by the spiritual allies - the voices came back because the client was
not able to fulfill the conditions of being the master of her mind. But the shamanic technique
showed the client that with the support of the spiritual world a change was possible. This
experience strengthened her intention to work on setting limits and showed the client that she is
not victim of those entities but creator of her own reality. To my opinion without the application
of the shamanic technique the client would not have experienced her own power and the fact, that
it is herself who could make a change. She is currently working on learning how to deal
with foreign entities and progresses.

CHAPTER 4:

Findings

4.1 The concepts of Quantum Physics

Niels Bohr, the father of the orthodox 'Copenhagen Interpretation' of quantum physics once said:
"Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it".1 I have to admit, that this
is exactly how I felt when I first got in contact with this new part of science. It sounds more like
science fiction, or a poorly written fantasy, than notions which serious scientists would entertain.
10

1
Barad, Karen Michelle, 2007 Meeting the Universe Halfway page 254, with a footnote citing The Philosophical
Writings of Niels Bohr (1998).
Let`s try to find an comprehensible explanation:

Quantum mechanics is the subcategory of physics dealing with the study of particles to the extent
of atomic and sub-atomic level. The term 'Quantum Mechanics' was given by Max Born in 1924.

According to Polymath Ningthoujam Sandhvarani2 these are the major points that are made by
the modern quantum theory:

• Energy is discontinuous and exists in small packets, called quanta

• The subatomic particles behave as particles, as well as waves
• The subatomic particles move in a random manner
• The physical properties of the subatomic particles, like the momentum and position
cannot be determined at a time. If one value is known precisely, the measurement of the
other value is less accurate

Sandhvarani furthermore explains in his article the importance of Quantum theory which has
opened a new dimension in physics. “There is no doubt, that the theoretical basis of modern
physics is centered in the two most important phenomena, namely, the theory of relativity (by
Einstein) and quantum theory. Future experimentation on biological science, such as the structure
of protein and other biomolecules is possible only because of quantum theory”.
Let`s try to find an easier explanation of this complex science: while classical mechanics studies
weight and mass of atoms, quantum mechanics studies waves and how they interfere.

The term “Interference” describes the interaction of waves that are coherent with each other
because they come from the same source or because they have the same frequency. All waves
together are called: the field - in scientific words: The Quantum Field Theory.

Conventional scientists research our environment by separating particles, substances and liquid to
analyze it. New physic says: you have to study the whole because you can`t divide energy. You
can`t divide energy waves, because if they met, they entangle.

11

2
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/basics-of-quantum-physics.html, December 2009
4.2 How the findings of quantum physics change our view of the concept of healing

These new discoveries in quantum physics do have some revolutionary implications for health
and healing. We realize that if everything and everybody is included in this theory, we - as human
beings - are not just atoms but also waves – this involves: we are part of the field. In fact we are
waves interacting with each other in the field. The consequence out of these findings is:

We are connected with everything!

This conclusion of scientists comes very close the spiritual wisdom of religious leaders and their
outlook on the world. Over two thousand years ago, Buddha declared: “We are formed and
molded by our thoughts"3.

Buddha`s quote underlines perfectly the thoughts of Dawson Church, founder of the Soul
Medicine Institute in California. He states that nowadays scientists are discovering how the
interchanges between human consciousness and human bodies work4: “Techniques from energy
medicine and Energy Psychology can alleviate chronic diseases, shift autoimmune conditions,
and eliminate psychological traumas with an efficiency and speed that conventional treatments
can scarcely touch."

In other words: each experience, even the way we think or the way we feel does have impact to
our bodies and triggers thereby genetic changes in our cells. This mind-blowing thought puts
every medical dogma in question. Spirit versus Scalpel – is this the new way to cope with
diseases?

A great quote by Albert Einstein states:

"The field is the sole governing agency of the particle"5.

If we dive deeper into this assumption we have to admit that it is not matter that shapes the field
but the reverse. So if we really want to explain the patterns of cells in health and disease, we have
12

3
http://quotationsbook.com/quote/38837, December 2009
4
Dawson, Ph.D. 2007 The genie in your genes: epigenetic medicine and the new biology of intention. Elite Books:
Santa Rosa page 29
5
http://de.spiritualwiki.org/Hawkins/Attraktor January 2010
to include the field in our thoughts. This is why conventional medicine as still taught in
Universities all over the world must fail eventually. Conventional medicine wants to explain the
body in health and disease but does not include the field. While Newtonian Physics and Medicine
separates body from mind and just cares about matter only, quantum physics reunite mind and
body and implicate both matter and energy. British biologist Rupert Sheldrake underlines this
theory. He explains that "Fields and energy are now more fundamental than matter. The ultimate
particles of matter have become vibrations of energy within fields."6.

By including the field in our definition of health and disease we have to adjust our definition of
therapeutic treatments.

Nobel-Prize winner Eric Kandel, MD, believes that in future treatments, “Social influences will
be biologically incorporated in the altered expressions of specific genes in specific nerve cells of
specific areas of the brain”7 That means that a positive feeling, a therapeutic belief or thought, a
physical exercise, a day of gratitude or even a membership in a social club have profound healing
and regenerative effects on our bodies, and we are now on the way to find out how to use these
findings therapeutically.

4.3 How leaving the Newtonian Mechanics and entering the world of
Quantum Mechanics changed the view of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy seeks to bring painful memories back to the surface of consciousness, and then
shift them. Psychologist Ernest Rossi, who has more than three decades of experience treating
patients, summarizes these experiments as follows: “Most paradigms of psychotherapy involve a
combination of a two-step process… (1) a reactivation of old traumatic memories, which is (2)
immediately followed by some form of therapeutic intervention designed to heal the old hurt.”8
Many traditional healing rituals, such as shamanic journeys, faith healings, and even the service
in church involve the same mechanism of heightened emotional arousal, followed by a release.
Rossi points out, that psychotherapies, old and new use this approach. There is just one
difference: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), EFT, and Energy
Psychology additionally add a layer of physical stimulation. Like in ancient drumming or dancing
13

6
Sheldrake, Rupert 2003 The Sense of Being Stared At Crown: New York. page 4
7
Kandel, Eric, 1988 A new intellectual framework for psychiatry? American Journal of Psychiatry. 155, page 457
8
Rossi, Ernest. 2002 The Psychology of Gene, Expression. Norton: New York, page 125
ceremonies, this physical component is the crucial factor to the rapid healings seen in these
therapies.
Another field of a so called “new application of energy healing” is electromagnetic healing
devices, but the principles on which they are founded reach back thousands of years. The ancient
system of acupuncture arose out of the study of chi or qi which means literally “breath”, a
metaphor for “life energy” or what modern scientist might describe as electromagnetic energy
fields). The goal… was to achieve “a trance-like state of relaxation, wherein the qi can be
regulated and directed by the mind to correct imbalances in the body.”9 Human awareness of
these energy channels along which qi flows is ancient indeed, and methods to enhance the flow
may have been part of the knowledge base of prehistoric shamans from many cultures. Dawson
Church describes, where the new findings of Quantum Mechanics take us: “We`re just starting to
find out what happens to genes when the environment changes, how DNA responds to
psychospiritual experiences, how our emotions affect our health, why energy medicine works,
and how we can stimulate the body`s internal pharmacy to write prescriptions for healing. The
results challenge medical orthodoxy. As the question become bolder, the answers will become
more surprising, and full of good news about the way we can use our consciousness to improve
our happiness and health”10.

This assumption rattles quiete alarming our cage. We are much more comfortable with solid
objects when looking for explanations of how our world works. We prefer classical neurology or
the use of drugs and chemotherapy to treat disease and so do the doctors. String theory stretches
our minds and reminds us that healing may occur in dimensions that are outside of our
imagination.
Jean Houston, Ph.D., is Director of the Foundation for Mind Research. She has worked in more
than 40 countries in human resource training and is a human and cultural development adviser to
UNICEF. She subsumes: “While you may be sick in this dimension, you may be the model of
health in another dimension of the multiverse. Your intention in this dimension, acting in a
quantum field, may collapse the swarm of probabilities in such way as to influence health. Such
ideas stretch the boundaries of our imagination, yet they hark back to shamanic journeys, or
aboriginal walkabouts in the dreamtime, into which our ancestors travelled to find cures.”11

14

9
Yount, Garret, et.al. 2005 Consciousness & Healing: Changing perspectives on healing energy in traditional
Chinese medicine, Elsevier:St. Louis page 424
10
Dawson, Ph.D. 2007 The genie in your genes: epigenetic medicine and the new biology of intention, Elite Books:
Santa Rosa, page 184
11
http://www.utne.com/story.id=616. October 2009
This presumption raises the question if ancient healing techniques may be much more efficient
than conventional psychotherapy because they work since thousands of years exactly in this
multidimensional way. Therefore we have to step closer to the concepts of shamanism.

4.4 What is shamanism?

Shamanism is the oldest healing technique known to humankind. We know from archaeological
research that shamanism was applied all over the world for at least 40,000 years. However, many
anthropologists believe that the practice dates back over 100,000 years. Shamanism is not a
religion but the practice of techniques, either for healing or to gain spiritual knowledge. Every
culture adapted the techniques to fit their individual beliefs and traditions but the essential nature
of the shamanic practice does not change, nor has it changed since ancient times. Michael Harner
underlines these explanations in his book The Way of the Shaman: “these shamanic methods are
strikingly similar the world over, even for peoples whose cultures are quite different in other
respects, and who have been separated by oceans and continents for tens of thousands of years.”12
As Harner points out, shamanic technique leads to a direct experience of spiritual knowledge.
They “work surprisingly quickly, with the result that most persons can achieve in a few hours
experiences that might otherwise take them years of silent meditation, prayer or chanting.”13
The word shaman is a term that comes from a Siberian tribal word, (pronounced SHAH-mahn).
Michael Harner explains in the book Shaman`s path that this expression was not chosen by the
healers by themselves14: “This word was specifically chosen by anthropologists and given a
precise technical definition in order to accurately describe certain individuals in native societies
who perform specific part-time functions in the community.” Those healers were the keepers of a
tremendous body of ancient techniques but they had quite more duties and responsibilities.

15

12
Harner, Michael 1980 The Way of the Shaman. Haper One: New York, p.xvii
13
Harner, Michael 1980 The Way of the Shaman. Haper One: New York. p.xii
14
Harner, Michael 1988 Shaman`s Path: Healing, Personal Growth and Empowerment, Shambala Publications:
Boston, compiled and edited by Gary Doore, page 7
4.5 What do shamans do?

Mircea Eliade, leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in his
studies that exist to this day found out common beliefs of what identifies shamans and their
worldview:

• Spirits exist and they play important roles both in individual lives and in human society.
• The shaman can communicate with the spirit world.
• Spirits can be good or evil.
• The shaman can treat sickness caused by evil spirits.
• The shaman can employ trance inducing techniques to incite visionary ecstasy and go on
"vision quests."
• The shaman's spirit can leave the body to enter the supernatural world to search for
answers.
• The shaman evokes animal images as spirit guides, omens, and message-bearers.
• The shaman can tell the future, scry, throw bones/runes, and perform other varied forms
of divination 15

Shamans believe that everything is alive and carries information. They gain knowledge and
insight from working with the spirits of nature such as rocks, trees and the land. Shamans are also
working with the spirits of animals and humans, such as their ancestors. They can be seen as
intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. They heal illness at the soul level by
working with the spirit or the soul. In order to communicate with the spirit or consciousness of
the spiritual allies, the shamans shift their own state of awareness.
The so-called shaman`s flight can be reinforced by different modalities like using psychedelic
plants, the repetitive sound of drums or rattles or meditation.
This shift of consciousness allows the free part of the shaman`s soul to leave the body. The
shaman can then go retrieve information for the clients healing and growth. Illness is seen by the
shaman as a lack of power because it was lost somewhere in a client`s life.
A typical shaman technique is the power animal retrieval. Power animals are an essential
component of shamanic practice. A power animal can be seen a kind of protector which shields
you from harm and helps you with your spiritual growth by transmitting its power to you. The
shaman will first enter a shamanic state of consciousness to find the power animal of his or her
16

15
Eliade, Mircea 1964 Shamanism, Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy. Bollingen Series LXXVI, Pantheon Books:
NYNY page 3-7
client. The healer would then blow the power animals energy into the body of the client so that
the essence of the power animal fills that person's body.
The indigenous healer also does shamanic extraction which means, he or she removes misplaced
energy. From a shamanic perspective no energy is truly bad but if energy is misplaced or it isn't
in accord with the environment it will cause illness. The shaman will remove the energy that
does not belong within the client`s body. Michael Harner adds: “The shamanic removal of
harmful power intrusions is difficult work, for the shaman sucks them out of a patient physically
as well as mentally and emotionally.”16
Another technique is the soul retrieval.
Shamans believe that parts of the soul are free to leave the body. As a positive protection
mechanism parts of each individual can leave the body while experiencing a trauma. For
example, if someone were to be in a sexual abuse situation, part of the soul would leave the body
to protect itself from the trauma of the impact. Unfortunately, the lost part does not always know
how to return. In psychological concepts the term of soul loss would be comparable to
dissociation. Shamans are able to assist the missing piece to return. Sandra Ingerman points out
that “it is important to understand that soul loss is a good thing that happens to us. It is how we
survive pain. If I was going to be in a head on car collision the last place that I would want to be
at the point of impact is in my body. My psyche could not endure that kind of pain. So our
psyches have this brilliant self protect mechanism where a part of our essence or soul leaves the
body so that we do not feel the full impact of the pain.”17

There are many common symptoms of soul loss. Maybe a person does not feel fully in his or her
body and alive and fully engaged in life. Another symptom is chronic depression. Suicidal
tendencies may be caused by soul loss, just as well post traumatic stress syndrome, immune
deficiency problems, and grief that just won`t heal. Addictions are also a sign of soul loss as we
seek external sources to fill up the empty spaces inside of us whether through substances, food,
relationships, work, or buying material objects.

As another typical part of a shamans work is healing the earth by using their ability to
communicate with the consciousness of land, bodies of water and other such natural features of
their landscape. And last but not least a further mission is the work with death and dying. The
shamans help people to cross the line of death, communicate with the ancestors and transfer
messages from one side to the other.

17

16
Harner, Michael 1980 The Way of the Shaman. Haper One: New York, page 116
17
http://www.sandraingerman.com/soulretrieval.html, January 2010
4.6 How much do shamanic techniques fit in the new picture of quantum healing?

If we combine now the definition of Quantum Physics with the insight of shamanic healing
techniques we have to approve that those ancient techniques do work most likely in the so-called
Quantum field. Michael Harner describes this “nonordinary reality” as SSC, the Shamanic State
of Consciousness.18 Jean Houston tries to consolidate Quantum Physics and the definition of
healing as follows: “I believe that healers do have the capacity to heal. Part of this is because they
are able to identify with archetypes, and archetypes have the capacity to bring larger patterns of
possibility, evolutionary cadences, and a wider spectrum of reality into conscious knowledge.
Rapid healing, for example, can be the result of the healer dissolving his or her local self and
being filled with an archetypal or sacred image. By bridging oneself between here and the
Greater There, one enters into archetypal dimensions that may contain the blueprints of greater
possibility, the primal stuff for social and creative change. Archetypal space-time may also
contain the optimal template of a person's health and well-being. The job of the healer is to call
that template back into consciousness so that it can work upon a malfunctioning body or mind,
tuning here, correcting there.”19 Dawson Church adds another explanation: “A healer and healee
might go into a highly attentive state of awareness at the same time, such as when a rabbi is
praying, a Reiki master is laying on hands, or a compassionate doctor is counseling a patient.
This shared intent, with its associated electromagnetic patterns of resonant brain frequencies,
might be mutual reinforcing. Healer and healee entrain to the same brain wave forms during these
periods of heightened consciousness. Two resonant brains might create a feedback loop and built
a stronger field, initiating a bigger epigenetic signal to spark neurogenesis and build the neural
highways necessary for miraculous healing.20 All these comments lead us directly to the insight
that shamanic techniques fit perfectly in the new picture of quantum healing and can be added to
the new term of “energy medicine” or CAM therapies (Complementary and Alternative Medicine
therapies).

18

18
Harner, Michael 1980 The Way of the Shaman. Haper One: New York, p.xix
19
http://www.utne.com/archives/DoHealersReallyHeal.aspx?page=4 January 2010
20
Church,Dawson, Ph.D. 2007 The genie in your genes: epigenetic medicine and the new biology of intention. Elite
Books: Santa Rosa, page 93
Chapter 5:

Discussion

5. How to bridge the gap between quantum theories and shamanism

5.1 How to bridge the gap between quantum theories and shamanism through culturally
unspecific phenomena

Many cultures of the world describe invisible streams of energy when they talk about the function
of the body and/or the mind systems. According to Wikipedia`s explanation of Energy
(esotericism)21 “…'energy' is sometimes conceived of as a universal life force running within and
between all things. Spiritual energy is often closely associated with the metaphor of life as breath
- the words 'qi', 'prana', and 'spirit', for instance, are all related in their respective languages to the
verb 'to breathe'. It is also often seen as a continuum that unites body and mind." Depending on
the tradition the experience of this energy is described differently: sometimes there is a physical
sensation like the circulation of breathe in the body, sometimes more visible as "auras", "rays", or
"fields". Audible or tactile sensation can be felt as well. This similarity of awareness and
experience all around the world and through all cultures may conclude to the existence of the
field.

5.2. How to bridge the gap between quantum theories and shamanism through
archeological evidence

Ethnographic studies of prehistoric cave paintings presume that the paintings were made by Cro-
Magnon Shamans. David Lewis-Williams developed the theory that “the shaman would retreat
into the darkness of the caves, enter into a trance state and then paint images of their visions”22
As this kind of cave paintings were found all over the world in Africa, Australia, Europe, India,
South America and Southeast Asia we may conclude, that this is again an cross-cultural
interpretation of the perception of the field.

19

21
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_(esotericism)#cite_note-3, march 2010
22
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting , march 2010
5.3. How to bridge the gap between quantum theories and shamanism through the
concept of energetic layers of the body

Human auric energy fields are described all over the world and through all historical times. While
the Vedanta refers to the "five koshas" as the levels of self, Madame Helena Petrova Blavatsky
(1831-1891), the founder of the Theosophical Society speaks about "the seven principles".
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), founder of "antroposophy", a new spiritual movement, defined
energy fields around bodies as the "seven or nine level self". Descriptions of energetic fields you
can also find in Aurobindian, Buddhistic, Sufi, Kabbalistic, Kahmir, Shaivite and other esoteric
teachings. Barbara Brennan, a healer who has spent the last 15 years studying the human energy
field presents in her book "Hands of Light"23 a very detailed model of the human aura. If we
evaluate and interprete these findings and presume correctly, that a physical body is nothing but
condensed energy, that any body experience must be an expression of the field.

5.4. How could and why should we integrate alternative medicine into our current health
system?

In spite of the enormous benefits, consciousness-based therapies are not paid for by the bizarre
amount of money spent on the medical system. Expenditures in the United States on health care
surpassed $2.2 trillion in 2007, more than three times the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over
eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980. The major cost factors are chronic diseases,
prescription drugs and new medical technologies.24
But patients wishing to attend a yoga class, join a gym, get a massage, attend an alternative
healer, or otherwise nurture their wellness must pay for it themselves. Dean Ornish, MD,
ponders, “How did we get a point in medicine where interventions such as radioactive stents,
coronary angioplasty, and bypass surgery are considered conventional, whereas eating
vegetables, walking, meditation, and participating in support groups are considered radical?”25
Exemplary studies indicate CAM therapies (Complementary and Alternative Medicine therapies) that
may be considered cost-effective compared to usual care for various conditions: acupuncture for
migraine, manual therapy for neck pain, spa therapy for Parkinson's, self-administered stress
management for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, biofeedback for patients with
"functional" disorders, and guided imagery, relaxation therapy, and potassium-rich diet for
20

23
Brennan Barbara, 1988, Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, Bantam Book, NY
24
http://www.kaiseredu.org/topics_im.asp?imID=1&parentID=61&id=358 December 2009
25
Ornish, Dean. 2004 Love as a healer in The Heart of Healing. Edited by D. Church, Elite Books: Santa Rosa,
page.258
cardiac patients.26 If we subsume all these information we have to realize that energy medicine is
definitely more economical, closer to the cause of disease, less invasive and the better choice
regarding possible adverse reaction.

Whereas placebos have no side effects, the same cannot be said for prescription drugs. According
to the JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, some 250,000 people die each
year from the negative effects of drugs, unnecessary surgeries, infections they pick up in
hospitals, and other iatrogenic (doctor-caused) illnesses, making iatrogenic illness the third
largest cause of death in the United States.27

Bruce Lipton brings it to the point, why the conventional medicine ignores the results of energy
research28: “The trillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry puts its research money into the search
for magic bullets in the form of chemicals because pills mean money. If energy healing could be
made into tablet form, drug manufacturers would get interested quickly.”

CAM therapies could reduce health care expenses because the costs of a yoga class, a meditation
lesson or attending a healer are much less than a conventional medical treatment. There are
certainly lifestyle factors that make a big difference in our health and longevity. Eating a diet rich
in fruits and vegetables, daily aerobic exercise, avoiding smoking and excess alcohol – all these
contribute to a healthy living. These are physical behaviors we can see. Yet metaphysical things
we can`t see, like consciousness and intention – expressed in our beliefs, feelings, prayers, and
attitudes-also play an important role by improving our emotional state and reducing our stress.

As Amit Goswami, Ph.D. points out: "If any field needs integration, it is medicine.”
And he has already the solution to get out of this problem: the evolution of a new type of health
professionals - the Quantum Doctor. He redefines: “A quantum doctor is a practitioner of
medicine who knows the fallacies of the Newtonian classical physics-based deterministic
worldview that was discarded in physics many decades ago.

21

26
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722206/ January 2010
27
Shealy, C.N. 2005 Life beyond 100. Tarcher Putnam: New York, page 27
28
Lipton, Bruce H., Ph.D., 2005 The Biology Of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles,
Hay House: New York, page 81
Quantum doctors bring the message of quantum physics alive in their practice of medicine.”29
“Health” by then, won`t be any longer defined as simply the absence of disease but as a holistic
wellbeing including body, mind and soul.

Chapter 5

Summary

As we found out, the oldest healing technique still has the right to stand in a row with the newest
and most modern therapies. The knowledge of the ancient wisdom keepers does perfectly match
to the findings of quantum theories. We can say, the shamanic techniques are fed from the same
source than modern quantum theory. Last but not least we should have a look, how we could
imply shamanic techniques in medical and psychotherapeutic practice.

In palliative care and hospice shamanic healing could support energetically the process of dying.
A lot of people have lost their faith and can`t accept religious concepts. Shamanic rituals could
help people in hospitals to cross the line of death. In oncology departments for example shamanic
imagery could help to relax and to decrease any pain or any anxiety. Traumatized victims could
be treated therapeutically with soul retrival. Even depressions could be softened by shamanic
energetic treatment. There are no limits in discovering new applications of ancient healing
techniques – it is up to us to take advantage of the gift of our ancestors!
There is just one further step to go:

Conventional and alternative therapies should go hand in hand. Instead of blaming each other
both parties should realize the benefits of working together. Healing is not a question of
“either….or” but “as well as”. Instead of blaming each other both parties should realize the
benefits of working together. Then maybe comes the time when healing will be a holistic event
and not just only the cutback of symptoms.

22

29
Goswami Amit, Ph.D., 2004 The Quantum Doctor: a physicist`s guide to health and healing. Hampton Roads
Publishing Company, Inc. Charlottesville, VA, page 3
 Bibliography

Brennan Barbara, 1988, Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field,
Bantam Book, NYNY

Dawson, Ph.D. 2007 The genie in your genes: epigenetic medicine and the new biology of
intention. Elite Books: Santa Rosa

Doore, Gary 1988 Shaman`s Path: Healing, Personal Growth and Empowerment. Shambala
Publications: Boston

Eliade, Mircea 1964 Shamanism, Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy. Bollingen Series LXXVI,
Pantheon Books: NYNY

Goswami Amit, Ph.D. 2004 The Quantum Doctor: a physicist`s guide to health and healing.
Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.: Charlottesville, VA,

Harner, Michael 1980 The Way of the Shaman. Haper One: New York

Lipton, Bruce H., Ph.D. 2005 The Biology Of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness,
Matter & Miracle., Hay House: New York

Ornish, Dean. 2004 Love as a healer, in The Heart of Healing. Edited by D. Church, Elite
Books:Santa Rosa

Rossi, Ernest. 2002 The Psychology of Gene, Expression. Norton: New York

Shealy, C.N. 2005 Life beyond 100.Tarcher Putnam: New York

Sheldrake, Rupert 2003 The Sense of Being Stared At. Crown: New York

Yount, Garret, et.al. 2005 Consciousness & Healing: Changing perspectives on healing energy
in traditional Chinese medicine. Elsevier: St. Louis