February 2026
Shamanism
What February 2026's 5 new studies found, synthesized from the papers below. All Shamanism research →
The synthesis
Synthesized from 4 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below
Found by searching the library for Shamanism, shamanic, entheogenic ritual, indigenous healing, then ranked by relevance.
Research on shamanism in February 2026 focused on its theoretical conceptualization, ritual paraphernalia, altered states of consciousness, and ecological dimensions, but no empirical studies testing causal effects were identified. The evidence is entirely qualitative and ethnographic, describing shamanic practices as mediators between human and spirit realms, tools for healing and social regulation, and as evolving under modern conditions. A major caveat is the complete absence of controlled or quantitative research, limiting any conclusions about efficacy or mechanisms.
Confidence in the evidence
Insufficient- All four relevant studies are qualitative, ethnographic, or theoretical, with no RCTs, observational studies, or meta-analyses.
- Sample sizes are not reported or are not applicable; the studies are descriptive case studies or literature reviews.
- The studies are consistent in describing shamanism as a culturally embedded practice, but they do not test hypotheses or provide comparative effect estimates.
- Risk of bias is high due to lack of blinding, control groups, or quantitative measurement; findings are interpretive and context-specific.
How we rate confidence
Confidence reflects the strength of the underlying evidence, not whether the result is favorable. It weighs the number and size of studies, their design (randomized trials count for more than observational or single-case work), how consistently they point the same way, and their risk of bias.
Tiers run from Insufficient to High. High is rare in this field: small, early, or open-label studies land lower even when their direction is encouraging.
Evidence by study
Direction is each study's finding relative to your question: Supports, Opposes, No effect, Mixed, or Unclear.
| Study | Design | Sample size | Direction | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shamanism 2026 | theoretical/ethnographic | Unclear | This chapter theorizes shamanism as a cosmology of change that renders ontological lability visible, arguing for its underexplored theoretical potential. | |
| The paraphernalia of the Shamans of the Nepalese community in Darjeeling Himalaya 2026 | qualitative/ethnographic | Unclear | This paper describes shamanic paraphernalia used for healing, trance, and mediation between realms, noting that shamans also use herbal medicine and faith healing. | |
| Shamanic tradition and altered states of consciousness in Turkic culture 2026 | qualitative/theoretical | Unclear | This study found that altered states of consciousness in Turkic shamanism function as a normative tool for diagnosis, sacred cognition, and social regulation, and that the tradition has transformed into individualized psycho-spiritual practice in modern contexts. | |
| The Blessing of the Monkeys, the Whisper of Enchanted Stones: A Case Study of Indigenous Ecology in the Sacred Groves of Kerala (India) and Nagarkot (Nepal) 2026 | qualitative/ethnographic | Unclear | This comparative case study found that sacred groves in Kerala and shamanic forests in Nepal involve non-human animals and natural entities as active agents in spiritual practices, highlighting indigenous ecological knowledge transmitted through ritual. |
This chapter theorizes shamanism as a cosmology of change that renders ontological lability visible, arguing for its underexplored theoretical potential.
theoretical/ethnographic
This paper describes shamanic paraphernalia used for healing, trance, and mediation between realms, noting that shamans also use herbal medicine and faith healing.
qualitative/ethnographic
This study found that altered states of consciousness in Turkic shamanism function as a normative tool for diagnosis, sacred cognition, and social regulation, and that the tradition has transformed into individualized psycho-spiritual practice in modern contexts.
qualitative/theoretical
This comparative case study found that sacred groves in Kerala and shamanic forests in Nepal involve non-human animals and natural entities as active agents in spiritual practices, highlighting indigenous ecological knowledge transmitted through ritual.
qualitative/ethnographic
Points of agreement
- Shamanism is consistently described as a culturally embedded practice involving mediation between human and spirit realms.
- Shamanic practices are linked to healing, altered states of consciousness, and ecological or cosmological worldviews.
- The studies agree that shamanic traditions are evolving under modern conditions while retaining core symbolic structures.
Conflicts
- No direct conflicts are evident, as the studies focus on different cultural contexts and aspects (theory, paraphernalia, ASC, ecology) without overlapping empirical claims.
Gaps
- No empirical or quantitative studies on shamanism were identified; all evidence is qualitative or theoretical.
- Durability, efficacy, or comparative effectiveness of shamanic practices versus other interventions are not addressed.
- Sample sizes, blinding, control groups, and replicability are absent; generalizability across cultures is untested.
- The role of shamanism in clinical or psychological outcomes remains unstudied in these abstracts.