Hallucinogens and Shamanism edited by Michael Harner
Hallucinogens and Shamanism
Edited by Michael Harner

Anthropologists have long been fascinated by the worldview and religious beliefs of indigenous peoples. Only recently, however, with the surge of interest in hallucinogenic agents in our own culture, have researchers begun to acknowledge the essential role of such substances in the cosmology of some shamanic societies. In this unusual collection, ten original studies explore the use of hallucinogens in shamanism: the ancient and widespread practice of invoking a trance state to perceive and utilize supernatural forces.

Contents:

Part I: In The Primitive World: The Upper Amazon
  1. Banisteriopsis Usage Among the Peruvian Cashinahua by Kenneth M. Kensinger
  2. The Sound of Rushing Water by Michael Harner
  3. Visions and Cures Among the Sharanahua by Janet Siskind
  4. Shamanism and Priesthood in Light of the Campa Ayahuasca Ceremony by Gerald Weiss
Part II: In Cultures Undergoing Westernization
  1. Shamanism and Peyote Use Among the Apaches of the Mescalero Indian Reservation by L. Bryce Boyer, Ruth M. Boyer, and Harry W. Basehart
  2. Curing with Ayahuasca in an Urban Slum by Marlene Dobkin de Rios
  3. The Mushrooms of Language by Henry Munn
Part III: In The Traditional Western World
  1. The Role of Hallucinogenic Plants in European Witchcraft by Michael Harner
Part IV: Hallucinogens And Shamanism: The Question Of A Transcultural Experience
  1. Common Themes in South American Indian Yagé Experiences by Michael Harner
  2. Psychological Aspects of the Yagé Experience in an Experimental Setting by Claudio Naranjo