Observations placeholder
TED talk: Mark Plotkin - What the people of the Amazon know that you don't
Identifier
017551
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
TED talk: Mark Plotkin - What the people of the Amazon know that you don't
Here's an ayahuasca shaman in the northwest Amazon, in the middle of a yage ceremony. I took him to Los Angeles to meet a foundation officer looking for support for monies to protect their culture. This fellow looked at the medicine man, and he said, "You didn't go to medical school, did you?" The shaman said, "No, I did not." He said, "Well, then what can you know about healing?" The shaman looked at him and he said, "You know what? If you have an infection, go to a doctor. But many human afflictions are diseases of the heart, the mind and the spirit. Western medicine can't touch those. I cure them."
The source of the experience
South American shamanismConcepts, symbols and science items
Concepts
Symbols
Science Items
Activities and commonsteps
Activities
Overloads
Bacterial infectionBone and skeletal disease
Parasites
Viral infection