The drum holds an essential place in the ceremonies of many ancient religions and spiritualities. Prehistoric cave drawings of drums illustrate the important role played by drums in the trance and magic rituals of primitive religions some 25,000 years ago.

Shamanism is considered one of the earliest forms of religion. He uses the sounds and rhythms of the drum to establish communication with the invisible world. The drum plays a highly symbolic role, accompanying the shaman on his journey and in his communication with the spirits.

Beyond their sacred role in shamanic rituals, the sounds of the drum have a therapeutic impact. Neuroscience research has established that the sounds of shamanic drumming provide access to untapped areas of the brain.

The origins of Native American shamanic drumming

In the shamanic tradition, the sounds of the buffalo skin drum and the chants provoke a state of trance or ecstasy, helping the shaman to connect with the spirit world. During this ecstatic journey, the shaman can act on the patient’s soul or extract the illness from the body. The healing process then takes place through communication with the spirits.

Drums could also be used as part of specific rituals, with the aim of meeting a totem animal. This encounter provided spiritual guidance, strength, creativity and insights.

Today, drumming can also be used as a form of therapy to release strong emotions such as grief or pain. The sound waves produced by the drum have a balancing effect. They have a profound effect on the body and mind, restoring a state of energetic balance conducive to well-being and inner peace.

The health benefits of shamanic drumming

Body:

• Reduces blood pressure, anxiety and stress
• Improve cognitive functions and prevent memory loss
• Reduced physical pain
• Stimulation of the immune system

On an emotional and psychological level

According to this study, group drumming sessions have numerous health benefits. The study establishes the positive emotional, psychological and social effects of the sessions:

• Improved physical, emotional and mood well-being
• Development of social skills
• Improved concentration
• Strengthening self-awareness and a sense of anchoring
• Improved sense of group well-being

The sound of the drum could also help in the fight against depression. This music therapy encourages emotional expression while providing a pleasant bodily sensation. For people suffering from depression or anxiety, drum music therapy can have a liberating effect on the patient’s mental health.

On a spiritual level

Shamanic trance healing has the particularity of acting on a spiritual level. The trance induced by the sounds of the drum induces the traveler to enter a modified state of consciousness, making communication with the spirit world possible. On this journey, the shaman may encounter a power animal or a teaching spirit. He then heals the physical body by bringing the soul or “luminous body” into the “nagual”, a mythological being endowed with supernatural powers. It is then in the nagual that the healing process can take place.