drum with rattle and flute

What’s the science behind shamanic drumming?

Heather Pengelley

How does shamanic drumming work? Repetitive, rhythmic sound in a frequency range of 4 to 7 Hertz (Hz) brings on an altered state of consciousness, say researchers.1-3  This frequency range matches electroencephalographic (EEG) theta wave activity in the human brain.

Practitioners of core shamanism use sonic drivers – drums or rattles – to enter a trance in order to visit the Spirit World. Drumming or rattling at 220 beats per minute (bpm), a little less than 4 Hz, brings on this shamanic state. Rhythmic drumming at 8 Hz for at least 15 minutes alters consciousness enough to enable the shaman to begin shamanic journeying.

The best way to induce theta waves is to drum rhythmically at 4 to 4.5 beats per second for 15 minutes.3

Functional MRI studies of practicing shamans, who were listening to shamanic drumming during eight-minute imaging sessions, show important changes in brain network activity. These changes “may promote an extended internal train of thought, wherein integration and insight may occur.”1

Shamanic drumming disengages the brain’s awareness of outside activities and blocks their input. Instead, it heightens activity in brain networks that help that brain to enter “an internally directed conscious state”.1  In other words, the rapid drum beats help shamans to connect to their subconscious mind.

What are theta waves?

Some believe that theta waves are pathways to the subconscious mind. When the brain works at a low frequency of 4 to 7 Hz, it produces theta waves on EEGs. This state of consciousness is associated with deep physical relaxation, mental clarity, dream-like states, hypnosis, stage 1 sleep (disconnection from the conscious world), imagination, creativity and lucid dreaming.

 

  1. Gingras B, Pohler GW, Fitch WT. Exploring shamanic journeying. PLOS One, 2014;7:e102103.
  2. Hove MJ, Stelzer J, Nierhaus T, Thiel SD et al. Brain network reconfiguration and perceptual decoupling during an absorptive state of consciousness. Cereb Cortex 2016;26(7):3113-24.
  3. Maxfield M. Effects of rhythmic drumming on EEG and subjective experience. Abstract. Accessed at: https://web.stanford.edu/group/brainwaves/ 2006/MaxfieldABSTRACT.pdf