Shamanic Drumming Gets Five Studies

A 2021 study (Huels et al., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience) on shamanic drumming explicitly states: "Out of the very limited scientific literature about shamanic drumming, only two studies used EEG to examine trance states." The study used high-density EEG with 48 participants (24 shamanic practitioners, 24 controls). Results showed that drumming induced altered states comparable to or exceeding those produced by psilocybin. The researchers found increased criticality (neural activity at the critical point between order and chaos, maximizing information processing), altered connectivity (decreased low alpha 8-10 Hz, increased low beta 14-18 Hz – a shift from relaxed to engaged processing), and profound subjective experiences (OAV scores in 8/11 domains comparable to or exceeding psychedelic users). The results were published in a respected journal. And then… nothing. No follow-up funding. No replication studies. No expansion to clinical applications. The research just stops.