What are the parallels between mediumship and shamanism?

Mediumship and shamanism both involve specialists who mediate communication between living human beings and spiritual entities, such as deities or the dead. In traditions like Chinese spirit possession, practitioners known as jitong channel entities that take control of their bodies, a mechanism that mirrors trance states found in various forms of mediumship. Although scientific investigations have consistently failed to confirm empirical evidence for mediumistic abilities, these spiritual practices continue to be documented across diverse cultural contexts.

What we know

• Mediumship is the practice of mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. [3]
• Chinese spirit possession encompasses a broad category of shamanism where practitioners channel Chinese deities who take control of the specialist's body. [4]
• Variants of mediumship include a spirit taking control of a medium's voice, materializations, or the medium hearing and passing on a message. [3]
• Scientific researchers have consistently failed to confirm empirical evidence for the validity of claims of mediumship. [3]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat is Chinese shamanism?
• how it workedHow does Chinese spirit possession work?
• how we knowWhat were the historical investigations into mediumship fraud?
• whoHow did William James study religious experiences?
• what caused itWhat is the relationship between Taoism and ancient shamanism?
• an unexpected connectionHow did Chinese spirit possession influence the Boxer Rebellion?Practitioners of Chinese spirit possession took part in the Boxer Rebellion by claiming invulnerability to weapons through channeling deities.

Sources

• [1]Chinese shamanism (Wikidata Q16746697) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Chinese shamanism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Mediumship · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Chinese spirit possession · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]William James · CC BY-SA 4.0