Ngangkari Healing
Practiced by the Anangu people of Central Australia, Ngangkari healing focuses on spiritual health, which is viewed as fundamental to physical well-being. Ngangkari healers use touch, breath, and song to remove harmful spirits or energy believed to cause illness.
Pa‘akai Rituals
In Native Hawaiian culture, Pa‘akai (sea salt) is used in purification and healing rituals. Traditional healers, or kahuna la‘au lapa‘au, combine Pa‘akai with herbs and prayer to cleanse negative energies and restore vitality.
Plant Medicine
Refers broadly to the use of plant materials (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds) for their medicinal properties. Many traditional and folk medicine practices involve plant medicine for healing and disease prevention.
Qi (Chi)
In traditional Chinese medicine, Qi refers to the vital life force or energy that flows through the body. Health is believed to depend on the free flow of Qi, and illnesses are thought to arise when this energy is blocked or unbalanced.
Rongoā Māori
Rongoā refers to a holistic healing system of the Māori people, involving the use of native plants (rākau rongoā) and practices like mirimiri (massage) and karakia (prayers) to restore balance and well-being.
Shamanism
A practice found in various indigenous cultures, where a shaman—a person believed to interact with spirits—acts as a healer, guide, or mediator. Shamans use rituals, ceremonies, and herbal remedies to treat illness and restore balance.
Sowa Rigpa
Also known as Tibetan Medicine, Sowa Rigpa integrates ancient Bon traditions with Buddhist philosophy. It uses pulse diagnosis, dietetics, herbal medicines, and spiritual meditations to restore the body’s balance, which is believed to be governed by the five elements.
Talisman
An object believed to hold magical properties, often used in folk medicine and Indigenous traditions to ward off disease or promote healing. Talismans are often inscribed with symbols or infused with herbs or prayers.
Thikim
Thikim is a spiritual healing practice involving the use of animal spirits and sacred objects. Inuit shamans enter altered states to negotiate with the spirits of animals or the elements, seeking to cure diseases or ensure a successful hunt.
Thokcha Ritual
Buryat shamans in Mongolia practice Thokcha, a ritual involving sacred objects made of meteorite iron, believed to hold powerful energies. These objects are placed on specific body parts during healing ceremonies to draw out negative forces.
