Trance surgery in Brazil

• Published in: Alternative therapies in health and medicine Vol. 6; no. 4; pp. 39 - 48
• Main Authors: Don, N S, Moura, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States InnoVision Health Media, Inc 01.07.2000
• Subjects: Aged; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic - surgery; Brazil; Consciousness; Female; Humans; Kidney Diseases - surgery; Lymphocele - surgery; Male; Mental Healing; Middle Aged; Surgical Procedures, Operative; Ureteral Diseases - surgery; Brazil

This report presents the results of fieldwork in Brazil on healer-mediums who perform crude forms of surgery, often employing sharp instruments. We found that these healer-mediums were in a hyperaroused brain state while they were engaged in behaviors commonly described in the anthropology literatur...