International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Volume 31 | Issue 2 Article 13 7-1-2012 Transpersonal Effects of Exposure to Shamanic Use of Khoomei (Tuvan Throat Singing): Preliminary Evaluations from Training Seminars Vladislav Matrenitsky Un-Hun School of Healing Throat Singing Harris L. Friedman University of Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ijts-transpersonalstudies Part of the Anthropology Commons, Philosophy Commons, Psychology Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Matrenitsky, V., & Friedman, H. L. (2012). Matrenitsky, V., & Friedman, H. L. (2012). Transpersonal effects of exposure to shamanic use of Khoomei (Tuvan throat singing): Preliminary evaluations from training seminars [Research note]. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 31(2), 111–117.. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 31 (2). http://dx.doi.org/10.24972/ ijts.2012.31.2.111 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This Special Topic Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals and Newsletters at Digital Commons @ CIIS. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Transpersonal Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CIIS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RESEARCH NOTE Transpersonal Effects of Exposure to Shamanic Use of Khoomei (Tuvan Throat Singing): Preliminary Evaluations from Training Seminars Vladislav Matrenitsky Harris L. Friedman Un-Hun School of Healing Throat Singing University of Florida Kiev, Ukraine Gainesville, FL, USA Khoomei is a Tuvan Siberian shamanic practice involving overtone throat singing. One hundred eighty-one Western participants completed questionnaires after attending Khoomei seminars, asking about the following: motivation of people to learn shamanic throat singing; self-perception at the levels of body, energy, and mind before-and-after the seminar; feelings and sensations from practicing throat singing; transpersonal experience during throat singing; experience of inner vibrations from listening to the singing; and general state and feelings after seminar. In general, most participants reported many benefits from attending the seminars, although a few reported mild negative effects (e.g., dizziness and sadness). Of particular interest are the many transpersonal experiences reported (e.g., freedom from body limits and extending mind limits). Keywords: shamanism, Tuvan throat singing, Khoomei, sygyt, kargyraa Shamanism (Kalweit, 1988; Kleinman, 1980; shamanism, but Buddhism arrived in the 17th century. Rogers, 1982) is a collection of many indigenous beliefs Owing to its non-violent nature, Buddhism did not and practices that serve as one progenitor of transpersonal destroy the local beliefs and practices but, rather, in psychology, and many linkages have been made between many ways enhanced and merged with it in a type of various shamanic practices and modern Western healing syncretism. More recently, Christianity arrived in Tuva practices (e.g., hypnosis; Krippner & Friedman, 2009). through immigration and is practiced by a minority However, there has been little empirical research on how Russian community, but it has only had a small effect shamanic practices are perceived, or of their effectiveness, on the local people to date. when provided or taught to modern Western participants. Tuvan shamanic traditions remain quite In our research, we preliminarily explore the evaluations strong, especially among the elders in the indigenous of a series of training seminars on the shamanic practice population, and are mainly animistic. In this tradition, of overtone throat singing used for millennia in Tuva, worship focuses on nature spirits, including of local Southern Siberia. trees, springs, mountains, and many other aspects of Background on Tuvan Shamanism the world. Tuvan shamans developed specific languages ituated between Russia and Mongolia, the Republic of to communicate with these spirits. By imitating the STuva succeeded in preserving its shamanic tradition, sounds of nature and animals, Tuvans developed the art even under the religious repression of the former Soviet of throat singing, called khoomei. This spread into the regime. This was largely due to its physical isolation, whole of Tuvan culture, and became a part of a larger and even today there are no railroad connections and singing folklore tradition, as well as used for spiritual only seasonal air connections with this remote part and healing purposes. of the world. Traditionally since time immemorial, In musical terminology, khoomei is a drone the only religion practiced in Tuva was its indigenous (i.e., bourdon) polyphony: a stable low tone with a EffectsInternational of Tuvan Journal Shamanic of Transpersonal Throat Singing Studies, 31(2), 2012,International pp. 111-117 Journal of Transpersonal Studies 111 melody on the top (Besseler, 1950). Overtones are sounds imitated from childhood. Obviously it is very created by singers changing the shape of their lips difficult for a Western student to study this art and and resonant cavities of their mouths, larynxs, and enter its underlying worldview, which forms a natural pharynxs, as well by using the amplifying abilities of matrix within the Tuvan culture. The first author of this the sinuses of the skull. The resulting resonance creates article, Vladislav Matrenitsky, had the privilege to study one or more pitches above drone at the same time. khoomei and its usage in shamanism during a ten-year In the cosmology of the ancient Turks, from whose apprenticeship with the prominent Tuvan shaman and roots stem the Tuvan culture, khoomei is seen as the master of throat singing, Nikolay Oorzhak. As result, sound equivalent of the sacred World Tree, a symbol they have created the modern training system called common to many shamanic traditions; in this regard Un-Hun (“The Sound of Sun” in the Tuvan language). the dichotomy of drone and melody represent the lower, Nicolay Oorzhak and Dr. Matrenitsky have presented middle, and upper worlds of the universe, as reflected this shamanic sound techniques in form of seminars by this tree (Khaltaeva, 1991). since 2005 in more than twenty countries throughout There are three main styles in khoomei Europe, Asia, and America. In addition to khoomei throat singing, used both in folklore and shamanism, being an art, it is also amenable to scientific study, and distinguished by the character of the sound and the the present paper is the first attempt of which we know method the sound is produced. The khoomei style itself to explore the effect of Westerners being exposed to this is called by the Tuvans “the mother of throat singing,” shamanic practice. Dr. Matrenitsky, as a medical doctor because this has the same name as throat singing in and biomedical researcher, is also interested in placing general. It is performed by a singer in the middle register this shamanic practice when applied to healing within and used by shamans to make connections and offerings the context on modern Western science. to the spirits of the Middle World in the shaman’s Method cosmology. The sygyt style is characterized by a clear As part of his many seminars on khoomei, Dr. overtone whistle above a constant middle tone; this Matrenitsky has collected evaluations and other outcome highest style is used to communicate with the spirits of data. Unfortunately, from a scientific perspective, these the Upper World. Thekargyraa style is the most deep, data were not collected in a completely systematic bass style of singing, which can sound like a deep roar or way, and some essential information is missing, such a deep rasping wheeze; shamans use it to communicate as demographic data on age and gender. Nevertheless, and appeal to the spirits of the Lower World. it represents a unique set of data collected in the field In shamanic practice, khoomei is a part of the by a teacher of an authentic shamanic practice. The kamlanie ritual, when shamans get into trance states data presented here are a result of research at Un-Hun through drum, voice, and dance. In these trance states, seminars from 2008 through 2009 in Sweden, Norway, when used for healing, shamans supposedly can get direct Holland, Germany, Romania, Switzerland, and the US. knowledge about reasons for patients’ problems and Participants diseases. At the same time, sounds of throat singing have One hundred eighty-one participants com- a deep relaxing and trance inducing effect on patients, pleted questionnaires after Un-Hun seminars. There helping to release tensions in both their bodies and minds, is no information regarding rates of completion or, as while activating energy and inner resources necessary for mentioned, any demographic background data. self-healing and restoration. Possibly this also works in Survey more subtle ways, such as through the physical effect Questions were completed on the following of sound vibrations on the body, as speculated about topics: motivation of people to learn the shamanic how cell membranes might be influenced by sounds throat singing; general evaluation of self-perception on (e.g., creating subsequent harmonization of organs and the levels of body, energy and mind before and after the physiological systems; Maman, 1997). seminar; feelings and sensations at time of practicing Study the throat singing; transpersonal experience at time of he traditional study of the khoomei in Tuva