An Exploration of Spiritual Healing Throughout time, humanity has constantly sought ways to maintain their health and heal those who have not been so fortunate in this endeavor. Almost everything has been tried as a cure for some kind of disease; both physical and mental. There is also a third type of illness that can be addressed and is addressed, namely healing on a spiritual level. According to research, most spiritual healers are concentrated in primitive societies and underdeveloped areas of the world. However, there are still shades of reliance on spiritual healing in modern medicine today and there are some in the civilized and well-developed parts of the world that have rejected modern medicine altogether and have adopted alternative healing methods. Even a person who does not believe in a higher being actually takes part in this type of healing by simply allowing the chemical medicines in his body to fix what is wrong. No matter what social class a person is in, no matter how advanced that particular country is, there will always be traces of spiritual healing if not outright practice; and it is and will continue to be a significant part of any healing process, large or small. There are numerous names for spiritual healers, but for simplicity and the focus being on American Indian medicine, all spiritual healers will be grouped together as "Shaman" unless otherwise noted. This does not mean that all healers will have the same beliefs, or that a particular belief is not even held by a group known as Shamans, but rather by a different type of healer. The grouping serves precisely to provide a detailed and confusing explanation of all the subsections of the healers. If necessary, there will be specifics. Again, for clarity, definitions are provided to eliminate any confusion. A Shaman is a person firmly anchored in both the physical and spiritual worlds, a mediator if you will (Shamanism 1). Therefore, Shamanism is a lifestyle that revolves around the interaction of the spiritual and physical worlds (Shamanism). The Shaman does not exist exclusively like other humans; they lead an entirely different life in conjunction with their earthly duties within their tribe. The two are in no way separate; one has a direct impact on the other, or so those who study this form of healing believe.