Sinbyeong

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Description

한국 설화에 등장하는 Spirit. Sinbyeong or shinbyong or shinbyeong, also called "self-loss", is the possession from a god that a c

The Legend

Sinbyeong refers to the descent of a deity experienced by a chosen shaman in Korean shamanistic tradition, and is also known as 'self-loss.' Sinbyeong is considered a possession by the deity and is said to accompany physical pain and mental illness. A person afflicted by Sinbyeong typically experiences symptoms such as loss of appetite, insomnia, and visual and auditory hallucinations. These symptoms are not generally subjects of conventional medical treatment and are believed to be healable only through complete communion and acceptance with the spirit. The ritual that treats Sinbyeong, known as naerim-gut, also serves the role of establishing a new shaman-ritual.

Variants

The symptoms of Sinbyeong manifest differently depending on the cultural background of the shaman and their surrounding environment. In its most basic form, Sinbyeong causes the shaman to suffer from characteristic symptoms without any apparent cause, leading to an inability to eat and physical and psychological weakness. Another form of Sinbyeong may occur when these basic symptoms are preceded by physical illness or triggered by psychotic episodes. The rarely occurring 'dream manifestation' type of Sinbyeong is triggered when the shaman receives revelations in dreams involving deities, spirits, or abnormal events.

In Popular Culture

Sinbyeong is regarded as a structured religious experience that demonstrates the vertical connection between the divine and humanity in shamanistic tradition. It is seen as a form of revelation that allows the shaman to become one with the deity and change patterns of thought. Sinbyeong is described as entering a higher state of consciousness, separate from reality.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Sinbyeong" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia