In a remarkable study of shamanism Mircea Eliade points out that this 'technique of ecstasy' was the religious experience par excellence of the vast area of Siberia and central Asia. The shaman was the chosen person who succeeded in having mystical experiences. He was, above all, the great master of ecstasy, specializing in the trance state during which he could communicate with the dead, with demons and with nature spirits.

William Johnston, Mystical Theology