In Siberia, shamans are recruited either by hereditary transmission or unplanned vocation. There are also some cases where an individual becomes a shaman of their own free will. Those shamans who came to be by their own free will are considered less powerful than those who have obtained the position by the other two means.
Ecstatic teaching includes information on dreams, trances, and the like.
Traditional teaching includes information on shamanic techniques, names and functions of the spirits, mythology and genealogy of the clan, and secret language. While the path of initiation for each Siberian shaman can vary, most Siberian shamans experience similar ordeals. During initiation in the underworld, the spirits cut off his or her head and hack his or her body to fragments, which are later spread among the spirits of various sicknesses. This condition the spirits put the future shaman in is the only way he or she will obtain the power of healing. The spirits then cover the bones with new flesh and also give him or her new blood.