Is a realist interpretation of Shamanic 'non-physical' worlds logically incoherent?

Previous research concerning the relationship between the shaman's conscious experiences and the 'spirit world' suggests that shamans are realists in the sense that they conceptualize their multi-layered universe (e.g., upper, middle and lower world) as real, objective and independent of the perceiver. However, these studies have neglected to analyze the logical coherence of a realist interpretation of these shamanic 'non-physical' worlds (NPWs). We address this lacuna first by determining which variant of realism is most consistent with the shaman's purported views concerning the ontological status of the aforementioned NPWs. Subsequently, we consider shamanic journeying imagery with regards to the key definitional elements of the term 'mental image.' Finally, we formulate three premises pertaining to shamanic journeying imagery and NPWs with the aim of assessing the logical coherence of the shaman’s realist ontology. We conclude that if shamanic journeying images constitute mental images, then this does not necessarily preclude shamanic NPWs from existing independently of the percipient's mindbody state(s).