Shamanism is perhaps the most ancient form of religion or spirituality. I have read widely in the available literature and trained as a shamanic therapist with Michael Harner. I find shamanism to be one of the most useful analogies for understanding the psychotherapeutic relationship, the deep connection that lovers experience, and many of the other-worldly experiences reported in the New Age literature.
Related materials:
- Taking Direction from the Spirit in Shamanism and Psychotherapy
This essay appears in Shamanic Applications Review (1997), Issue #4: pp.3-12, and was first presented as a lecture at a conference in Chicago on Shamanism and Psychotherapy organized by the journal (SAR). For more information about SAR, visit http://members.aol.com/sarjournal/
- Depression and Soul-Loss
An article from Issue #6 of SAR. In this case, the patient is the shaman.
- Sojourns in Cosmic Consciousness
Chapter Three of my New Age book discusses some of the soul-travelling that mystics have been doing for centruies, if not millennia. When taken seriously, this sort of experience leads to a transformation of everyday consciousness that is attained through difficult and painful work.