Shamanism and Spirituality in Therapeutic Practice : Soul and Spirit Matter

by Mackinnon, Christa

• ISBN13: 9781848190818
• ISBN10: 1848190816
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-07-15
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub

Summary

Increasing numbers of professionals in the fields of psychology and therapy are seeking to incorporate elements of spirituality into their therapeutic oeuvre, addressing not only mental and emotional issues, but also the soul. This book discloses how indigenous traditions can be adjusted to offer practitioners a highly effective repertoire of insights, psycho-spiritual approaches and therapeutic tools. The underlying concepts and world-views of indigenous and contemporary shamanism are explained and tied in with current developments in psychology and science. After clarifying altered states of perception, concepts of integrative wholeness of mind, body, soul and spirit and transformative shamanic 'healing' approaches, the book goes on to outline concrete contemporary tools and techniques that can be applied directly to work with clients. It presents research, examples and case studies throughout. This will be enlightening and compelling reading for psychologists, therapists, counsellors and coaches looking for profound insights and innovative methods of practice that cater for the whole human psyche, reaching beyond contemporary Western mind and body approaches.

Author Biography

Christa Mackinnon is the Founder and Director of Kamdaris Psychological Consultancy and Training and is an Honorary Fellow and Associated Lecturer at Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, where she teaches special study units on trauma as well as clinical hypnosis. She is a social psychologist, family counsellor, clinical hypnotherapist and group facilitator with over 25 years of professional experience as a therapist as well as an international trainer and lecturer. Christa has spent time as an apprentice to shamans in South America and has received various trainings from spiritual and shamanic teachers in Asia, the USA and the UK, Which led her to design and run training courses for therapeutic professional combining western approaches with indigenous spiritual teachings. She lives in Devon, UK. Christa's website can be found at www.Christamackinnon.Com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. 11
Introduction: The Bigger Picture	p. 13
The context and structure of the book	p. 18
Spiritulity Matters
Spirituality and Psychology	p. 27
The Dilemma of Psychology: Mind and Body or Soul and Spirit	p. 27
We Could Feel Better: Spirituality and Psychological Well-Being	p. 32
We Could Be More: Spiritual Practices and Personal Development	p. 34
We Could Cope Better: Spirituality and Existential Crisis	p. 37
Developing Beyond: The Emergence of a New Psycho-Spiritual Paradigm?	p. 39
The World of Shamanism
Shamanism: The Continuum of Humanity's Spiritual Quest	p. 49
Much Misunderstood: Historic Perceptions of Shamanism	p. 49
Defining Traditional Shamanism	p. 54
The Recent Developments: Contemporary Shamanic Approaches	p. 55
Defining Contemporary Shamanism: A Developing, Living Practice	p. 58
The Heart of the matter: fin filtered Consciousness and a Different Perception	p. 62
The Shamanic State of Perception and Consciousness	p. 62
What Are Altered States of Perception?	p. 64
Characteristics of Altered States	p. 67
What We Access in Altered States	p. 70
Extreme Altered States of Consciousness: Dismemberment, Visions and Near Death Experiences	p. 73
Strange Worlds: The Shaman's Spirit Realms and the Quantum Realm	p. 82
The Shaman's Holistic View of the World: An Interconnected Web	p. 82
The Shamanic/Spiritual World-View and Contemporary Science	p. 85
The Realm of Quantum Physics: Quantum Reality, Zero-Point Fields, Holograms, Super Strings and Consciousness	p. 88
The Emerging Scientific Model of the Universe	p. 92
The Shaman as Therapist and Healer: Towards Integration and Wholeness	p. 95
Concepts of Healing, Therapy and Wholeness	p. 95
What Do Shamans Do and How?	p. 102
A Holistic Transformational Experience: The Gabonese Healing Ritual	p. 104
Tools and Helpers in Shamanism	p. 109
The Shaman's Working Realms: Maps of Interconnected Human Reality	p. 118
The Cosmic Spirit Worlds: Lower, Upper and Middle Worlds	p. 119
Spirits, Human Spirit and Soul	p. 125
Life in Circles and Spirals: The Medicine Wheel	p. 132
Practical Applications: Incorporating Elements of Shamanism into Therapeutic Work
A Sense of the Sacred: Clients, Space and Objects	p. 145
Space and Objects	p. 146
Groups and Sacred Space	p. 150
Giving It form: Embodying and Bridging 'Intent' into Matter	p. 154
Embodying Energy in an Object for Therapeutic Purposes	p. 157
Working with Objects and Groups	p. 159
A Place of Power and Sanctuary for the Client	p. 162
How to Create the Place with the Client	p. 164
Trance-Script to Establish the Place of Power/Sanctuary	p. 166
The Shamanic Journey as a Therapeutic Tool	p. 170
Utilizing Journeying in a Therapeutic Environment	p. 173
Journeys to Connect with a Power Animal	p. 177
Journeys to Connect with a Spirit Guide	p. 183
Journeys of Retrieval, Connection and Learning	p. 184
Soul Loss and Soul Retrieval	p. 189
The Concepts of Soul Loss and Dissociation	p. 189
Getting Involved or Not?	p. 193
Widening the Circle: Connecting with Ancestors and Descendants	p. 196
Incorporating Ancestral Work into Therapy	p. 200
Ancestral Work in Groups	p. 205
Caring for Our Descendants	p. 207
Myths, Stories and Teaching Tales	p. 209
Stories in the Consulting Room	p. 215
Creation Stories	p. 216
Archetypal Stories	p. 219
Future Stories	p. 221
The Set-Up for Writing Stories	p. 224
Therapeutic Work with Ritual and Ceremony	p. 227
Traditional Ceremonies and Rituals	p. 229
Adapting Ceremonial Work within a Therapeutic Setting	p. 232
Ceremonial Work with Groups	p. 236
How to Structure a Basic Ceremony	p. 238
The Medicine Wheel as a Psycho-Spiritual and Therapeutic Tool	p. 240
The Medicine Wheel in a Therapeutic Setting	p. 241
Therapeutic Work with Four Directions	p. 250
Therapeutic Work with Eight Directions	p. 255
What We Are Working Towards	p. 257
Travelling Home: Reconnecting with nature	p. 260
Research into the Psycho-Spiritual Benefits of Being in Nature	p. 265
Helping Clients to Reconnect with Nature	p. 268
Daily Nature Exercises at Home	p. 272
The Cycle of Life: lien the Body flies and the Soul Leaves	p. 275
The Gifts We Receive when Facing Death	p. 276
Working with Death in a Shamanically Orientated Setting	p. 279
Working as a Psychopomp and Addressing Grief	p. 284
Back to the 'Bigger Picture'
About Individual and Collective Purpose in Today's World	p. 291
Towards a Purposeful, Individual Life: Shamanic Tools	p. 292
Living Soul-Centred and Contributing	p. 296
The Interconnection of Individual and Collective Purpose	p. 300
References	p. 304
Subject Index	p. 310
Author Index	p. 318
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