Shamanic Practices and Transpersonal Psychologies

Abstract

If there is a sense in which the entire universe exists within the energetic composition of every human body, then there is a sense in which Lhe subtle energies of our embodiment, impaci ihe entire universe. This is a centra] aspect of the agenda of transpersonal psychology; although more aptly, we will refer to them in the plural, as psychologies, since they are a diverse grouping of perspectives. It is also central to the most ancient of spiritual healing practices — namely shamanism. Western knowledge about shamanic practices has paradoxically escalated in recent decades. The paradox is that, just when so many indigenous cultures all over the world are under attack and their way of life threatened with extinction by the socioeconomic forces of globalization, the peoples of Europe and North America finally seem more ready to learn from their wisdom. It is in this context that the potential impact of shamanic practices and transpersonal psychologies on the contemporary emergence of soma tic psychology and bodymind therapies must be assessed.