Shamanism: All you need to know about the healing tradition
updated the 14 July 2015 à 18:33Lighter and more rational, shamanism, in its western form, attempts to break into the world of personal fulfillment and alternative therapies.
Shamanism bids farewell to the feathers, drums and dark rituals. From now on, to seduce us, it appears in books that aim to decode this thousand-year-old practice with pragmatism, based on the latest discoveries in the neurosciences and quantum physics. Their purpose? Demystify shamanism to facilitate its development in our hyper-rational society. “Fifteen years ago, meditation frightened everyone. Today, nobody doubts its physical and psychological benefits anymore. The same goes for shamanism – speaking about it in a concrete way allows the largest possible number of people to enjoy its teachings “, explains the French author, Arnaud Riou.
A TOOL FOR PERSONAL FULFILLMENT
Shaman equates to trance. Whether it is to speak out in public, overcome trauma or explore our dreams, the states of modified consciousness are already used widely by therapists and coaches. Hypnosis or EMDR psychotherapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) allows us to connect directly with the unconscious in order to help us blossom. We don’t necessarily need a guru, a large part of the work can be achieved ourselves. “Shamans use the trance to communicate with the spirit world and understand how to restore the harmony of the universe. On our side, we can learn to develop our intuition to find out what makes us feel good”, suggests Riou. For that purpose, we can either fast in a dark cave for three weeks, or spend 15 minutes blindfolded in the forest and learn to stay in the present.
IS SHAMANISM ANOTHER MEDICINE?
The shaman is energetically bound to all living things (animals, trees, flowers), which are essential to his/her balance. This can be found in numerous oriental practices (yoga, meditation, Taï Chi) that help safeguard our well-being. If contact with nature is essential to our physical and mental health, the shaman also takes from plants his/her most powerful remedies. A complex phytotherapy is generally associated with a doctor’s healing abilities; however, modern shamanism remains discreet about the strange healing powers of doctors, so as to not frighten us.
Maureen Diament
