What is Shamanic Counselling and How Much is it Worth?

Michael Berman

Michael Berman BA, MPhil (Wales), RSA Dip TEFLA, LTCL Dip TESOL is currently a full-time research student at Cardiff University and working as a part-time English Language teacher at Oxford House College in London. Publications include A Multiple Intelligences Road to an ELT Classroom and The Power of Metaphor for Crown House Publishing and The Shaman and the Storyteller for Superscript. Michael has been involved in TESOL for over thirty years and has given presentations at Conferences in Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine.
E-mail: Michaelberman@blueyonder.co.uk
www.Thestoryteller.org.uk

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What is shamanism?
Loss of Memory
Bibliography

What is shamansism?

What is shamanism and can it be classified as a religion? What is core shamanic counselling and what services do its practitioners offer? Should it be charged for? Can a price be put on spiritual goods or are they priceless? This article will attempt to provide answers to these questions, in part through the use of storytelling.

First of all, what is shamanism and what is a shaman? There are as many definitions on offer as there are writers on the subject, but this is what I would like to propose:

A shaman can be defined as someone who performs an ecstatic (in a trance state), imitative, or demonstrative ritual of a séance (or a combination of all three), at will (in other words, whenever he or she chooses to do so), in which aid is sought from beings in (what are considered to be) other realities generally for healing purposes or for divination - both for individuals and / or the community ¹ .

Though it is hoped that the definition is deliberately broad enough to accommodate the variations that exist between shamanistic communities, both indigenous and neo-shamanic, some would argue that different definitions are required for both. However, it surely has to be accepted it is no longer possible to make a watertight distinction between the two. 'For shamanism, as with any other kind of local knowledge, the essence of globality today is that it belongs both in the past of remote tribes, and in the present of industrial sub-cultures' (Vitebsky, 1993, p.3). In other words, there are no longer any clear dividing lines, which is why only one definition is being proposed.

As for the argument of whether shamanism can be classified as a religion or not, it will be referred to as "a religion of ritual observance", centred on the dramatization of the death and resurrection of the shaman in whom the well-being of the client and sometimes of the whole community rests.

The phrase "a religion of ritual observance" has been used in particular to describe Shinto - 'a religion not of theology but of ritual observance' (Driver, 1991, p.38). However, it would seem to me that much the same could be said of shamanism. The advantage of this description is it could not offend either New-Agers who might consider the term "religion" without any form of qualification to be an unacceptable word to describe what they practise, or members of the predominant religions who might consider, for various reasons, that shamanism should not be included among their number (see Berman, 2006, p.80).

Now for what core shamanic counselling consists of. Among his other achievements, Michael Harner can be credited with having developed a way of using shamanic techniques in the field of counselling. Harner Method Shamanic Counseling is a system that enables clients to make their own journeys to non-ordinary reality to obtain guidance in answer to the questions most important in their lives, and the client is counselled to become his or her own shaman for this type of journey. The use of a drumming tape [played through a set of earphones] … permits the shamanic counsellor to utilize … the technique of simultaneous narration, wherein the client is asked to narrate out loud [into a microphone] the details of his or her journey as it is happening' (Doore, 1988, p.180). The recording makes it possible to carry out an immediate review and analysis of the experience and of the information gained. Harner regards the system as a method of personal empowerment by means of which we can recognize our own ability to acquire spiritual guidance without having to depend on external mediators. 'The whole idea is to return to people what was once taken away from them when the state began perpetuating monopolies on access to spiritual knowledge' (Doore, 1988, p.181). The Harner Method can be described as a form of brief therapy that aims to help people to help themselves.

Unfortunately, however successful the method is in practice, its respectability is called into question by the fact that the training to become a certified Counsellor (available from the Foundation for Shamanic Studies) cannot be compared to the study involved in becoming a qualified psychotherapist, for example. This is a problem it shares with other forms of alternative or non-conventional treatment, regardless of whether they work or not.

Sandra Ingermann, who works with Harner, specializes in utilizing the technique of soul retrieval as a form of therapy, which is another service offered by practitioners of the Harner method. Soul in this context can be characterized as being our vital essence, where the emotions, feeling or sentiments are situated. The aim of soul retrieval is to recover the part of the client's soul that has been lost as this causes an "opening" through which illness can enter. The cause of this loss is believed to be due to an emotional or physical trauma that the client has been through. Ingermann believes it is the shaman's role to track down the lost soul part in non-ordinary reality and then to return it to the body (see Ingermann, 1993, p.23).

For a more complete picture of the services a core shamanic counsellor offers, here are descriptions taken from the website www.shamanicpractitioners.org.uk written by two practitioners who trained with Jonathan Horwitz - founder of the Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies:

I practice shamanic healing including soul and power animal retrieval and extraction work. I also do divinatory journeys for people. Connection to oneself, to others and to the world we live in is both sacred and vital for our well-being. One of the beliefs that shamanic societies all over the world share is that everything is alive, sacred and connected. A lot of my work is focused around issues of restoring a sense of that connection.

I offer most aspects of shamanism including shamanic healing, shamanic counselling, journeying skills, power and soul retrieval, extraction, blessings, journeys for others, including distance work, ceremonies and workshops. With the help of the spirits I support others to find their own way to empowerment, connection and healing.

Their initial training would have consisted of perhaps three weekend workshops followed by a residential week. However, it should be pointed out that Jonathan carefully vets trainees before accepting them on to the training course, and that both the practitioners whose services are described above do have considerable experience.

There is a fundamental difference, which has been observed by Wallis, between the neo-shamanism advocated by Harner and indigenous shamanism. In the former, the emphasis is very much on control, with its promises that the technique is safe to practitioners, and he concludes that this reveals the Western need to be in control (over consciousness, emotions, or money) even though nothing like this may be found in indigenous shamanism (Wallis, 1999, p.46). On the other hand, it should be pointed out in Harner's defence, he makes no claim that what he teaches is indigenous shamanism.

The reason for the emphasis on control in core-shamanism could well be twofold. Not only does it ensure the practices are made safe and suitable for teaching on workshops, but it also shows shamanism in a more positive light following the decades of oppression it has had to contend with in indigenous communities by colonising cultures and religions (see Wallis, 2003, p.54).

It would initially seem from the following quote that Villoldo, another neo-shamanic practitioner who offers training programmes, does at least recognize the dangers that can be involved in what he does and teaches, the eristic nature of shamanic practices: 'There are dangers associated with energy healing, both for the client and for the healer. Far too many poorly trained practitioners dispense energy healing without understanding the mechanics of the human energy field' (Villoldo, 2001, p.2). Villoldo then goes on to pose the following question: 'A doctor of Western medicine spends at least five years learning his or her craft. Is it prudent to turn my health care over to someone who has taken a weekend workshop in energy medicine?' (Villoldo, 2001, p.6).

Yet if you visit Villoldo's website, www.thefourwinds.com, you learn that his 'professional training program ... leading to certification in luminous healing and energy medicine … [in which] You will learn the mystery teachings (the work of the Medicine Wheel), the Illumination Process, The Extraction Process, Soul Retrieval, and the Great Rites, ceremonies that assist in one's life passage' actually consists of only a basic four weeks of training over two years. Consequently, it is highly debatable whether he actually puts into practice what he preaches.

The expensive "crash courses" offered by neo-shamanists have come in for a lot of criticism from purists. However, Harner has countered such criticisms with the following argument: 'If the nation states of the world are working day and night on a crash course of their own for our mutual annihilation, we cannot afford to be any slower in our work in the opposite direction' (Harner, 1990, p.81). This defence was particularly pertinent at the time it was proposed as it came just after the accident at Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986.

On the other hand, what cannot necessarily be justified is the high cost involved, though it has to be admitted that the courses are at least a lot cheaper than those teaching, for example, the principles of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. To make matters worse, the promotional material advertising NLP courses (as I know from the unsolicited junk mail that keeps arriving in the post) frequently refers to the cost as an "investment" in view of the undoubted benefits that can be derived from such training. However, this can only be a matter of opinion - the opinion of those who profit financially from what is being offered.

The views of Horwitz on charging fees for counselling individual clients are worth including at this point as he makes out a convincing case in favour of the practice. The following is an extract from an e-mail he sent me on 23/2/2005:

As to the payment angle, yes it is a difficult nut to crack. In our culture we think spiritual work=free. But I've never heard of a traditional culture where the shaman wasn't paid. People knew to do it. They just brought what they could, three horses, a freshly killed deer, sometimes a child to be a servant-apprentice, even a wife. That kind of thing doesn't go in our culture. I do feel there should be an exchange of energy, as it were. I feel 2 hours of my time is very valuable. Time is the most precious thing I have. I feel if I am going to give 2 hours of my and my Spirits undivided attention, 2 hours of my life, then the one who gets that attention should give something, too. Most people would rather give me money than clean my house for 2 hours. Some would rather clean my house. I don't care. I know X [I have removed the person's name to protect her confidentiality] has paid a lot in many different ways to get where she has gotten to after following a spiritual path for more than 15 years. If her Spirits say it's ok for her to get £45 for a 2 hour session, who am I to argue? The saddest thing about this is that some people don't respect the work unless they have to pay for it! Ah, well, what to do? If you were seeing 5 or 6 people each week (10 to 15 hours) wouldn't you want some sort of compensation. I knew a psychologist when I lived in New York who saw 12 people everyday for 45 minute hours. He took $100 an hour. Where is the line? These are questions we have to answer for ourselves - or ask our Spirits.

As an English Language teacher who charges the private students I teach on an occasional basis fees, it would be wrong for me to criticize the counsellor referred to in the letter above for doing the same. The question of whether she is skilful or qualified enough to be offering such services for money is a different matter though. Not knowing her, I am not in a position to comment on that. However, if this form of therapy were to become accredited by the State with an approved list of practitioners being established, such issues would no longer pose a problem. The likelihood of that happening would appear to be a long way off though.

There is a tradition of charging for spiritual services and it can be argued that even gods have been known to do so. For example, in return for saving Jonah from the "whale", his god subsequently required him to prophesy to the Ninevites - payment in kind. However, can the god of the Children of Israel and a neo-shamanic practitioner really be compared? It is obvious how "outsiders" would answer this question.

I would suggest that instead of attempting to regulate or even prohibit shamanic practitioners, as some would favour, we should leave it to the consciences of the practitioners themselves as to what they offer, and the process of supply and demand. For if they prove unable to provide the services they advertise, there will presumably be no demand for them in any case. Instead of asking what the monetary value of spiritual services is perhaps we should be asking what the value of knowledge is. The traditional Chinese tale that follows and concludes this paper offers a possible answer:

Loss of Memory

Hua Tzu of the state of Sung suffered from a loss of memory in his middle years. Whatever he took in the morning was forgotten by the evening and whatever he gave in the evening was forgotten by the morning. On the road he would forget to move ahead and indoors he would forget to sit down. As his wife used to say, here and now he has forgotten then, and later he will not remember the here and now.

He consulted an astrologer, but divination provided no answer. Then he sought the help of a medium, but prayer could not control the problem either. Finally he visited a doctor, but once again the treatment brought no relief.

Now in the state of Lu there was a Confucian scholar who claimed that he could cure the disease, and Hua Tzu's wife paid him half their estate to do it. "No sign or omen," said the Confucian, "can solve this. No prayer can preserve him and no medicine will work. I must try to transform his mind, alter his way of thinking, and then there may be hope." The scholar stripped Hua Tzu, and the naked man demanded clothes. The scholar starved Hua Tzu, and he demanded food. He locked Hua Tzu in a dark room, and he demanded light.

"This illness can be cured," the Confucian advised Hua Tzu's son. "But my remedy is a secret handed down for generations, a secret that has never been revealed to anyone outside our family. I must ask you to dismiss all your father's attendants so that he can live alone with me for seven days." The son agreed.

Nobody knows what methods the scholar used, but Hua Tzu's ailment of many years miraculously cleared up. But when Hua Tzu realized that he was cured, he flew into a tremendous rage. He chastised his wife, punished his son, and drove off the Confucian with weapons. People seized Hua Tzu and asked him the reason for his strange behaviour.

"In my forgetfulness I was a free man, unaware if heaven and earth even existed," said Hua Tzu. "But now I remember all that has passed, all that remains, all that was gained or lost, all that brought sorrow or joy, all that was loved or hated - the ten thousand problems that have plagued my life. And I fear that these same things will disturb my mind no less in times to come. Where shall I find another moment's peace? That's the reason why."

Bibliography

Berman, M. (2005) The Shaman & the Storyteller, Powys: Superscript.
Berman, M. (2006) 'The Nature of Shamanism and the Shamanic Journey', unpublished M.Phil Thesis, University of Wales, Lampeter.
Doore, G. (ed.) (1988) Shaman's Path: Healing, Personal Growth and Empowerment, Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications.
Driver, T.F. (1991) The Magic of Ritual, New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Foundation for Shamanic Studies http://www.shamanism.org
Ingermann, S. (1991) Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self through Shamanic Practice, San Francisco: Harper.
Ingermann, S. (1993) Welcome Home: Following Your Soul's Journey Home, New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Roberts, M. (1979) Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies, New York: Pantheon Books.
Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies http://www.shaman-center.dk
Villoldo, A. (2001) Shaman Healer Sage, London: Bantam Books.
Vitebsky, P. (1993) 'Shamanism as Local Knowledge in a Global Setting: from Cosmology to Psychology and Environmentalism' - a Paper presented at the ASA IV Decennial Conference.
Vitebsky, P. (2001) The Shaman, London: Duncan Baird (first published in Great Britain in 1995 by Macmillan Reference Books).
Wafer, J. (1991) The Taste of Blood: Spirit Possession in Brazilian Candomblé. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Wallis, R.J. (2003) Shamans/Neo-shamans, London: Routledge.

Footnotes:
¹ By considering a form of religious practice that would be regarded as a "borderline" case, we can see whether the definition proposed holds water and how it can be applied. In Candomblé both genuine and imitative forms of trance can be found, and it would thus initially seem to fit into the above definition:

'False trance is a familiar phenomenon in Candomblé, and is known as equê, which Taís defined for me as "a type of theatre." The existence of equê does not mean that there is no such thing as genuine trance. But it does mean that people who go into trance have considerable room for maneuver' (Wafer, 1991, p.34).

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