Therapeutic Shamanism

Many people feel a growing disenchantment with modern life; that something fundamental is missing or ‘wrong’. Our increased material wealth is making us less happy, not more. Mental health issues are on the rise, and we face an environmental crisis. Somehow, we have lost our way. People long for a deeper sense of connection, a greater purpose, and a more sustainable and natural way of living. Yet people are often unsure as to what they can do to find this. If you are ready, the practice of shamanism holds many answers.

In ‘The Shamanic Journey’, shamanic practitioner, teacher and psychotherapist, Paul Francis, offers a shamanic apprenticeship for our times. By building upon the work of Michael Harner, author of 1980’s classic ‘The Way of the Shaman’, Francis has created a practical, ethical and experiential guide. It is a ground-breaking and stand-out book on shamanism, written for both complete beginners and for anyone already with experience. Both practical and deeply thought-provoking, this book examines how to make shamanic practice relevant and central to our modern-day lives.

Well researched, and yet written in an accessible and conversational style, the book explores how, as we turned away from hunter-gathering, and with the rise of agriculture, domestication and ‘civilisation’, we largely lost our connection with shamanism. This profoundly changed us, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually, and radically altered the environment around us. Facing these challenges, the book discusses how we can reclaim shamanism and make it relevant to the times in which we now live, and how doing this may be crucial to our very survival and return to sanity.