American Shaman: An Odyssey of Global Healing Traditions

by Jeffrey A. Kottler, Jon Carlson, Bradford Keeney

Overview

Written for therapists, scholars, clergy, students, and those with an interest in non-traditional healing practices, this book tells the story of Bradford Keeney, the first non-African to be inducted as a shaman in the Kung Bushman and Zulu cultures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134000593
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/01/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	278
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jeffrey A. Kottler, Ph.D., is Chair of the Counseling Department at California State University, Fullerton. He has authored a dozen texts for counselors and therapists that are used in universities around the world and a dozen books each for practicing therapists and educators. Dr. Kottler has been an educator for twenty-five years and has worked as a teacher, counselor, and therapist in preschool, middle school, mental health center, crisis center, university, community college, and private practice settings. He has served as a Fullbright Scholar and Senior Lecturer in Peru (1980) and Iceland (2000), as well as worked as a Visiting Professor in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Nepal.

Jon Carlson, Psy.D., Ed.D., is Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University, University Park, Illinois and a Psychologist with the Wellness Clinic in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In addition to serving as the long-time Editor of The Family Journal, he is the author of 25 books in the areas of family therapy, marital enrichment, consultation, and Adlerian psychology. Jon has also developed and produced over 100 commercial videotapes that feature the most prominent leaders in the field (including the professionals featured in this book) demonstrating their theories in actions. These videos are used to train the next generation of practitioners.

Table of Contents

About the Authors
Preface
Part I- Some Conceptual Foundations
1. The Zulu Conflict
2. Dancing Under the Stars
3. What It Means to Be a Shaman
4. The Psychiatrist and the Shaman
5. Healing Through Touch
6. Circles of Life
Part II- Shamanic Concepts Applied to Helping and Healing
7. Who is Not in the Room?
8. The Value of Play
9. Back to Africa
10. Multiple Modalities
11. Arousal
12. Therapeutic Tasks and Ordeals
13. Paradox and Duality
14. Love Over Power
15. Shamanic Principles Applied to Everyday Life
Epilogue
Books by Bradford Keeney
References

Editorial Reviews

"A fascinating account of Keeney's journey into shamanism and healing practices, as well as an absorbing and expansive view enriching any reader. Every step is rooted in the familiar and then grows into intriguing possibilities, probabilities, and acceptances. We're given a seamless and beautiful blending of cross-cultural healing practices and Western psychotherapeutic techniques. This flawless merging, charming in its story, gives us all courage to step outside our own thinking and develop in ways we'd not considered before." — Betty Alice Erickson, M.S., L.P.C., (in) private practice, Dallas, Texas
"In telling the story of Keeney, the American Shaman, Kottler and Carlson have again struck gold by unearthing indigenous healing practices that have great potential for the work we do in our own culture. I was thoroughly entertained, even spellbound, by the stories in this book." — William Glasser, MD, Author of Psychiatry Can Be Hazardous to your Health
"Truly a contemporary odyssey- Kottler, Carlson and Keeney discuss the evolution of modern psychology in the backdrop of traditional culture and medicine, taking the reader on a once-in-a-lifetime journey from disillusionment to enlightenment
." — John Gray, Ph.D., Author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus
"Brad Keeney emerges as a fascinating and charismatic healer, one who brings to modern life the powerful wisdom of a traditional shaman. American Shaman must be read by anyone wanting to understand the full spectrum of paths to heal the heart, mind, body and spirit." — Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., Author of Emotional Intelligence
"Brad Keeney's Work is a living example of what we need in our field at this stage of evolution: a synthesis of traditional and modern, east and west, body and soul. Jon Carlson and Jeffrey Kottler do a masterful job of bringing out the essence of the work through their insight and flair for story-telling. A book for both professional development and stay-up-late adventure reading." — Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Counseling Psychology, University of Colorado; Co-Author of Conscious Loving and Lasting Love

From the Publisher