Download or read book Sangoma Trance States written by Ingo Lambrecht, Ph.d. and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-03-01 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring Indigenous Consciousness Disciplines in South Africa. What does happen in the mind of a trancing sangoma, the traditional healer of South Africa? Dr Ingo Lambrecht, a renowned clinical psychologist and a sangoma himself, explores this question, not only through his own personal experiences, but also through the words of powerful sangomas. This book skilfully interweaves personal experiences with scholarly research, into an unusual tapestry that carefully maps the specific trance states of sangomas. It explores some of the consciousness disciplines available to sangomas. The powerful sangomas not only share with Dr Lambrecht their own maddening pain during their spiritual initiation, but also speak of their effective techniques, practices and psi effects whilst in different trance states. The specific mapping of sangoma trance states is compared to other indigenous shamanic practices around the world. From this meticulous integrative work, a model of sangoma trance states emerges that has been endorsed by sangomas as being close to their own experiences of mastering their altered states of consciousness. A unique book.

Download or read book Leopard Warrior written by John Lockley and published by Sounds True. This book was released on 2017-11-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Teaching Memoir That Crosses the Barriers Between Worlds A shaman is one who has learned to move between two worlds: our physical reality and the realm of spirits. For John Lockley, shamanic training also meant learning to cross the immense divide of race and culture in South Africa. As a medic drafted into the South African military in 1990, John Lockley had a powerful dream. "Even though I am a white man of Irish and English descent, I knew in my bones that I had received my calling to become a sangoma, a traditional South African shaman," John writes. "I felt blessed by the ancient spirit of Africa, and I knew that I had started on a journey filled with magic and danger." His path took him from the hills of South Korea, where he trained as a student under Zen Master Su Bong, to the rural African landscape of the Eastern Cape and the world of the sangoma mystic healers, where he found his teacher in the medicine woman called MaMngwevu. In Leopard Warrior, John shares a gripping account of his experiences and the wisdom he learned over years of training. Here he invites you to discover: • Powerful insights into the spiritual tradition of the Xhosa lineage of South Africa—the tribe of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu • Ubuntu—a core concept for recognizing and embracing our deep interconnection with all living things • Ancestor medicine—how we can learn to honor the blood in our veins, the heritage of our soul, and our shared humanity • Recovering our forgotten knowledge about the wisdom of our dreams, the spirits of plants and animals, and the power of the unseen world In traditional African healing circles, the leopard represents intuition, instinct, and harmony with nature and the spirit world. As John Lockley writes, "A leopard warrior is a spiritual soldier who mirrors the natural world and directs their gaze inward to answer the call of their spirit." With Leopard Warrior, he brings us an inspiring call to action—showing how we can bridge the barriers that divide us, embrace the gifts of our ancestors, and reclaim our rightful place as compassionate caretakers of our world.

Download or read book Fragments of Trauma and the Social Production of Suffering written by Michael O'Loughlin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-11-05 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fragments of Trauma and the Social Production of Suffering: Trauma, History, and Memory offers a kaleidoscope of perspectives that highlight the problem of traumatic memory. Because trauma fragments memory, storytelling is impeded by what is unknowable and what is unspeakable. Each of the contributors tackles the problem of narrativizing memory that is constructed from fragments that have been passed along the generations. When trauma is cultural as well as personal, it becomes even more invisible, as each generation’s attempts at coping push the pain further below the surface. Consequently, that pain becomes increasingly ineffable, haunting succeeding generations. In each story the contributors offer, there emerges the theme of difference, a difference that turns back on itself and makes an accusation. Themes of knowing and unknowing show the terrible toll that trauma takes when there is no one with whom the trauma can be acknowledged and worked through. In the face of utter lack of recognition, what might be known together becomes hidden. Our failure to speak to these unaspirated truths becomes a betrayal of self and also of others. In the case of intergenerational and cultural trauma, we betray not only our ancestors but also the future generations to come. In the face of unacknowledged trauma, this book reveals that we are confronted with the perennial choice of speaking or becoming complicit in our silence.

Download or read book Psychosis Psychiatry and Psychospiritual Considerations written by Brian Spittles and published by Aeon Books. This book was released on 2022-11-29 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a psychiatric perspective, psychosis is generally viewed as a psychopathological and often incomprehensible mental disorder of biological cause. In his book, Brian Spittles argues that this represents a rather limited view, and that a psychospiritual investigation of psychosis may enable a better understanding of its nature and determinants. His aim is not to negate the discipline of psychiatry, but to demonstrate the viability and efficacy of incorporating psychospiritual considerations into psychosis research. Within these pages, Spittles challenges several core psychiatric beliefs, and calls for the discipline to extend its investigative parameters beyond the limited epistemological bounds of materialism. The book uses an open-ended heuristic approach that enables the systematic examination and critical appraisal of views on psychosis across the materialist-to-metaphysical spectrum. This is structured in four 'Focal Settings' that sequentially examine the construal of psychosis within different paradigms of psychospiritual understanding, which provide a historical overview of evolving understandings of psychosis within the tradition of psychiatry, in which psychospiritual matters are generally not considered.

Download or read book Working with Spirit written by Jo Thobeka Wreford and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2008-05-01 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the current model of health dispensation in South Africa there are two major paradigms, the spirit-inspired tradition of izangoma sinyanga and biomedicine. These operate at best in parallel, but more often than not are at odds with one another. This book, based on the author’s personal experience as a practitioner of traditional African medicine, considers the effects of the absence of spirit in biomedicine on collaborative relationships. Given the unprecedented challenge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, the author suggests that more cooperation is vital. Taking a critical look at the role of anthropology in this endeavor, she proposes the development of a “language of spirit” by means of which the spirit-inspired aetiology of izangoma sinyanga may be made comprehensible to academic scientists and applicable to medical interventions. The author discusses white izangoma in the context of current debates on healing and hybridity and insists that there exists a powerful role for izangoma in the realm of societal healing. Above all, the book constitutes a start in what the author hopes will develop into an ongoing intellectual conversation between traditional African healing, academe, and biomedicine in South Africa.

Download or read book Religion and Everyday Life and Culture written by Vincent F. Biondo and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-03-25 with total page 1197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This intriguing three-volume set explores the ways in which religion is bound to the practice of daily life and how daily life is bound to religion. In Religion and Everyday Life and Culture, 36 international scholars describe the impact of religious practices around the world, using rich examples drawn from personal observation. Instead of repeating generalizations about what religion should mean, these volumes examine how religions actually influence our public and private lives "on the ground," on a day-to-day basis. Volume one introduces regional histories of the world's religions and discusses major ritual practices, such as the Catholic Mass and the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Volume two examines themes that will help readers understand how religions interact with the practices of public life, describing the ways religions influence government, education, criminal justice, economy, technology, and the environment. Volume three takes up themes that are central to how religions are realized in the practices of individuals. In these essays, readers meet a shaman healer in South Africa, laugh with Buddhist monks, sing with Bob Dylan, cheer for Australian rugby, and explore Chicana and Iranian art.

Download or read book Africa in My Bones written by David Cumes and published by New Africa Books. This book was released on 2004 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is a fascinating account of a surgeon "s odyssey into the spirit world of African healing. It is the story of his initiation as a sangoma and how his life has been changed and enriched by the experience. It includes photographs of the author "s training.

Download or read book An Encyclopedia of Shamanism Volume 2 written by Christina Pratt and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2007-08-01 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shamanism can be defined as the practice of initiated shamans who are distinguished by their mastery of a range of altered states of consciousness. Shamanism arises from the actions the shaman takes in non-ordinary reality and the results of those actions in ordinary reality. It is not a religion, yet it demands spiritual discipline and personal sacrifice from the mature shaman who seeks the highest stages of mystical development.

Download or read book African Mythology written by Stuart A. Kallen and published by Greenhaven Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2015-02-12 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume looks at some of the popular myths of Africa and discusses their role in the culture and the values they reflect. The book also touches on how hip-hop music has its roots in African mythology. Readers will learn about creation myths, and the role of spirits and magic in African mythology and lore.

Download or read book A Sangoma s Story The Calling of Elliot Ndlovu written by Melanie Reeder and published by Penguin Random House South Africa. This book was released on 2012-09-27 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My body has two lives, the spiritual as well as the physical.' These are the words of Elliot Ndlovu, a traditional healer (sangoma) who lives deep in the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal. He lives two lives, dividing time between his rural homestead and a world-class hotel and spa, constantly bridging the differences between these opposing worlds. As a young man, he was awoken in the dead of night by an apparition sent by his ancestors. In terror, he fled to a river where he was submerged until sunrise. On the bottom of a riverbed, he claimed to acquire all the knowledge of his cultural heritage to heal bodies and minds. Ndlovu is a natural conservationist and leader who believes in the preservation of indigenous flora, in the strength of community, and in ubuntu, the philosophy that the universal bonds of humanity are what bind us. KwaZulu-Natal's violent path to democracy mirrored his own turbulent journey through mental illness - his uthwasa, the necessary process of suffering to become a traditional healer. But torment and tragedy led to consultations with Oscar nominees in Hollywood, a meeting with the British Queen, and a Christmas visit from a former state president. Ndlovu's tales of storm-chasing and magical serpents may be challenging for some, but the poignancy of his story and unwavering belief in African traditional healing are what endear him to the most hardened cynic. Melanie Reeder has captured the essence of this modern sangoma. She sheds light on the beauty of Zulu culture, and clarifies misconceptions about traditional healing.

Download or read book Scansion in Psychoanalysis and Art written by Vanessa Sinclair and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-11-16 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scansion in Psychoanalysis and Art examines a strain of artists spanning more than a century, beginning at the dawn of photography and culminating in the discussion of contemporary artists, to illustrate various psychoanalytic concepts by examining artists working in a multitude of media. Drawing on the theories of Sigmund Freud, who applied psychoanalytic methods to art and literature to decipher the meaning and intention of the creator, as well as Jacques Lacan’s dissemination of scansion as a powerful disruption of narrative, the book explores examples of the long and rich relationship between psychoanalysis and the fine arts. Whilst guiding readers through the different artists and their artforms – from painting and music to poetry, collage, photography, film, performance art, technology and body modification – Sinclair interrogates scansion as a generative process often inherent of the act of creation itself. This is an intriguing book for psychoanalysts, psychologists and creative arts therapists who wish to explore the generative potential of scansion and the relationship between psychoanalysis and the arts, as well as for artists and art historians interested in a psychoanalytic view of these processes.

Download or read book The Other Side written by Sarah Bullen and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2024-09-04 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What happens when we die? How are some people able to see or communicate with spiritual worlds beyond our own? Can they offer answers to some of our most burning questions about life and death? Sarah Bullen, who has had a life-altering near-death experience herself, explores these mysteries as she gathers riveting stories of people from South Africa and beyond – people who have crossed to the 'other side' or those who can contact it. This book offers original interviews with a fascinating collection of teachers with special abilities, individuals who have gone through near-death experiences and those who can communicate across worlds using mediumship, gifts, trance and plants. Meet and learn from a man who woke up on a stretcher on the way to the morgue, a spiritual teacher who survived two near-death experiences on an operating table, a psychic rabbi, an influencer who communicates with the departed, a former corporate executive-turned-sangoma who runs a traditional clinic, and shamans and neo-shamans from across the continent. With her keen observation skills and insights gleaned from her own experience, Bullen offers a fresh way of looking at the world.

Download or read book Psychosis Trauma and Dissociation written by Andrew Moskowitz and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An invaluable sourcebook on the complex relationship between psychosis, trauma, and dissociation, thoroughly revised and updated This revised and updated second edition of Psychosis, Trauma and Dissociation offers an important resource that takes a wide-ranging and in-depth look at the multifaceted relationship between trauma, dissociation and psychosis. The editors – leaders in their field – have drawn together more than fifty noted experts from around the world, to canvas the relevant literature from historical, conceptual, empirical and clinical perspectives. The result documents the impressive gains made over the past ten years in understanding multiple aspects of the interface between trauma, dissociation and psychosis. The historical/conceptual section clarifies the meaning of the terms dissociation, trauma and psychosis, proposes dissociation as central to the historical concepts of schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder, and considers unique development perspectives on delusions and the onset of schizophrenia. The empirical section of the text compares and contrasts psychotic and dissociative disorders from a wide range of perspectives, including phenomenology, childhood trauma, and memory and cognitive disturbances, whilst the clinical section focuses on the assessment, differential diagnosis and treatment of these disorders, along with proposals for new and novel hybrid disorders. This important resource: • Offers extensive updated coverage of the field, from all relevant perspectives • Brings together in one text contributions from scholars and clinicians working in diverse geographical and theoretical areas • Helps define and bring cohesion to this new and important field • Features nine new chapters on: conceptions of trauma, dissociation and psychosis, PTSD with psychotic features, delusions and memory, trauma treatment of psychotic symptoms, and differences between the diagnostic groups on hypnotizability, memory disturbances, brain imaging, auditory verbal hallucinations and psychological testing Written for clinicians, researchers and academics in the areas of trauma, child abuse, dissociation and psychosis, but relevant for psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists working in any area, the revised second edition of Psychosis, Trauma and Dissociation makes an invaluable contribution to this important evolving field.

Download or read book Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Identity and Difference written by Brent Willock and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-11-10 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every day, clinicians encounter challenges to empathy and communication while struggling to assist patients with diverse life histories, character, sexuality, gender, psychopathology, cultural, religious, political, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Most writing pertaining to ideas of similarity, discrepancy, and ‘the Other’ has highlighted differences. Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Identity and Difference: Navigating the Divide offers a different focus, emphasising points of contact, connection, and how divisions between people can be transcended. In-depth case material, astutely elucidated by diverse theoretical approaches, furnishes stimulating ideas and valuable suggestions for facilitating a meeting of minds and psychological growth in patients who might otherwise be difficult or impossible to engage. Exploring how psychoanalysts can navigate obstacles to understanding and communicating with suffering individuals, topics covered include: internal experience of likeness and difference in the patient; in the analyst; and how analysts can find echoes of themselves in patients. Psychoanalysts and psychotherapists will appreciate the importance and value of this wide-ranging, groundbreaking exploration of these insufficiently addressed dimensions of human experience.

Download or read book Spirit Possession around the World written by Joseph P. Laycock and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-05-26 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a fascinating historical and cultural overview of traditional beliefs about spirit possession and exorcism around the world, from Europe to Asia and the Middle East to the Americas. Possession and exorcism are elements that occur in nearly every culture. Why is belief in spiritual possession so universal? This accessible reference volume offers a broad sample of the traditions and cultures involving possession and exorcism, presenting thoughts on this widely popular topic by experts from the fields of anthropology, sociology, religious studies, history, neuroscience, forensics, and theology. The entries cover the subject of possession and exorcism across all inhabited continents, from the Bronze Age to the 21st century, providing information that is accessible and intriguing as well as scholarly and authoritative. Beyond addressing the Christian tradition of possession and exorcism, Pentecostalism, and "New Age" and less widely known Western concepts about possession and exorcism, this work examines ideas about possession and exorcism from other world religions and the indigenous cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It also covers historic cases of possession and presents biographies of famous theologians, exorcists, and possessed individuals. High school and undergraduate readers will learn about world history, religious and spiritual traditions, and world cultures through a topic that figures prominently in popular culture and modern entertainment. Bibliographies that accompany each entry as well as a selected, general bibliography serve to help students locate print and electronic sources of additional information.

Download or read book Reconceptualizing Schizophrenia written by Sarah Kamens and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-04-14 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents a novel, international research study that reconceptualizes schizophrenia through an investigation of ways in which the first-hand experiences of those with a diagnosis differ from conventional diagnostic definitions. Offering insight into the history of psychiatric taxonomies in general and the invention of the schizophrenia diagnosis in particular, Reconceptualizing Schizophrenia maps the emergence of uncertainties about the empirical and conceptual status of contemporary diagnostic systems. Particular focus is given to the heterogeneity problem, or the problem of wide empirical variation within and between disorder categories. At the heart of this book are interviews with mental health service users with psychotic-disorder diagnoses in New York City and Jerusalem. Through a detailed portrait of their existential and socio-institutional worlds, the book unveils a way of being-in-the-world characterized by the experience of feeling profoundly vulnerable and unsafe in an inhospitable world as well as foreclosed from belonging to one or more human communities. As this psychological portrait of urhomelessness unfolds, the reader becomes slowly aware of the relationships between psychotic experiences – often thought to be bizarre or ‘un-understandable’ – and the timeless ways in which all humans seek to dwell in the world. Making an important contribution to the phenomenological-existential literature on psychosis, and demonstrating interdisciplinary and transcultural approaches to understanding anomalous experiences, this volume will be of great interest to researchers and scholars of transcultural psychiatry, clinical psychology, and critical theory.

Download or read book Beads of life written by Marie-Louise Labelle and published by University of Ottawa Press. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beads of Life is a fascinating exploration of traditional beadwork from eastern and southern Africa, as well as the socio-religious principles upon which many aesthetic choices were based. The author concludes with an examination of contemporary beadwork as seen, in particular, through the eyes of Canadians from these regions.