Abstract Index Conference Index

ABSTRACT

· Type: Panel Discussion (2-hour)

· Title: Shamanic Dreaming: How Shamans Use Dreams and Dream-states For Healing.

· Presenters- Stanley Krippner, Ph.D. Stanley Krippner is internationally known for his pioneering work in the scientific investigation of human consciousness, especially such areas as creativity, parapsychological phenomena and altered states of consciousness. He has written and edited over 500 articles and several books, including Healing States (co-author), Dreamworking (co-author), and Advances in Parapsychological Research (Ed.).

Brant Secunda is a shaman, healer and ceremonial leader in the Huichol Indian tradition of Mexico. Since 1979 Brant Secunda has been the Director of the Dance of the Deer Foundation, Center for Shamanic Studies. He is an internationally recognized shaman and healer. Brant Secunda leads seminars and retreats worldwide. His work has been documented on television, radio, and in articles and books throughout the United States and Europe.

Sven Doehner, Ph.D., M.F.A. is the Director of the Instituto de Psicologia en Mexico. He has worked with James Hillman and Robert Bosnak as well as with indigenous healers in the Yucatan and Oaxaca, Mexico. He has guided dreamsharing groups in Brazil, Greece, Lithuania, Peru, Mexico, the Soviet Union, the United States, and Uruguay.

Tom Crockett, M.F.A., (Panel Chair) is a writer, teacher, and shamanic counselor. He is the editor of Dream Artist Tribe: A Newsletter of Urban Contemporary Shamanism. He is the author of The Artist Inside: A Spiritual Guide to Cultivating Your Creative Self (Broadway Books, 2000), and Turtle Island Dreaming (Warner Books, 2000). He is a student and apprentice in cross-cultural shamanic practice and maintains a private shamanic counseling practice.

· Summary of Presentation-Shamans use dreams and dreamstates to heal and rebalance individuals and communities. This phenomenon will be discussed from four perspectives: Stan Krippner's experience with indigenous healers; Brant Secunda's experience as an initiated shaman in the Huichol tradition; Sven Doehner and Stefanie Zacharias' reflections on blending shamanic healing traditions with depth psychological dreamwork; and Tom Crockett's work at integrating traditional shamanic practices in urban contemporary settings.

· Learning Objectives-
o Participants will have a sense of the variety of ways shamans use dreams for healing.
o Participants will learn how dreams are used in the Huichol shamanic tradition
· Participants will learn the relevance of native healing practices in our modern lives.
o Participants will learn how the techniques of shamanic dreaming might transfer to contemporary urban healing practices.
Questions-
1. How do shamans and shamanic cultures understand dreams?
2. At what point in the healing or counseling process do shamans integrate dreamwork?
3. What are the differences between healing and spiritual practices?
4. How is shamanic dreamwork different from contemporary western approaches?

· Abstract- Shamans around the world use dreams and dreamstates as integral parts of the healing and balancing process. They use the dreams of clients who come to see them, they use the dreams of designated dreamers within the community, and they use their own dreams. They utilize dreams and dream material as a diagnostic tool as well as a prescriptive or corrective action. They use night dreams, waking dreams, and conscious journeys into dreamtime. Some of the dreamwork techniques of the shaman have been adapted or rediscovered by contemporary western therapists and healers, but many of them have been little discussed.

This panel discussion will explore some of these techniques and approaches from the perspectives of an experiential researcher, a traditional practitioner and teacher, and a contemporary synthesist. Stanley Krippner will provide an overview and background on shamanism and shamanic dreamwork based on his many years of research and personal experience with indigenous healers around the world. Brant Secunda will discuss the Huichol tradition of shamanic dreamwork from the perspective of an initiated shamanic practitioner and teacher. Sven Doehner and Stephanie Zacharias will give some detailed information about the use of shamanic states of consciousness for healing within the Mazatecean "Velada" (the ritualistic use of hallucinogenic mushrooms and then differentiate the use of altered states of consciousness in depth psychological work. Tom Crockett will discuss contemporary urban shamanic dreamwork as a synthesis of ancient wisdom traditions.

To frame this discussion we will open the panel with a simple organizing proposal-that shamanic dreamwork can be divided into two broad categories with several sub-categories. The first broad category is the shaman's use of the dreams of others. These dreams may come from clients or from third parties. They may be the calling that brings a client to a shaman or they may be incubated after the first visit. They may be night dreams or conscious journeys made with the aid of plant spirits or other trance inducing practices. The second broad category is the dreams of the shaman. Again, these may come in advance of seeing a client or after the first meeting. They may be facilitated by conscious journeying techniques. They may be incubated or spontaneous night dreams. By using this framework we hope to suggest some new avenues of exploration in dreamwork based on these ancient shamanic models.