Customer Reviews

Spirit Of Shamanism

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The Spirit of Shamanism is a psychiatrist's look at the essence of shamanic practices. Robert Walsh covers such topics as the shaman's initiation, accessing the spirit world, healing, psychedelic drugs, and New Age adaptations. Although Walsh looks across the broad range of the shamanic experience, the most interesting sections of the book deal with the topic of his expertise: mental illness and psychological health. He explores such questions as 1) whether shamanic initiation and trance states are psychotic or schizophrenic; 2) the difference between trance states and mental illness; and 3) the effects of music, trickery and the placebo effect on healing.

On the negative side, Walsh has a poor opinion of anthropologists, yet he relies heavily on the work of anthropologists who are marginal in the anthropological community. Many of his resources are outdated. The book is not very deep, yet this makes it accessible to just about anyone. It doesn't "feel" like it's written by an M.D./Ph.D. -- Walsh slips easily into New Age thinking -- yet, again, it's accessible.

This quasi-scientific book is good for anyone interested in knowing more about the psychology of shamanism. It's well-written, the chapters are short, and it's easy to understand.

Great introductory book for those studying shamanism with an open mind - it's a blend of anthropological academic theory, and more... esoteric considerations of the subject. As it's more of an overview, it's definitely not the only book you'll want, but it can be a good addition to a beginning collection. However, buyers need to BEWARE that Amazon's "new and used" section links from the newer version of this book, "The World of Shamanism," to an older version, "The Spirit of Shamanism," which is not quite as comprehensive. Either is worthwhile, but for those seeking a more up-to-date reference, be sure you are selecting the newer version before you order.

"The Spirit of Shamanism" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

Unfortunately, I never recieved the book, so I can only give a poor review for the order.