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Microaggression, Erasure, and Genocide
Perhaps the speaker himself did not notice his erasure of our collective history. After all, our national zeitgeist, like that of a trauma burdened family, is to move forward, forgetting the past as soon as possible. Microaggression is subtle, riding beneath normative cultural messages, and stealthily attacking the hearts and souls of it’s targets. Microaggressions…
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Companionship, Tears, and Vision
As shamans, healers, and caring neighbors, we are often unable to stop dams, genocide, and even the suffering of every day life, as much as we might wish to. Still, we can acknowledge the humanity of others who suffer, always pointing to their sanity and wholeness. We can offer moments of companionship and joy, and…
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Shamanism, Psychology, and the Vastness of Human Experience
In the end, memories and experiences of trauma and vision, pain and joy must enter the everyday if there is to be deep healing. We must recognize and accept that the very experiences that set us apart, that others cannot fully know or understand, are experiences that reaffirm our humanity. Wrestling with that paradox is…
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Ritual, Healing, and Cultural Context in Shamanism and Psychotherapy
A few years ago I was working on a mental health services delivery project for a state-wide health agency. The target area was Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, a remote, scenic, part of Vermont with a rich history of community. One day I was given the task of driving up and meeting with a leader in the…
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