American Shaman: An Odyssey of Global Healing Traditions

by Jeffrey A. Kottler, Jon Carlson, Bradford P. Keeney

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.

278 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Jeffrey A. Kottler is a professor, psychologist, author, consultant, workshop leader, keynote speaker, and social justice advocate who has spent the past 40 years working throughout the world to promote personal and professional development among professionals and marginalized groups. Jeffrey has worked as a teacher, counselor, therapist, and consultant in a variety of settings including a preschool, primary and secondary school, university, mental health center, crisis center, and corporate settings.

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of the shaman is that both he/she and the 'patient' need healing and so the dance together is much different from a therapist who is already 'healed' and needs only to 'help' his/her client.
I seem to be reading lots of psychology lately. This book is very funny in challenging the assumptions of 'accepted' practice. Slow start - gets much better.

[Karson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a few months ago but never quite got to writing a review for it. The book was pretty good. Basically, it is about an American academic that becomes interested in Shamanism. He travels around the world, visiting isolated communities that still practice pre-colonial religion. The book includes some very interesting anecdotes and it serves as a good introduction to shamanism. It just didn't blow my socks off in any way I suppose.