Helping professional or shaman?
June 12, 2026 Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries
The article traces the history of shamanistic beliefs and practices to highlight parallels with contemporary helping professions. Shamans seek power to heal, exorcise evil spirits, and commune with the dead, offering a mystical means of dealing with life's vicissitudes. Like psychoanalytic treatment, altered states of consciousness are a fundamental element. Both pursue the mutual objective of ascertaining clients' resistances and developing agency, often via guided visualizations. Shamanism emphasizes how nature impacts bodily functioning and spirituality, seeing mental illness as a disruption in community, family, or nature, not just the client. Both recognize relational dynamics in mental health and work to heal trauma by reconnecting lost or fragmented parts. The article asks if drawing on both traditions can yield a more comprehensive healing approach.