Ancient shamanic emotional healing techniques and today’s philosophical counseling

Drawing on shamanic thinking, the author argues that the earth does not belong to humans but is a host for all species. The essay suggests that human traits of greed and selfishness, as noted by Rousseau, have led to irreversible planetary changes including earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, and floods. Rapid climate change, wars, and pandemics have caused growing emotional and psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The author proposes that shamanic techniques combined with philosophical counseling can heal these difficulties, fostering a peaceful and balanced understanding of our relationship with the Universe and ourselves.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In shamanic thinking, an important idea is that the earth does not belong to us. Earth is just a wonderful and welcoming host for us and other species. Did the sense of ownership dehumanize us, as the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau would observe? Maybe. Lust for wealth, greed, and selfishness, these traits specific only to human people, among all inhabitants of our planet led, over time, to irreversible planetary changes. Earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, and floods: all these disasters seem to be the consequences of human reprehensible acts. Not only the rapid climate changes but also the recent wars and the pandemics have attracted emotional and psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD, a phenomenon that is growing alarmingly worldwide. In these difficulties times I believe the shamanic techniques could work together with philosophical counseling to heal us, opening the way to a peaceful and balanced understanding of our relationship with the Universe and ourselves.