Cultures all over the world, and throughout history, contain the concept of a shaman.  This was a person to which the tribe could turn for help with physical, emotional and spiritual issues in an individual, group or tribe.

When the Western Europeans arrived on the shores of the land destined to become the United States, they had no shamanic ancestry to bring with them.

This left the predominate culture in this country with no shamanic roots from which to draw.

Today, those of us who follow a shamanic path here in the US study the Native American culture, which had shamans, holy men and medicine men.  We study Central and South American cultures, Siberian and other places where there was a shamanic presence.  The goal of some of us is to recreate these shamanic traditions within our own culture.

Some of us view the task as one of integrating aspects of a number of cultures into a single tradition that will be one unique to the people of this country.  This is my perspective of my path I am on.

Shamanic Counseling, by my definition, is the use of techniques, some ancient, some "new and improved", to help an individual or group live more balanced lives.  This balance comes from an understanding of the dynamics that occur in the physical, emotional and spiritual energies of a person or group of people.

For a more complete definition of shamanic counseling, please see the Foundation for Shamanic Studies website of founder Michael Harner (http://www.shamanism.org)