Individuation

1 min read

Individuation – Under the influence of modernism, the stress on individual, “inner” experience and reality has been significant both in studies of shamanic/altered states of consciousness (including trance and possession) and in neo-shamanic cosmology and performance. Early studies that presented shamans as psychologically ill or damaged people, and more recent ones interested in brain chemistry, exemplify scholarly attempts to situate shamanism within psychology. Neo-shamanism is influenced by Carl Jung’s privileging of “individuation” as a therapeutic goal, and therefore typically presents journeying as self-exploration. Paul Johnson’s “case study in New Age Ritual Appropriation” also identifies the influence of Sigmund Freud in interpretations of “soul loss” as equivalent to repression and trauma.

SOURCE:

Historical Dictionary of Shamanism by Graham Harvey and Robert J. Wallis 2007

BOOKS FOR YOU TO READ IN OUR LIBRARY:

Previous Story

India

Next Story

Ingerman, Sandra

Latest from Blog

Eugène Deloncle

Eugène Deloncle was a French businessman and far-right political activist who lived from 1890 to 1944.…

Thixo

Thixo is a creator god in Xhosa mythology. In Xhosa culture, Thixo is considered the highest…

Aziza

In Tuareg mythology, Aziza are protective spirits or genies that are believed to inhabit natural features…

Irikuden

Irikuden is a legendary hero in Tuareg mythology, who is revered as a symbol of strength,…

Tin Hinan

Tin Hinan is a legendary figure in Tuareg mythology, who is considered the mother of the…