A revolutionary call to reawaken our bodies and minds to powerful healing through ecstatic movement • Shows how shaking medicine is one of the oldest healing modalities--practiced by Quakers, Shakers, Bushmen, Japanese, and others • Teaches readers how to shake for physical as well as spiritual therapeutic benefit • Includes a link to 40 minutes of ecstatic drumming audio tracks to use while shaking Shaking Medicine reintroduces the oldest medicine on earth--the ecstatic shaking of the human body. Most people’s worst fear is losing control--of their circumstances, of their emotions, and especially of their bodies. Yet in order to achieve the transcendent state necessary to experience deep healing, we must surrender control. Examining cultural traditions from around the world where shaking has been used as a form of healing--from the Shakers and Quakers of New England to the shaking medicine of Japan, India, the Caribbean, the Kalahari, and the Indian Shakers of the Pacific Northwest--Bradford Keeney shows how shaking can bring forth profound therapeutic benefits. Keeney investigates the full spectrum of the healing cycle that occurs when moving from ecstatic arousal to deep trance relaxation. He explains how the alternating movement produced while shaking brings all the body’s energetic systems into balance. He includes practical exercises in how to shake for physical therapeutic benefit, and he shows how these techniques lead ultimately to the shaking medicine that both enables and enhances spiritual attunement. The book also includes a link to 40 minutes of ecstatic drumming audio tracks to use while shaking.

Despite unprecedented advances in technology, education, economic growth and material wealth, experience is showing that we have never been so stressed, paranoid and disconnected from God, nature and life's greater meaning. Awakening to Spirit, a doctoral research project, delivers scientifically substantiated spiritual practices suited to our present-day culture and demands. These practices can be used awaken minds to a more transpersonal awareness of life and the nature of consciousness. Dr Lachemeier's research aim was to make valuable transpersonal practices more accessible to the everyday person in Western societies, rather than those with the luxury of indulging in monastic or ashram settings. The resulting research detailed in this work is an informative read for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of the nature of consciousness, and reconnecting to the divine source of all awareness.

Radical changes are afoot in medicine as we build stronger bridges between science and spirituality. In CONSCIOUS MEDICINE Gill Edwards explains that mind and body are inseparable and that emotions are crucial in health and disease. Her new approach to healthcare is based on the latest research into the transformative power of consciousness, energy and the bodymind. She explains how, when you break your old habits of thought, you can not only reverse disease processes and heal injuries but also attract more positive events and circumstances into your life. Chapters cover 'miracles' in health and why our current medical model is limiting, how negative thoughts activate the stress response in the body which eventually makes us ill, how the body speaks to us symbolically through symptoms and illness, how to break free from limiting patterns and create a new health-full future. Always thought-provoking and inspiring, this is an accessible, practical and joyous book.

What if everything we thought we knew about depression—and how to heal from it—was wrong? Many antidepressants—the first line in our standard of care for treating depression—bring with them potential health risks, yet 1 in 6 Americans takes medication to alleviate feeling sad, anxious, stuck, or unable to focus or sleep. More and more, conventional medicine pathologizes how we respond to life’s challenges—like feeling trapped in an unfulfilling job, grieving the death of a loved one, or being anxious about a bad relationship—telling us that they’re symptoms of disease. Psychiatrist Jodie Skillicorn presents a new path, debunking the myth of the neurochemical imbalance and exploring the roots of depression, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and poorly managed day-to-day stress. Evidence-based and fully supported by current depression research, Dr. Skillicorn’s holistic methods for beating depression—including nutrition, mindfulness, fostering meaningful connections, exercise, sleep, nature, and breathwork—empower readers to become agents of their own wholeness and healing.

The second of a two-part guidebook on the role of entheogens and non-ordinary states of consciousness in self-discovery, self-mastery and self-care, is a continuation of Reverend Jessica Rochester D.Div's spiritual and scientific treatise. She draws from her life experience as well as the expertise of a wide variety of transpersonal and scientific professions. Volume Two: Self-Care and The Circle of Wholeness presents the four-fold practice of self-care; the principles of self-awareness, self-love, self-respect, and self-responsibility. This volume describes in detail how the practice of these four principles can assist in achieving and maintaining greater health and well-being on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, creative, and spiritual. The reader is invited to walk the Circle of Wholeness, discovering the body/mind/soul connection to nature, the environment and community as well as learning how healthy habits, wholesome lifestyle patterns, interpersonal relationships, and everyday choices can enhance well-being.

Presents 100+ interventions using creative and expressive arts counseling techniques in school settings Expressive arts therapies are a rich resource for use with children and adolescents, who are often unresponsive to traditional talk therapy, and highly useful to school counselors who must overcome cultural, language, and ability barriers that are increasingly present in diverse and multicultural school settings. This is the first book written specifically for school counselors about using creative and expressive arts counseling techniques in school settings. It presents over 100 interventions using art, drama, music, writing, dance, and movement that school counselors can easily incorporate into their practices with individual students and groups, and in classroom settings. These creative interventions, based on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model framework, support the key student domains of academic, career, and personal/social development. The text also meets the important demand for accountability in school counseling by providing guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of each intervention. Addressing such issues as emotional expression, social skills development, managing anger/aggression, developing self-esteem, working well with diverse peers, career exploration, and academic skill development, the book is organized by specific types of expressive arts therapies and how they can be used to support different domains in the ASCA model. Each intervention outlines the presenting concerns for which it is most useful, appropriate grade levels, required materials, preparation needed, step-by-step instructions, modifications for special needs students, and an outcome assessment plan. A handy quick reference chart helps readers to quickly locate appropriate interventions for specific concerns. Ideal for the school counselor, social worker, or psychologist who may not have specific training in arts therapies, this book can also help trained arts therapists who will be working in a school setting to select appropriate interventions. Key Features: Presents over 100 creative and expressive arts interventions that can be easily incorporated into school counseling practice Addresses all relevant ASCA National Model domains (academic, career, and personal/social) Provides easy-to-follow preparation and delivery directions and outcome evaluation methods for each intervention Includes modifications for special needs populations Offers a handy quick reference chart matching interventions to appropriate concerns

Unlock the transformative power of movement as a life-changing spiritual practice. If youre thinking But Im not a dancer or I feel awkward, I hope to reassure you. You dont need a special talent to move. You dont need to be graceful or especially coordinated. You dont need a body thats in shape. Dancing helps us embrace all this humanity. Dance connects us to the holy of life. from the Introduction Seize the joy and healing power of dance! Drawing from her years of experience as a dance and movement teacher, and as cofounder of the international dance organization InterPlay, Cynthia Winton-Henry helps you overcome your embarrassment or anxiety and discover in dance a place of solace and restoration, as well as an energizing spiritual force. She taps into the spirit of dancing throughout history and in many world cultures to provide detailed exercises that will help you learn to trust your body and interpret its physical and spiritual intentions. For both newcomers and seasoned movers alike, she encourages you to embrace dance as a spiritual tool to: Celebrate your unique spirituality and get in touch with your emotions Unify your body and mind, and push your personal boundaries Work through trauma or crisis and restore spiritual well-being Deepen your relationships and strengthen your community Find spiritual direction ... and much more!

Discover the history and core elements of Shamanism Shamanism is a widely used term for a broad range of spiritual practices across time, continents, and cultures. Shamanism is your all-in-one reference guide to shamanic traditions and healing modalities around the world. Entertaining and easy to navigate, Shamanism is a rich collection of unique facts and stories from shamanic cultures. You'll find engaging entries on cultural beliefs, spiritual motifs, sacred objects, and rituals, like Vibrational Medicine and Soul Retrieval (recovering lost souls or soul parts). Shamanism includes: Shamanic handbook—Explore the history and mythology of Shamanic cultures, as well as engaging info on spiritual ecology or the back-to-nature movement. All about rituals—Learn about numerous rituals and techniques, like healing with crystals and extracting malevolent spirits with a Soul Catcher. Animism to Zoroastrian—This guide is organized alphabetically for easy reference so you can build your knowledge on the go. Discover the magic, mythology, and healing history of Shamanism with this introductory guide.

Can Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) find common ground? A distinguished historian of medicine, John S. Haller Jr., explores the epistemological foundations of EBM and the challenges these conceptual tools present for both conventional and alternative therapies. As he explores a possible reconciliation between their conflicting approaches, Haller maintains a healthy, scientific skepticism yet finds promise in select complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies. Haller elucidates recent research on the placebo effect and shows how a new engagement between EBM and CAM might lead to a more productive medical practice that includes both the objectivity of evidence-based medicine and the subjective truth of the physician-patient relationship. Haller's book tours key topics in the standoff between EBM and CAM: how and why the double blinded, randomized clinical trial (RCT) came to be considered the gold standard in modern medicine; the challenge of postmodern medicine as it counters the positivism of evidence-based medicine; and the politics of modern CAM and the rise of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. He conducts an in-depth case study of homeopathy, explaining why it has emerged as a poster-child for CAM, and assesses CAM's popularity despite its poor performance in clinical trials. Haller concludes with hope, showing how new experimental protocols might tease out the evidentiary basis for the placebo effect and establish a foundation for some reconciliation between EBM and CAM.

Health services have long been characterized by inequities and contradictions urban concentration of health resources versus a dearth of rural services and, within the urban situation, relatively efficient services f a few large institutions versus the conglomeration of small, inefficient, and largely autonomous units. Using the Cuban system as a model, Danielson discusses the ingrredients involved in the transformation into an equitable medical sys­tem. The sociopolitical formation of new health workers, the continuous emphasis on rural and primary services, the involvement of all groups, including specialists, in the general fanning process, and a pragmatic style of politically inspired leadership t all levels of organizations are examined in this context. The author so considers the need for heavy economic investments and popular support for social reform as prerequi­sites for establishment of equitable medical services. According to Dan­ielson, medical and social revolution are closely linked. Throughout his exposition, there is a rare quality of sympathy and com­passion for all the earnest and honest health reformers, physicians, andmedical faculty of Cuba, regardless of their political orientation.