Portrait of the therapist as a shaman |
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Authors: | Boris Wiseman |
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Affiliation: | The French Department , Durham Universit Elvet Riverside , New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3JT |
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Abstract: | What follows will show that an understanding of the nature and purpose of shamanism contains a number of insights that bring to light some important, but often obfuscated, aspects of Western therapeutic practices. the point of departure of the argument is the theory of shamanism developed by the inventor of structural anthropology: Claude Lévi-Strauss. It will be argued, in particular, that his theory of shamanism provides a key to the therapeutic action of symbols upon the body as well as to the broader social function of therapy in general. |
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Keywords: | therapy shamanism symbolic efficacy unconscious body-image pathological thought social group |
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