Spirituality and artistic expression have gone hand in hand since the Paleolithic. Art – storytelling and mythmaking, visual art, music, drama and ritual – has been the primary manner in which humans give material form to that which has no material foundation.  It is the way in which the sacred is shared and made manifest to the physical senses that determine our perception of reality. By merging the expressive arts with the experiences and phenomena of altered states we can continue the tradition of bringing that which lacks material form to life.

            Expressive Arts in Shamanic Practice presents an in-depth multidisciplinary analysis of the function and presence of expressive arts in traditional shamanic cultures and contemporary Neo-shamanic practices.  Areas covered include:

• What is shamanism/shamanic practice, and how does contemporary Neo-shamanism differ from shamanism in ancient and traditional cultures?
• What are the expressive arts and how do they differ from formalized art?
• How do shamanic practices incorporate expressive arts in sacred rituals?
• How can expressive arts coupled with Neo-shamanic techniques enhance self-discovery of contemporary Westerners?

The findings in the presentation are based on research of the literature from the fields of anthropology, psychology, history and art as well as field research with human participants. The discussion will give examples of how the varied modalities of expressive arts flow from the deliberate use of shamanic techniques cross-culturally and trans-temporally. 

The talk will provide frequent opportunities for comments and questions from the audience.

Bio

Dr. Karel James Bouse is an author, psychologist, historian, and educator. She is the founder and director of the Institute of Emerging Psychologies (https://institute-ep.com), an educational organization which seeks to create an alternative, multidisciplinary psychology based on the work of James, Jung and Hillman. 

            Dr. Bouse holds doctorates in Psychology and History/American Studies, and is the author of three published books:

• Neo-shamanism and Mental Health. (2019). Palgrave Macmillan
• Transgenerational Colonialism: Wounding, Overcoming and the Reconstruction of Collective and Personal Identity. (2021). Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield
• Finding the Phoenix: Seven Tools for Transformative Self-Discovery. (2022). Balboa/Hay House

She has presented workshops and classes on these subjects at professional and academic conferences in the US and UK , and edited a special issue of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2022) exploring anomalous phenomena and worldviews. Teaching is one of her passions and she offers online courses, workshops and private tutorials through the Institute.  She is a professional member of the American Psychological Association, the British Psychological Society, The Parapsychological Association and the International Network for the Study of Spirituality (UK).

            Dr. Bouse is presently researching and writing three new books.  Her blog posts on a variety of topics are available at https://institute-ep.com  as well as social media. 

Join our  Facebook Group called Spirituality and the Arts using this link. 

For more details, see https://spiritualitystudiesnetwork.org/Spirituality-and-the-Arts-SIG

The SIG Chairs: the Rev. Prof. June Boyce-Tillman, Dr Lila Moore, Annalisa Burello.