07. Incorporation of Energetic/Shamanic Modalities in Allopathic Medical Practice

Over the last 4 decades, a wide range of energy healing modalities and spiritual disciplines have surfaced in Western society. As health maintenance and therapeutic modalities, energy healing and mind-body techniques are widely recognized as essential tools of contemporary integrative medicine. While still outside the realm of mainstream allopathic medicine, many individuals in North America and Europe use such approaches as a central part of their healthcare practices and spiritual lives. The last 2 decades have also seen the emergence of shamanic teaching and practices in North America and Europe, which are more commonly associated with the spirituality of less industrialized societies and cultures worldwide. Such practices extend back to antiquity and recognize a connection between everything in creation as well as the proper relationship between nature, man, and the universe at large. Extending beyond methods that one can apply to one’s own life like other mind-body techniques, many schools of shamanic teaching incorporate training in healing physical conditions as well as counseling for psychological issues. This presentation will demonstrate the inclusion of energetic and shamanic approaches in the care of patients receiving standard conventional allopathic therapy but who have been open to the integration of energy and/or shamanic methods into their clinical care. Relying upon cases from three different allopathic practice settings, the material presented will demonstrate a seamless integration of these approaches in providing the best of conventional allopathic practice with the recognition of the spiritual and energetic issues associated with the somatic and psychiatric illness.