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The Arts in Psychotherapy, Vol. 15 pp. 269-270. 0 Pergamon Press plc, 1988. Printed in the U.S.A. 0197-4556/88 $3.00 + .OO INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE-CREATIVE ARTS THERAPISTS AS CONTEMPORARY SHAMANS: REALITY OR ROMANCE? DAVID READ JOHNSON, PhD, RDT, Editor-in-Chief Shamanism has taken on new interest among mental health practitioners in recent years. It is common to see workshops and presentations de- voted to the comparison of psychotherapy with shamanism. What is the relationship of the crea- tive arts therapies to this age old tradition? In this issue, four creative arts therapists (one each from music, dance, art, and drama) engage in a lively interchange over whether the compari- son of creative arts therapists to shamans is an illuminating and helpful one, or rather a romantic reach into the past in order to bolster our current status. Two authors enthusiastically endorse the comparison whereas two view the comparison with greater caution. The format of the issue is that of a serial dialogue: each author received all previous articles before writing their own com- mentary. Joseph Moreno, a music therapist, leads with the Perspective proposing that creative arts ther- apists are in fact contemporary shamans. He un- derscores the importance of the continuities be- tween current practices and shamanic tradition, believing this will enhance our understanding of relationships among the creative arts therapies, and between them and other psychotherapies, He criticizes the compartmentalization of pro- fessional fields in modern society, and points out the similarities in techniques between crea- tive arts therapists and shamans, who also used music, drama, and guided imagery. He concludes by stating the need for an understanding of the arts in other cultures and the need for an inde- pendent theory of music therapy. Claire Schmais, a dance therapist, replies by pointing out the many differences between sha- mans and creative arts therapists in their social contexts, notions of illness, role of the healer, and nature of interventions. Shamans have a unique social status as inspired religious figures, attained through an initiatory illness, as opposed to creative arts therapists who are one of many “practitioners,” trained in standarized pro- grams, and who perform their role for personal monetary gain. She views the differentiation among the therapies and between areas of expe- rience as useful, in contrast to the fusion of the arts and religious experience in the shamanic tradition. She warns of the potential dangers in ignoring these differences and reminds us of the need for indepth training in each art form. Shaun McNiff, an art therapist, follows with a ringing endorsement of Moreno’s views and an underscoring of the importance of the shamanic values. He asserts that it is modern culture’s re- pression of the religious instinct and of the values of the spirit and the soul that is responsible for the renewed interest in shamanism. He declares that specialization will not work and calls for the integration of various disciplines. The value of the image of the shaman for creative arts thera- pists today is that it supports our basic purpose, which is “to access the deeper centres of the spirit and bring back the abducted soul.” He then describes how he personally uses the shamanic metaphor without necessarily calling himself a shaman. Eleanor Irwin, a drama therapist, replies with a more sobering exposition of the essential ele- ments of psychotherapy. She asserts that it is not the therapist’s techniques that are healing but the therapist’s presence, warmth, genuineness, and 269

Introduction to the special issue—Creative arts therapists as contemporary shamans: Reality or romance?

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Page 1: Introduction to the special issue—Creative arts therapists as contemporary shamans: Reality or romance?

The Arts in Psychotherapy, Vol. 15 pp. 269-270. 0 Pergamon Press plc, 1988. Printed in the U.S.A. 0197-4556/88 $3.00 + .OO

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE-CREATIVE ARTS THERAPISTS AS

CONTEMPORARY SHAMANS: REALITY OR ROMANCE?

DAVID READ JOHNSON, PhD, RDT, Editor-in-Chief

Shamanism has taken on new interest among mental health practitioners in recent years. It is common to see workshops and presentations de- voted to the comparison of psychotherapy with shamanism. What is the relationship of the crea- tive arts therapies to this age old tradition?

In this issue, four creative arts therapists (one each from music, dance, art, and drama) engage in a lively interchange over whether the compari- son of creative arts therapists to shamans is an illuminating and helpful one, or rather a romantic reach into the past in order to bolster our current status. Two authors enthusiastically endorse the comparison whereas two view the comparison with greater caution. The format of the issue is that of a serial dialogue: each author received all previous articles before writing their own com- mentary.

Joseph Moreno, a music therapist, leads with the Perspective proposing that creative arts ther- apists are in fact contemporary shamans. He un- derscores the importance of the continuities be- tween current practices and shamanic tradition, believing this will enhance our understanding of relationships among the creative arts therapies, and between them and other psychotherapies, He criticizes the compartmentalization of pro- fessional fields in modern society, and points out the similarities in techniques between crea- tive arts therapists and shamans, who also used music, drama, and guided imagery. He concludes by stating the need for an understanding of the arts in other cultures and the need for an inde- pendent theory of music therapy.

Claire Schmais, a dance therapist, replies by pointing out the many differences between sha-

mans and creative arts therapists in their social contexts, notions of illness, role of the healer, and nature of interventions. Shamans have a unique social status as inspired religious figures, attained through an initiatory illness, as opposed to creative arts therapists who are one of many “practitioners,” trained in standarized pro- grams, and who perform their role for personal monetary gain. She views the differentiation among the therapies and between areas of expe- rience as useful, in contrast to the fusion of the arts and religious experience in the shamanic tradition. She warns of the potential dangers in ignoring these differences and reminds us of the need for indepth training in each art form.

Shaun McNiff, an art therapist, follows with a ringing endorsement of Moreno’s views and an underscoring of the importance of the shamanic values. He asserts that it is modern culture’s re- pression of the religious instinct and of the values of the spirit and the soul that is responsible for the renewed interest in shamanism. He declares that specialization will not work and calls for the integration of various disciplines. The value of the image of the shaman for creative arts thera- pists today is that it supports our basic purpose, which is “to access the deeper centres of the spirit and bring back the abducted soul.” He then describes how he personally uses the shamanic metaphor without necessarily calling himself a shaman.

Eleanor Irwin, a drama therapist, replies with a more sobering exposition of the essential ele- ments of psychotherapy. She asserts that it is not the therapist’s techniques that are healing but the therapist’s presence, warmth, genuineness, and

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Page 2: Introduction to the special issue—Creative arts therapists as contemporary shamans: Reality or romance?

270 DAVID READ JOHNSON

positive regard. “The arts therapist must be good at relating, naming, and teaching, and be the sort of person others want to confide in and learn from.” She supports Schmais’ call for indepth training, but concedes that it may be a matter of personal preference whether one uses a sha- manic or clinical model.

Each author then has a chance to respond again, in the same order: Moreno, Schmais, McNiff, and then Irwin, a process through which the authors find common ground on some points, and diverge even more strongly on others. The issue concludes with an excellent clinical article by Penny Lewis illustrating her application of shamanic principles in her analytic dance/ movement therapy work.

At heart, this is a debate not of facts but of values. The question is not whether creative arts therapists m-e contemporary shamans, because clearly there are many differences, but whether they should be. One’s position stems, I believe, from one’s attitude to the prevailing direction of our cultural development-toward greater spe- cialization and differentiation of functions. Art, religion, and medicine are now clearly differ- entiated. Some view this as progress. Others, as regrettable. For the latter, shamanism is part of the antidote to this compartmentalization of life, and the creative arts therapies are seen as serving a potentially healing influence in the overall re- surgence of human spirit. In this sense, the figure of the shaman is proposed as an ideal toward which we should strive, as opposed to other “models” such as teacher, servant, scientist, or good mother. To those who view the increased differentiation as progress, the re-fusion of sci- ence and spirit is clearly a retreat to the past, and the ideal of the shaman an unnecessarily exalted one, serving only to soothe our frustrations in competing in a world of research and quality as- surance .

If neither the current situation of trying to clone ourselves as psychiatrists or analysts, nor seeking our culture’s shadow side in the tribal shaman seem satisfactory (indeed both seem to be symptoms of a desperate grandiosity or search for power), then what are we to do?

The center of this debate probably lies beyond the disciplines of creative arts therapies, at the level of helping professionals in general, or even of the broader culture. I agree with McNiff that the interest in shamanism is being driven by the repression of creativity in the wider culture, rather than by specific anthropological or theoretical considerations. Shamanism has in fact become a code word for anything that stirs passions or relates to the spiritual world-a use so broad that everything from psychotherapy to rock and roll is seen as shamanic. I believe this debate signals the need to achieve a higher level integration between these contrasting visions, an integration we have not clearly glimpsed yet.

My own continued excitement about being a creative arts therapist is that this field, perhaps more than any other, is where this integration is going to take place. In fact, the vision of the creative arts therapies as embodying both sci- ence and soul, logic and magic, is really a vision of what we hope for all human beings. Surely both orientations are steps on the way toward finding out who we are and how we can contrib- ute meaningfully to our society.

So I ask you: How are we to preserve the subtlety of our emotional and spiritual lives in the midst of a world ever more external, quantified, and demystified? How does one integrate the transcendent gaze of the shaman with music from the compact disk player, the timelessness of the spirit world and marking the end of the session with the beep from one’s digital watch?

We are only beginning to find our way.