Christina Pratt Talks about Shamanism and Mental Illness on Her Radio Show on October 21

Portland, OR, October 17, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Streaming live on the Voice America Network (www.voiceamerica.com) on Wednesday, October 21 at 2 p.m. Pacific time/5 p.m. Eastern time, on her show "Why Shamanism Now?: A Practical Path to Authenticity,” shaman and founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing Christina Pratt talks about how, in shamanic cultures, mental illness is a community illness that is caused when the community’s many shadow projections overwhelm the collective benevolent intent. According to Pratt, when we don’t withdraw our projections, we wear down the boundaries of the most sensitive individuals, including children. The “sensitives” become vulnerable to the intrusion and influence of malevolent energies, wandering dead, and the unacknowledged secrets, betrayals, and transgressions of the community. Traditionally, the shaman diagnoses the community’s imbalance -- whether with the local land spirits, ancestors, the spirit world in general, or the morals and ethics of good relationship with each other. The healing is then communal, requiring everyone’s participation, restoring balance and right relationship, and freeing the individual from the burden of acting out the community’s illness.

In this episode of “Why Shamanism Now?” titled “Shamanism and Transforming Mental Illness,” Pratt talks to listeners about mental illness, old and new causes, and shamanism as the path forward to sanity and wellbeing, even for our “Prozac Nation.”

Christina Pratt is an authentic, non-traditional contemporary shaman. In practice since 1990, she specializes in mending the soul and transforming the parts of life that feel impossible. A teacher of exceptional clarity, humor, and inspiration, Pratt brings the power of shamanism into the practical grasp of anyone willing to take responsibility for improving the quality of their life. Her well-received book, An Encyclopedia of Shamanism (Rosen), is an 800 page, two-volume set with over 750 in-depth entries that clearly discuss the basic concepts of shamanism, methods, and traditions of over 50 different shamanic peoples. Pratt is the founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing in Portland, OR, and New York, NY, creator of the original Foundations of Shamanism and Shamanic Healing course at the University of Minnesota, and a frequent and honored speaker for the American Holistic Medical Association.

"Why Shamanism Now?", a live internet talk radio with host Christina Pratt, airs every Wednesday afternoon at 2-3 pm Pacific time/5–6 pm Eastern time on http://www.modavox.com/7thwavenetwork/. Prior episodes from "Why Shamanism Now" can be downloaded for free from the iTunes library (www.iTunes.com). Christina also talks about Shamanic Healing on You Tube: Part 1 — What It Is, How It Works, What It Will Do or You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXihz047CVc Part 2 — Discussion with the participant after a healing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjowXTpxIio.

For more information on Christina Pratt, the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing, and workshops and classes with Pratt, or to order An Encyclopedia of Shamanism at a special discounted rate, visit www.lastmaskcenter.org. For additional information or to arrange an interview with Pratt, please contact Linda Woznicki, 845-417-8811, lwoz@frontiernet.net.

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