While I've been int the practice of mental health for nearly 40 years, I have also maintained an active interest and conducted research in the area of culture and mental health. For many years, I've explored traditional healing and cross cultural perspectives on health and human potential. These explorations have taken me across varied religious traditions and the study of healing and wellness across the globe.
Most of my writing is related to Native American Medicine which involves work with and collaborations with friends and colleagues who are Native American Elders. I have had the pleasure of also working with the Sufi tradition (Islamic branch of mysticism), the Vedic tradition and Buddhist teachers. Recently, I have had the pleasure of learning from contemporary Pagan culture which can be viewed as a revitalization of Western shamanistic traditions.
This work continues. I am presently the editor of the "International Journal of Traditional Healing and Critical Mental Health" which is the journal for the Society for Integrating Traditional Healing into Counceling, Psychology, Psychotherapy and Psychiatry. This is a new journal and a collaboration of the University of Toronto and Christ University in Bangalore, India. You can find a link below with links to some other of my publications.
Here is the first textbook where I published my work on the sweat lodge. This piece relates to my master thesis which promotes a Self Psychological or Kohutian interpretation of an Ojibway sweat lodge.
Here is a chapter on "Emergent Spirituality" that makes a deductive argument for spiritual experience, a bottom up view based on experience in the life of some seminal historical figures as well as some of my colleagues.
This chapter draws on my ethnographic work with Anishinabe elders. I makes essentially a feminist critique of modern medicine, suggesting that a more holistic and nurturing approach in the medical encounter would improve practice. It is a contribution to the argument that learning from traditional views can improve contemporary medical practice.
"Religious and Spiritual Experience Among Psychotherapists".
This is an article in "Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training" coauthored with David Orlinsky. It was written based on the results of my doctoral research.
"Tradition of ‘Animal Magnetism’ vs. ‘hypnosis’ in relation to the Cedar Bath ceremony of the Anishinabe"
This is an article in a special edition of the
International Journal of Health Promotion and Education
Volume 54, 2016 - Issue 3: Hypnosis and Indigenous Healing
I guest edited this issue with my friend and colleague Scott Hoye PsyD
Finally, here is a link to our new journal. We are waiting for issue 2 to come out soon as the publishing has recently shifted to Christ University, in Bangalore, India. You can find a link to the first issue to the right.
the "International Journal of Traditional Healing and Critical Mental Health" which is the journal for the Society for Integrating Traditional Healing into Counceling, Psychology, Psychotherapy and Psychiatry.