In what ways was Erickson a shaman?

• couples by Louise Giroux, 10/12/98
  • Books by Stephen Lankton, 10/13/98
    
    

This is a question for all those who had training under Erickson. I want to write a university paper about the connection between shamanism and Erickson. What struck was reading about how a shamans initiation is usually very painful and lonely and a near-death experience, and then reading about Erickson being paralysed for quite a long time.

I also read that his colleagues used to joke about him being Don Juan from Castaneda, and in most books about Erickson there are accounts of how people were frightened of him, how much respect they had for him, etc, etc.

So what do you think? Was Erickson (in his own way) a kind of shaman? What did he think of this idea if someone told him? In what ways might his work have resembled that of a shaman?

I would be very glad for any replies.

Laszlo Reisch

• Setting you in motion with .... by Stephen Lankton, 10/26/98
  • Thanks for reply and... by Laszlo Reisch, 10/27/98
• Regarding Erickson's Shaman Qualities by C.M. Brown, 10/27/98
  • Art teacher? by Stephen Lankton, 10/31/98
• Ask a Shaman! by Arnold Bob, 1/3/99