Citation:
Bentsman, Michelle. 2023.“Drinking Poison, Integrating Shadows: Paths toward Community, Integrity & Protection”. in Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
Abstract: This paper will explore three pathways for effective shadow work that can be supportive for alternative spiritual and healing communities. The first two are grounded in the context of the ceremonial usage of ayahuasca, but can be applied outside of it. These include the integration of trusted non-human guides through the Shipibo Amazonian indigenous practice of plant dieta, shared reflection on ritual experiences of trauma release using western psychotherapeutic paradigms, and a dialogical process called BreakThrough inspired by Advaita Vedanta that seeks to put nondualism in practice. I proceed in five acts, and my observations emerge from experience. Act I: 2 Guides: Shiva & Ayahuasca. Act II: Losing and finding a spiritual home. Act III: Shipibo plant dieta: growing plants within. Act IV: Purge and Release: trauma theory and mirrors. Act V: Dialogical observation of the reactionary mind.Presenter bio: Michelle Bentsman is a doctoral candidate in Comparative Religion at Harvard specializing in song healing rituals. Her primary traditions of study and practice are Judaism, Hinduism, and indigenous Amazonian Shipibo. Her research is informed by her work in end-of-life and trauma care settings.
Presenter affiliation: Harvard University