Ya’Acov has been studying and practicing shamanism all his life. When he was 21, he was hit by lightning and through this, began a three-decade-long journey of initiation. He has been recognised as a practicing shaman by Elder Shamans from the Sami (European tradition), and Achuar and Sápara peoples of the Amazon. Together with his wife Susannah, he is the Co-Creator of Movement Medicine, a contemporary and dynamic shamanic practice designed to support people from all walks of life to be who they are and give what they’ve got. Ya’Acov’s work come straight from the heart. He inspires people, often with great humour, to remember who they are.
He is the best-selling author of Jaguar in the Body, Butterfly in the Heart (Hay House 2017), the creator of Shaman’s Song – Shamanic Journeys to Empower, Inspire and Re-Connect (Hay House 2018), and the Co-Author of Movement Medicine – How to Dance, Awaken and Live your Dreams, (Hay House 2009). His latest book, Shaman – Invoking Power, Purpose and Presence at the Core of Who You Are was published by Hay House in Spring 2020.
Ya’Acov is a genuine shaman and is dedicated to making shamanism relevant in the modern world and to being involved in research that could set up standards and ethics for shamanic practice.
Colloquium Presentation: 12 May 2023 – 2.30-4pm (WS 105)
The Role of the Shaman in the Psyche and the Modern World
Abstract
The modern psychedelic movement sits on the shoulders of shamanic traditions, many of which are still intact, despite the near destruction of those traditions in many places. Shamanism is indigenous to its own culture. Shamans come into being through their own healing crisis. They have to remember (as in, put back together) what has been broken in them through experience. This journey is not just individual but takes them through the territory of cultural wounds, ancestral wounds. This and the years of training they receive prepares them to serve their community. My own healing of the trauma of the holocaust is an example of this.
Much as we can and do learn from shamans from other cultures and traditions, the indigenous shamans I continue to work with are very clear that they do not necessarily understand the wounds and challenges they see present in the people that visit them. Much of what we face in the modern world is exacerbated by a disembodied approach and disconnection from the heart. Brilliant and important as the mind is, without the intelligence of the body and the heart, we become disconnected from the earth under our feet, often lost in an endless labyrinth of ungrounded mental dis-ease.
Movement Medicine addresses this challenge directly. We work with what we call the triple-woven intelligence of the body-heart-mind engaging all three through rhythm and movement. We have worked with many thousands of people over the years and trained 5 cohorts to offer Movement Medicine in a variety of settings, including prisons, and drug rehab centres. We believe that our practice has much to offer in this renaissance of psychedelic research and practice through providing embodied connection to the role of the shaman in the psyche and in society.