How does soulcraft™** work differ from psychotherapy?

 

The goal of many traditional forms of psychotherapy is to assist in eliminating troubling symptoms, such as depression or anxiety, or to facilitate more effective interpersonal relating. Soulcraft facilitates an encounter with the soul, the deepest truth of who we are, which leads to discovery and embodiment of our deepest essence and core gifts.

 

This journey to soul inevitably results in the stirring of emotions connected to early life wounding. Rather than attempt to change or eliminate these emotions, Soulcraft participants are guided, through the use of the Map of the Psyche to move into deeper relationship with their wounding so that the gifts hidden in those wounds can be accessed and reclaimed. When this happens, there is a transformation whereby the wound is recognized — not as an inconvenience or hindrance — but as a sacred doorway that leads to the mysteries of soul.

 

Less traditional forms of psychotherapy such as Jungian depth work or Family Systems Theory may view and work with wounding in a similar way. What distinguishes soulcraft is its nature-based framework, the utilization of experiences and tasks on the land, and the focus on soul encounter and soul initiation.
**“Soulcraft” is a registered trademark of William B. Plotkin

 

How is soulcraft work different from shamanic work?

 

In ancient indigenous traditions, the shaman is the intermediary between the human world and the spirit world. People came to a shaman for healing, and to bring them into harmony with the land and its story. The shaman helped people through the use of rituals and plant substances, in ways that have been developed over thousands of years.

 

Although soulcraft programs utilize some of the same practices that have superficial resemblance to those of shamanic traditions, such as ceremony, fasting, and drumming, we do not practice shamanism and do not borrow copy any particular culture’s specific rituals or practices from other traditions. We encourage you to access your own deepest wisdom, and to open yourself to a direct experience of the mysteries. Soulcraft offers contemporary, Western practices that facilitate psycho-spiritual healing, movement towards wholeness, finding your harmonious place on the Earth, and re-establishing connection with your soul or your deepest essence.
 

What is a vision quest and how is it different from other soulcraft experiences?

 

A vision quest is a journey of several days into the wilderness with the support of a guide. It is essentially a ritual marking the death of your old life and the patterns and ways of being that no longer serve you, and a rebirth to the bigger life that is calling to you. The heart of the experience is fasting alone in the wilderness with only enough possessions to keep you physically safe — usually four days without food, and three days alone. During the days prior to your solo, known as the severance phase of the quest, you prepare to die to your old life, and learn soulcraft practices that you might choose to utilize on your solo. In the days after your solo, known as the reincorporation phase of the quest, the story of what happened on your solo is heard and honored, and you plan how you will bring the gifts you received on your journey back to your community.