Shamanism Conference

Diana Vandenberg, Portrait of Ruth-Inge Heinze

The 25th Conference on Shamanism and Alternative Modes of Healing will take place on Labor Day weekend, August 30 through September 1, 2008.

This annual conference was founded by the late Dr. Ruth-Inge Heinze, who died on July 20, 2007, at the age of 88. Heinze was a long-time faculty member at Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, and was a close associate of Saybrook colleague Stanley Krippner. She also served as adjunct faculty at the University of California—Berkeley and the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Her interests included the psychology of shamanism, shamanism in Southeast Asia, and alternative methods of healing. This year the conference will be hosted by Dr. Jurgen Kremer, also on the faculty at Saybrook.

The purpose of the annual conference is to preserve and further the integrity of shamanism, including the exploration of twenty-first century shamanism, and share the latest insights in the field of alternative healing. Current topics include global warming and planetary healing. This year’s conference will include the first Ruth-Inge Heinze Memorial Lecture, to be given by Dr. Krippner. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines are encouraged to submit an abstract on a topic.

This is a working conference, gathering together shamans, healers, scientists, anthropologists, teachers, and artists from a variety of indigenous cultures. Speakers are given twenty minutes to present, followed by general discussion. Both scientific papers and experiential offerings and ritual may be presented.

The conference will be held at the Santa Sabina Retreat Center in San Rafael, California, on the Dominican College campus. For more information, contact Dr. Jane Hawes here.