| Summary: | <p> This dissertation research investigated the experience and the transformational impact of the Person-Centered Soul Retrieval (PCSR) shamanic healing method of Shaman Ross Bishop on personal healing and transformation. PCSR is 1 intervention in a larger shamanic healing process which was modified from Mayan shamanism specifically for use in the United States and potentially for use in other Western societies. The intended result of the shamanic healing is transformation of the self towards wholeness, or integration of the inner parts of an individual, which is a goal inherent to transpersonal psychology. The potential for the use of this shamanic healing process in psychotherapy today is promising, yet evidence for its efficacy and impact was only anecdotal. The purpose of this study then, was to describe, analyze, and interpret the experience and the transformational impact of the specific process of PCSR, 1 aspect of the larger healing system. The current research used a case study method appropriate for exploratory and descriptive research. Based on the logic of replication, a multiple case study design with 5 independent cases was conducted. Participants received the PSCR intervention in 1 or more sessions, the number of which depended on participants’ individual therapeutic needs. Multiple sources of data included transcripts of all intervention sessions; session notes taken during each session; semistructured participant journal entries after each session, as well as at the end of the treatment cycle; and transcripts of a semistructured final interview with the participants. Data analysis included thematic content analysis with an inductive process to identify themes, as well as to discover descriptive evidence for themes. Pattern matching was used within each case, then aggregated across cases in a cross-case analysis. Results of all 5 of the individual cases and cross-case analyses support the efficacy of the PCSR intervention by demonstrating a significant transformative impact on all participants in emotional, cognitive, and/or behavioral areas. </p>
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