Dr. Nick Brink, Sarah Berndt and Maria Hewitt (from left to right) in Jama-Coaque pose. Photo by Jill Gomez

By Jill Gomez

Our dreams are the keys to learning about our deeper inner selves—or so Dr. Nick Brink of Coburn, Pa., believes. He has incorporated the study of dreams into his work as a clinical psychologist for much of his career, and currently facilitates groups—open to anyone who is interested in joining—in holding ancient shaman poses to strive for possible healing and understanding through an “ecstatic trance state.”

Brink is interested in determining just what sort of effect the ancient poses have on one’s ability to overcome illness and pain or to understand something hidden within the subconscious, and he’s currently writing a book on his findings based on the trance-like, dream experiences of others as well as his own.

For three years Brink has been following methods developed by the late Dr. Felicitas Goodman, who rediscovered these poses in the late 1990s while traveling in Mexico and who later set up the Cuyamungue Institute in New Mexico to continue her research into altered states of consciousness.

When Brink facilitates a group, he always participates himself. Over two years ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and felt hopeful that doing the poses regularly was beginning to have an effect on decreasing his PSA levels.

He hosts the shamanic posturing sessions in a light-infused upper story annex in his woodsy Coburn home, just over a tiny single-lane bridge across a mountain stream. On the walls of the room are drawings of eagles and bears; shelves are lined with ancient-looking statues and numerous books. Large pillows are stacked in corners and his students are encouraged to sit upon them while they assume their shaman poses—unless, of course, the pose in question is a standing one, like that of the ancient Tlazolteotl, the Aztec goddess of love and of purification from disease.

One Sunday afternoon in December, participants took the pose of Tlazolteotl. They were first handed a picture of the goddess in ancient sculpture form, and then Brink provided a bit of background information. The Aztecs believed that if they confessed sins on their deathbeds, Tlazolteotl would come and eat this “filth,” allowing them to die while spiritually pure and clean. Brink’s group simulated the goddess by standing comfortably with feet hip-distance apart, elbows bent, hands cupped and facing upward and mouth open. The group uses 50 to 60 poses adapted from various cultures.

For many ancient peoples around the globe, a shaman acted as a medium between the visible and spirit worlds, practicing healing and divination. Brink’s mentor, Goodman, discovered that shamans often held a yoga-like pose while in a hypnotic trance. As a linguist and anthropologist, she studied the dance rituals of present-day peoples and noted that rhythmic drumming, singing and clapping also seemed to transport participants into trance-like states.

“Ritual without a switch into the altered state of consciousness is simply not possible,” Goodman said in an interview available on YouTube. “People all around the world are aware of rhythmic stimulation. It is a momentous event on the neurophysiological basis when we change our state of consciousness, and is usually brought about by rhythmic stimulation.”

Following her lead, Brink combines a background drumbeat with the shaman poses. Before turning on a tape, he encouraged everyone to look at the picture again, and then visualize the statue standing in the middle of the circle. He advised the group to take notice of the statue if they encountered it during their dream-like “journey.”

“Ask it a question,” he said. “What do you have to show me? To tell me? Ask it to take you there.” He then led the group into a trance-like state of meditation. After fifteen minutes or so, the drumbeat slowly died, and each participant was given an index card and a pen to record the experience he or she just had. Brink probed into the shared comments, encouraging people to articulate all they saw and felt. A feeling of safety and trust pervaded the atmosphere.

To the novice or skeptic, the benefits of the shamanic poses might seem a little far-fetched. But those who have been participating in the group for some time say the experiences they’ve had have helped them to better understand their subconscious.

Maria Hewitt of State College has been practicing with Brink for nearly two years, off and on. She said she grew up in an “alternative family” and was used to the idea of meditation, but that she never really learned to sit still for silent meditation. The guided meditation with Brink—incorporating the drumbeat and the shamanic poses—has been much more effective for her.

“It’s like a good tarot reading,” said Hewitt. “I see it as a mechanism for helping me gain clarity in what’s happening in my world. I’m aware that the visions I have are open to many interpretations, but I feel it’s a way to alternatively help me understand what’s going on.” Hewitt said that Brink does not offer his own diagnosis or opinion on what her visions may mean once she’s shared them. Rather, he asks questions to help guide her to her own interpretation.

Brink said he is fascinated that often two or more people in the same setting have very similar dream—ecstatic—experiences. It’s this consistency with connectedness that keeps Brink going with this project, even though, recently, he says he is feeling a little less certain about the poses’ ability to help heal his cancer. It has returned, and he is currently traveling each day to the hospital for radiation treatment. Still, said Brink, he does believe that delving into his subconscious through the shamanic posturing has helped him to deal with the stressfulness of his situation.

Sarah Berndt of Rebersburg, Pa. has been working with Brink for two years as well, and she said that doing the poses has helped to train her to trust her subconscious to work out things that are bothering her. She will take a problem, “wrap it up like a package, and hand it over to my subconscious.” And within a couple of days, she is able to see a solution.

“Everybody that goes into these trances does it for different reasons, and gets something different out of it,” said Berndt. “It’s very personal. I do feel that after doing this for a while that I am in better touch with my subconscious.”

Readers interested in more information can contact Brink at nbrink@verizon.net.