Testimonials:

“In this era of uncertainty, many people are desperately looking for guidance and direction. In this remarkable book, Roberta Pughe tells her readers that there is no better teacher than their own soul. This is an important message, one that will encourage people to seek wisdom from the deepest parts of themselves rather than from outside sources that could easily lead them into cults, extremist groups, and authoritarian movements. Drawing from shamanism, Yoga, and ancient traditions, BODY AS SANCTUARY FOR SOUL delivers a message that is upbeat, positive, and life-affirming.”

My work with Roberta in the Immersion Course at the School of Embodied Enlightenment has been transformative. I’ve unearthed a better understanding of my true self and developed a foundation to better navigate life’s challenges. Hurdles that once created confusion and frustration no longer feel insurmountable. Perhaps unorthodox in nature for those of us following a ‘traditional’ path of self-reflection and growth, Roberta’s approach is sincere, raw and kind in impact. Or perhaps, just what we all need.

“Roberta Pughe, in her powerful new book, Body As Sanctuary for Soul, at long last unites the traditions of Shamanism, Gestalt therapy, Jungian psychology, Yoga, Buddhism, and Christian Mysticism as a means to develop ones true relationship with their soul. In doing so she makes a valuable contribution to the fields of psychotherapy and spiritual practice. This is a rich book that, rather than rushing through, you might want to linger and chew on to get the extraordinary flavors.”

“What is so refreshing about this book is Roberta Pughe’s intelligent observations from cultures around the world of some very simple spiritual principles that many of today’s seekers miss – we have everything within to heal and transform our limited experience of life and it begins with an “unlearning” of things we were taught by well-meaning teachers, and connecting deep within ourselves and with the community of souls we have gathered around our lives. This is a book I will refer back to often”

“Roberta’s Pughe’s Body As Sanctuary for Soul is a tour de force for our time. Pughe weaves the practices of psyche and the sacred together in an embodied way. She diagnoses our cultural malaise and how this is reflected in much psychotherapy today. Like Meister Eckhart, she paints a vision of the tiny seed buried within the soul, that once nourished with our invocation, we become alert to it, and as implicit memory of it unfolds, we grow in explicit clarity of our life’s Dream; we reconfigure our lives to support its embodied manifestation. Not only does she tell us about the seed and potential of our soul, she shows us how to live it, do it, be it. Readers will find in these pages teachings and practical methods for unveiling and actualizing of their deepest longings. Psychotherapists and shamanic practitioners will find Body As Sanctuary for Soul rich in insights into the intricacies of a soul-filled life, the healing of soul injury, and much more. I give it four stars.”

“Body As Sanctuary for Soul is a powerful book written by a scholar that creates a clear bridge between our everyday world of ‘things seen’ and the transpersonal worlds of ‘things hidden’ so familiar to shamans and mystics. It will offer healthcare providers and recipients of psychotherapy alike an enlightened perspective on the connection between our everyday selves and the realms of the soul. Roberta Pughe is to be commended for she has created very good medicine.”

“Pughe’s and Sohl’s artful analysis in Resurrecting Eve adds a powerful new voice to the new spiritualities of women emerging from African-American, Latina and Asian-American communities. This book especially lays bare the violation of human values, and of the Christian gospel, currently perpetrated among patriarchal networks of the U.S. Christian Right. Essential reading.”

“How welcome to find a book that awakens our awareness to the deep and universal yearning to feel connected with our Soul’s source. The Soul is by nature illusive, but in Body As Sanctuary for Soul, Roberta Pughe gives help and comfort to many who suffer from a sense of separation in our turbulent and hyperlinked lives. She opens doors to the way in which mystics, shamans, artists, yogis, and people who live authentic lives in touch with the rhythms of nature have found to transform pain into love and return home to the essence of Soul.”

“Roberta Pughe’s “Body as Sanctuary for Soul” is dense and rich with meaning; it delivers a big message in a deceptively slender volume. Working with RP in psychotherapy gave me a deep appreciation for her compassion and generosity of spirit, her intelligence and intuition. She is a skilled and knowledgeable therapist, and a true healer.   It was not until attending one of her full moon gatherings that I experienced her as a shaman, one who could “lift the veil” with her drumming, dancing and chanting. I observed her transforming the energy in the room, and transforming herself in the process – literally “shape shifting” before my eyes. As a Western–trained scientist and physician, witnessing this profound transformation convinced me of the role of shamanism in soul growth and healing”.

“Reading Body as Sanctuary for Soul was like reliving my shamanic healing with Roberta. Having navigated through various therapists throughout my life, I never could quite understand why nobody got me. Why was it so difficult for my therapists to incorporate all the messages, the signs, the symbols that life was throwing at me? Pass the weekly one hour conversations; I could not feel much improvement because, now I understand, there were many pieces floating without properly being settled in place. Since I started working with Roberta, the healing has been dramatic. With Roberta it has never been about the issue, but more about a profound holistic view of me as a whole, and not about the pieces of my current existence. I no longer see my life fragmented but connected.”