Alberto Villoldo

[Alice Shortcake]

Can anyone out there point me in the direction of some info on Alberto Villoldo? He will shortly be appearing at St James' Church, Piccadilly, as part of its "Alternatives" programme.

These Amazon reviews of his book "Shaman, Healer, Sage: How to Heal Yourself and Others with the Energy Medicine of the Americas" caught my eye:

I approached Alberto Villoldo's [AV] tome with an open mind since a member of my family is now engaged in AV's shaman training. With each page I became more concerned for her welfare and stability. By the time I finished Shaman, Healer, Sage, I was downcast; AV seemed as grounded in reality as a J.K. Rowling fantasy - perhaps even less so. I know all too well that I can't intervene; she'll have to learn on her own how to distinguish fact from fiction, the healer from the promoter.

Villoldo has been a disgrace within his profession for decades, an example of the worst forms of exploitation of white fantasies, misconceptions, and wishful thinking about Native people, and with a long and ignoble history of deceiving the poor unfortunates who actually think this nonsense has ANYTHING to do with what Natives in South America do or practice.

NOTHING in this book is practiced anywhere by ANY Native people. Silliness like "lightworking" is strictly from the New Age movement. This book is only for people who delude themselves into thinking a book can make them a "shaman." Sorry, Villoldo has sold you a load of snake oil.

Any help one receives from Villoldo's books or workshops is purely coincidental, just the Placebo Effect at work.

Even worse, some people are harmed (and even die) because they turned to Villoldo instead of people who could actually help them.

Thanks!