Man in the Woods: The Recapitulation Diaries

J. E. Ketchel was determined to find out why she had lived her entire life as if someone were chasing her. Little did she know that a simple quest for clarity would send her on a shocking journey into her past and into a childhood she had no recollection of ever having lived. Discovering that she had been sexually abused as a child, beginning at the age of two, she began a three-year-long investigative search for truth and meaning that ultimately led her down into the depths of her own soul.

The Man in the Woods, documents the first year of that soul-searching journey. It is an intimate memoir based on diaries Ms. Ketchel kept as she not only uncovered memories but also engaged in an ancient shamanic practice called recapitulation. Unflinchingly, and with utter honesty, she invites the reader into her life, her mind, and her heart as she ventures into the mysteries and magic of the unconscious and as she tries to make sense of a world that has suddenly turned upside down and inside out. Ultimately, her experiences challenge our ingrained perceptions of reality, of ourselves, and of the solidity of the world we all live in.

Exquisitely written and deeply stirring, The Recapitulation Diaries are rewarding reading for anyone, but especially for those wishing to understand the unconscious and how it works, for those seeking a shamanic perspective for life's deepest issues, for those in search of healing and meaning, as well as for the professional at a loss for how to help those who suffer.

Please Note: The first two volumes, where the author takes you into the darkness of her emerging memories, may be difficult to read, as mentioned in reviews of the books. But these are books about a healing journey so stick with them, and with the author, as she faces traumatic memories, releases them from her body and finds that there is so much more to life than meets the eye.