Brant Secunda

Brant Secunda is an internationally recognized shaman, healer, and teacher in the indigenous Huichol tradition of Mexico. At age 18, he traveled from his native New York to the Sierra Madre Mountains to study with the Huichol people, beginning an intensive 12-year apprenticeship with the legendary shaman Don José Matsuwa. After completing his training in 1978, Don José publicly announced that Brant would assume his place in the world and certified him as a Huichol shaman and lineage holder.

In 1979, Secunda established the Dance of the Deer Foundation Center for Shamanic Studies in Soquel, California, serving as its director to preserve Huichol culture and traditions while promoting self-sufficiency among the indigenous community. The foundation sponsors his workshops worldwide, including pilgrimages, vision quests, and holistic medical conferences. Secunda is a co-founder of the American Herbalist Guild, the Peace University in Berlin (alongside President Jimmy Carter), and the Huichol Foundation. He has lectured at the Mayo Clinic and American Holistic Medical Association conferences, served as faculty at the Five Branches Institute of Chinese Medicine, and co-founded the Humanistic Medicine Conference with the World Health Organization. He co-authored the award-winning book Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You.