Dr. Ruth-Inge Heinze was born in Germany in 1919. After arriving in New York City she mastered English so well she became an editor for a publishing company.  She moved to Berkley where she obtained her Ph.D. in anthropology.  She received a Fulbright award to study shamanism in Southeast Asia, which led to the publication of her first book.

Following a visit to Stanley Krippner, she discovered Saybook Graduate School and began teaching courses in psychology of shamanism, and Easter Psychologies. She initiated an annual conference on shamanism and alternative forms of healing, reviving ancient Shamanic traditions as they interface with the frontiers of science.  She passed away in 2007.