Shamanism in therapeutic practice

The shamanic understanding of illness and 'dis-ease'

From a shamanic perspective, illness is generally due to power loss, energy intrusion or soul loss and symptoms may manifest physically and emotionally. Shamanic healing therefore addresses the underlying emotional and spiritual causes of physical illness. For instance, who has not been in a situation in a relationship with a partner, family, friend or co-worker where we unknowingly (but sometimes willingly!) give our power away, feel drained or feel unable to move past grief? In simple terms, from a shamanic perspective, either some energy is 'missing' that needs to be brought back (i.e., power) or something needs to be 'removed' energetically.

The most common underlying sources of physical/emotional illness include:

Power loss: may manifest as chronic misfortune, chronic disease, long term energy depletion, chronic fatigue.

Soul loss: as a result of trauma (big or small, such as illness, abuse, loss of a loved one, addiction, an accident, the end of a relationship...) a part of our vital essence separates to escape the full impact of the pain. In psychology often referred to as 'dissociation'. In shamanic understanding soul parts flee the body and need to be brought back. Soul loss can manifest as a feeling of not being fully here, a feeling of disconnection, not feeling totally whole, not feeling fully home in ourselves, like part of oneself is missing, a gap in memory and feeling stuck repeating the same patterns.

Energy intrusions: Power loss can leave energetic holes, opening for intrusions. Spiritual intrusions may also be negative thought forms. Symptoms may manifest as 'localised' symptoms of dis-ease, i.e. chronic joint problems, chronic anger (heart), fatigue (solar plexus) or heart problems (heart centre).

'To remember the other world in this world is to live in your true inheritance.' (D. Whyte)

Common shamanic healing practices...

Soul retrieval: When soul parts split off and get lost in non-ordinary reality, a person is weakened, dispirited. The shaman restores wholeness by retrieving the lost soul parts from the lower world in non-ordinary reality (see below) and returning them to the body of the person. The choice to return comes from the soul itself.

Power animal retrieval. From a shamanic perspective, being "power-full" is being in complete mastery of your own life force and standing in your own your power, not just with other people but with yourself and everything that’s going on in your life. Through the 'power retrieval', lost power or life energy is brought back in the form of the archetype of a power animal that holds the energy that you need.

Removing energy intrusions: In shamanic healing, 'negative' and 'harmful' forms of energy are removed that have taken hold due to a loss of power loss or soul loss, i.e. through negative thought forms or by taking on other people's energy.

Cord-cutting: Removal of energetic cords to another person from current or previous relationships (can be family, friends, a partner, a co-worker) that no longer serve us and keep us in unhealthy dynamics.

Past life healing: This type of healing may be necessary when a person has a problem that they cannot seem to overcome, often due to emotional relationships and soul contracts that persists across many lifetimes and affect our present relationships. Problems rooted in past lift contracts and agreements can keep a person from moving forward.

Ancestral healing: Healing emotional wounds, dependencies and trauma that we carried over from previous generations in our family.

Key terms of shamanic worldviews and practice

Shamanic state of consciousness: Shamans work through ceremony and ritual accessing altered states of consciousness. They enter into 'non-ordinary' reality through drumming, rattling, or chanting by accessing an altered state of consciousness by producing brain waves in the theta range (as opposed to beta waves in open-eye ordinary reality). Non-ordinary reality is perceived 'real' and can be accessed at will for exploration, healing, and rebalancing. In non-ordinary reality notions of time and space are suspended.

Shamanic journeying: It is a way to travel into the lower, upper, and middle worlds of non-ordinary reality through altered states of consciousness (accessed through drumming, chanting, rattling) to find the source of an illness or issue, receive guidance, heal emotional wounds, discover our soul purpose, connect with ancestors, and perform energetic healing. For shamanic healing, the shaman journeys on behalf of the client or the shaman may lead the client to journey for herself.

The upper and the lower world: The lower and the upper world are connected via the cosmic tree (axis mundi). They are energetic realities, and as such they are non-linear, timeless, and infinite. Also referred to as ‘non-ordinary’ reality, they exist outside of the human mind but also form different planes of human consciousness. They are accessed by the shamanic practitioner in the shamanic journey through altered/expanded states of consciousness. The upper world is often described as ethereal. The Lower world is inhabited by plants, animals, and human spirits. Landscapes often seem 'earthy' including forests, caves, the sea, jungles, etc.

The middle world: Through the middle world, the shaman can travel back and forth through human histories to past moments in life.

Power animals: They are helping energies and guardian spirits that can also be understood as manifestations of wisdom and natural power. We all have several power animals that guide and protect us. We can learn from them, work with them and build a relationship. We do not choose our power animal but it comes to us depending on the medicine that we need. Power animals generally reside in the lower world. Power animals keep us emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally healthy and provided energy and assistance.

Upper world teachers and guides: They are entities in the unseen world that appear in humanoid or symbolic form. Some may be ancestral spirits that have previously incarnated in a human body. They hold universal wisdom, provide guidance and help us see the bigger picture. They have different roles, qualities, and functions and a strong relationship to upper world guides is key for the shamanic work. They generally are thought to reside in the upper world.

“The non-human world is an immanent world, spirits and non-human entities are as real as any human. Therefore, there is no difference between rational and spiritual; that is why [...] reality can be known through rational processes as well as emotional processes such as rituals.” (Querejazu 2016:10)

Shamanic healing ALWAYS happens in partnership with the shaman's spirit allies.

During my spiritual awakening and shamanic rebirth, the White Owl has become one of my guides on my journey to inner truth and freedom. White owl wisdom teaches us to see clearly in the dark, to be brave to spread our wings, to observe, to be still, and to know the power of silence. White symbolizes purity, cleansing, innocence, clarity, new beginnings, wholeness, truth, sacredness, awakening, and protection. White Owls are considered messengers of change and transformation. As guardians they give us the ability to see with clarity past fear and illusion, to see clearly in the dark, and to embrace the gift of observation, stillness, and balance. I also work with raven, dragon, bear, and black jaguar energy, and am deeply guided by the wisdom of ancient teachers and shaman spirits from the Andean region, the Amazon, and Mongolia.

What to expect from a session?

In-person sessions: We will have an initial conversation to decide what it is that you would like to work on and set the intention for the session. During the session, you can get comfortable and relax, generally on a couch, a mat, or in a chair. I will then enter altered states of awareness by drumming, rattling and chanting to connect to my spirit allies to guide the healing during the session and journey to the shamanic dimensions for guidance and healing. You can relax during the session. You might fall asleep, feel sensations such as heat or tingling, or even get visual impressions. After the session, there will be time to discuss the findings from the session and your experiences. I also integrate other shamanic guidance tools such as 'stone readings' for life guidance or fire ceremony to release what no longer serves you.

Online sessions: As shamanic healing operates beyond time and space, online sessions are just as effective as in-person sessions. I will call you at the beginning of the online session to discuss your intention for the session and open the ceremony together. If you like, you can stay on the video call during the remote healing. If you prefer, I can also call you again at the end of the healing session to explain what I did in the session and discuss your experiences. Before the session, I might request a full body photo and the location to tune into the energy field. During the online session (WhatsApp or Zoom), find a place to relax where you feel comfortable and won't be disturbed during the session.

General guidance: Have a journal ready and make sure you drink plenty of water and have a good meal after the session. Try to avoid caffeinated drinks before your session to make sure you can fully relax. You might also want to have some time to yourself to integrate the session afterwards. I always check in with you on the next day to see how you are feeling and am also available on WhatsApp for any questions. Before online sessions: prepare a comfortable space with a pillow, blanket, a candle. Wear something comfy, have a glass of water at hand and your journal ready. I always check in with you on the next day to see how you are feeling and am also available on WhatsApp for any questions.

Ready to dive deeper? Recommended readings:

Bawaka Country, including Wright, S., S. Suchet-Pearson, K. Lloyd, L. Burarrwanga, R. Ganambarr, M. Ganambarr-Stubbs, B. Ganambarr, and D. Maymuru. 2015. Working with and Learning from Country: Decentring Human Authority.Cultural Geographies 22: 269–283. DOI:10.1177/1474474014539248.

Don Ruiz, Jose (2019). The Wisdom of the Shamans: What the Ancient Masters can Teach us About Love and Life. Hierophant Publishing.

Ingerman, Sandra (2010). Soul retrieval. Mending the fragmented self. HarperCollins.

MacKinnon, Christa (2012). Shamanism and Spirituality in Therapeutic Practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Querejazu, Amaya (2016). Encountering the Pluriverse: Looking for Alternatives in Other Worlds. Rev bras polit int 59 (2). DOI: 10.1590/0034-7329201600207.

Rutherford, L. (2001). The Shamanic Path Workbook. Ancient Wisdom for Today's World.

"Let’s listen. Do you hear the wind in the trees? The water on the beach? The splash of the fish? That is the wind, the trees, the water, the sand, the fish communicating. They have their own language, their own Law. Sometimes they are sending a message to humans. Sometimes they are sending a message to each other. Humans are not the centre of the universe, you see. Humans are only one part of it. Humans are part of Country along with the mullet, the tides, the moon, the songs and stories, along with the spirits, the plants and animals, the feelings and dreams (Bawaka Country 2015: 273)."