What is Shamanic Healing

Having a deep connection with nature and tuning in to the soulful layers of our existence was the way of our ancestors. It is a way that has been lost for many, in our modern world and a way of life not really supported by the systems we live by today. From a shamanic perspective, we have become disconnected from the true depth of our nature as human beings walking this earth.

Shamanic healing practices are some of the oldest spiritual practices in the world and take on many different approaches across the varying cultures and continents of the planet. At the heart of all of them is the belief system that our connection and reverence for the earth and spiritual elements are what promotes health and when these are lost it can lead to illness, distress and suffering. In shamanism, re-connecting with earth and spirit can help bring us back into balance, restore positive energy, clear negative blockages or energies and facilitate the healing of personal and ancestral wounds. A shamanic healing is a deep process that supports the mind, body, heart, soul and lineage of the client. The purpose of every session is to help remove obstacles to being able to live life from an open hearted and soulful place.

 What to Expect in a Healing Session

The Practical Elements

We would have a talk before we meet to understand your intention for the healing and what it is that is bringing you. Having a strong intention and focus energises the healing, so it is good to spend time investing in this before you come for the healing.

The healing takes place in a sacred space that has been opened before you arrive, when we meet, we will spend some time talking and then I will invite you to lie down and simply relax and be open to whatever comes up. People can have varying experiences while having a healing, feeling sleepy and relaxed, having visions, thoughts or bodily sensations. All is welcome and can be important information so I usually advise clients to tune inwards. I will be doing various things that include drumming, singing and at times, can involve touch, if you are comfortable with this. Prior to the session we can talk about the possibility of touch and how you would like me to navigate this in a way that feels most comfortable for you or if you would prefer me to not use touch at all. I can work in whichever way feels right for you. After the healing we will have some time to talk about what happened and explore its meaning. I may also advise on certain rituals for you to carry out to further aid the healing and/or recommend further sessions if this feels necessary.

I recommend you wear loose, comfortable clothing and try not to eat a large meal before your arrival.  

A healing takes 2 hours. At times this may go over, so it is best to allow space after your session and not need to rush anywhere or have errands to run. This allows time if we need it and if not, it allows you time to gently return from the healing before you enter the demands of daily life. There is no extra charge if the healing takes longer than 2 hrs.

The Healing Elements

Every healing session has its own path but the following processes are the more common elements of a healing:

 Energy – Rebalancing

A healing session usually begins with the rebalancing of our energy systems / chakras. This works as a great preparation for the work that will follow as it brings our systems back into balance and ready to receive the healing. This can feel relaxing for some people and bring a sense of calm into their state of being.

Spirit Extraction

This involves clearing away any negative or blocked energies from our energetic/subtle body. These energies can be part of our own thought processes, trauma, ancestral stories and wounds we carry, or energies that have connected or latched on to us. These kinds of energies can find us when we have particular woundings or vulnerabilities, as these cuts almost act as openings to our system for them to find their way in.

Power Animal Retrieval

There is a premise in shamanic healing that whenever something negative or unhelpful is cleared from our energy body we must restore the space with something positive, ideally something that empowers the person. We lose parts of our power and vitality when we encounter difficult times in our lives or illness. Power animals are spirits that come to us usually offering some of the qualities of our power that have been lost. They can be great teachers for us, if we choose to listen to them. During a power animal retrieval, I will venture into the spirit world and the right power animal for you at that moment in your life usually shows itself and comes with some restorative energy and supportive guidance for you to take with you after the session.

Soul Retrieval

When we are faced with painful or traumatic events in life that overwhelm us, part of how we survive in the moment is through disconnecting with the parts of us that hold the suffering. In psychological terms, this can be understood as dissociation. In spiritual terms it is known as parts of our soul being split off and lost. So we are no longer whole, we have lost part of our soul and part of who we are. Over the course of life, depending on the challenges we endure our soul can become hugely fragmented with parts lost to us. This process is a deep an intimate part of shamanic healing and can support the integration and healing of traumatic experiences, old wounds and the sense of emptiness some of us can carry. That emptiness can be linked with too many parts of our soul being split off. Soul retrieval is a healing process that supports people in integrating deep wounds and moving towards wholeness.

Working with the Dead

Within shamanic traditions (and even the later developed organised religions) death is understood to be a journey into the spirit world, a transitional process. Just as being born into this world is. When someone’s passing is not able to be fully met by those left behind, or there is something from this world that needs resolving it can be hard for people’s souls to journey into the spirit world and they can become stuck. Stuck between worlds either holding on to things from this life or feeling held on to by those still here. This is why grieving and developing a relationship that honours our dead is so vital for family systems and communities. It is central for those left behind and those who have passed, even when the relationships were difficult. There can be much healing for people when there is active intention in understanding, integrating and honouring all who have come before us, perhaps even more so if the relationships were complex or negative.

 Ancestral Healing

 This is a powerful approach to working with the dead, specifically our ancestors and addressing intergenerational trauma, unresolved conflicts and suffering within an ancestral line. In psychotherapeutic terms we can think about this as the idea that what does not get repaired, gets repeated. It is a vast and deeply expansive space that requires healing for most of us. All of the unresolved traumas and patterns that existed in our line are embedded in our DNA and for every pattern that is left untended to or not eventually witnessed and processed, it passes down generation by generation acting as an invisible force impacting the lives of the next generation. This may look like similar feuds amongst siblings happening within varying generations of a family, or similar cycles of abusive relationships happening. These unresolved stories from our ancestors can be powerful forces in our lives. Turning to our ancestors, whether it’s a parent, a grandparent or beyond, can be a deeply healing and liberating process for individuals and family systems or communities.