Shamanic healing takes place on a spiritual plane. It is not a substitute for
psychotherapy or medicine but is intended to be used in conjunction with other
healing modalities.
Shamanic healing is an ancient form of
spiritual healing practiced by indigenous people all over the world. The word
shaman means "one who can see in the dark." It comes from the Tungus
tribe in Siberia and applies to both men and women practitioners. A basic tool
of shamanism is the shamanic journey, in which the shaman journeys to non-ordinary
reality to consult with helping spirits, to receive direct divination in answer
to a question or to receive guidance in healing.
Core shamanism
uses Elements common to many different shamanic traditions and is not specific
to any one culture. It was developed by anthropologist Michael Harner, author
of "The Way of the Shaman." Core shamanism is not a religion, but a
practical healing art. Healing the spirit can help to facilitate healing the body,
the mind, and the heart.
Shamanic healing as practiced in
core shamanism uses three major healing techniques - power restoration, extraction
healing, and soul retrieval. The shamanic practitioner does a diagnostic journey
to ask the spirits which healing technique would be most beneficial for the client.
Power Restoration
The
shamanic practitioner journeys to non-ordinary reality to bring back a guardian
spirit, called a power animal, to assist the client in coping with life and resisting
spiritual intrusions and illness. Restoring the connection with a power animal
can help the client feel more fully alive and empowered.
Extraction Healing
Working
with helping spirits, the shaman removes misplaced energy, called intrusions,
which are stuck in the client's body. Intrusions can cause localized pain or illness,
as well as other maladies, such as addictions, apathy, or reoccurring problems.
Removing intrusions can help the client's own energy to flow more freely, assisting
in healing and self-transformation.
Soul
Retrieval
"…whenever we experience
trauma, a part of our vital essence separates from us in order to survive the
experience by escaping the full impact of the pain. What constitutes trauma varies
from one individual to another. Soul loss can be caused by whatever a person experiences
as traumatic, even if another person would not experience it as such."
Sandra Ingerman, Soul Retrieval
Soul Retrieval is the
crown jewel of shamanic healing. The shaman journeys with helping spirits to find
and retrieve lost parts of the client's soul. Soul loss can be caused by many
different kinds of trauma, physical or emotional, remembered or forgotten. Some
examples of trauma are accident, illness, surgery, bereavement, or abuse. Some
symptoms of possible soul loss may be a feeling that something is missing, chronic
depression or illness, addictions, or other long-standing problems. Soul retrieval
is a powerful healing tool that can assist in returning to health and wholeness
and in breaking old, unwanted life patterns.
Empowerment
Counseling - Learn to journey
Working with helping
spirits, the shaman removes misplaced energy, called intrusions, which are stuck
in the client's body. Intrusions can cause localized pain or illness, as well
as other maladies, such as addictions, apathy, or reoccurring problems. Removing
intrusions can help the client's own energy to flow more freely, assisting in
healing and self-transformation.
Sue
Redding completed a Shamanic Healing Apprenticeship Program which took place over
the better part of a year. She studied healing techniques of core shamanism, which
is not specific to any one shamanic tradition. Previously, Sue also worked with
a sound shaman for a time.
