SHAMANISM
[Member of  the Foundation for Shamanic Studies]

                          What is Shamanism?

“Over tens of thousands of years, our ancient ancestors all over the world discovered how to maximize human abilities of mind and spirit for healing and problem-solving. The remarkable system of methods they developed is today known as "shamanism," a term that comes from a Siberian tribal word for its practitioners: "shaman" (pronounced SHAH-mahn).  Shamans are a type of medicine man or woman especially distinguished by the use of journeys to hidden worlds otherwise mainly known through myth, dream, and near-death experiences.” Michael Harner ~ Anthropologist and the Founder of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies

Shamanic healing is a spiritual method of healing that encompasses the spiritual aspect of illness.  According to Shamanic beliefs, there are three common causes of illness.   A person who may have lost his or her spiritual energy / power could exhibit depression, chronic illness, and/or a series of misfortunes. 

A shaman heals both the living and the deceased.  In healing those who have died, the shaman performs a ceremony called Psychopomp.  This ceremony helps those who have died to gently cross over to a comfortable and peaceful place.  Shamans also perform ceremonies, in which, they respectfully clear a home, building or land of spirits that are in a state of unrest.

o   Soul Retrieval: In this case, the Shaman journey in a trance-like state to restore that person’s lost power.  “Or a person may have lost part of their soul or essence, causing soul loss, which sometimes occurs during an emotional or physical trauma, such as accidents, surgery, abuse, the trauma of war, being in a natural disaster, divorce, the death of a loved one, or other traumatic circumstances.  Soul loss can result in dissociation, post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, illness, immune deficiency problems, addictions, unending grief, or coma.  Soul loss can prevent us from creating healthy relationships and the life we truly wish to live.  It is the role of the shaman to track down the parts that have fled and been lost due to trauma by performing a soul retrieval ceremony.  Another cause of illness from a shamanic perspective would be any spiritual blockages or negative energies a client has taken on due to the loss of his or her power or soul.  These spiritual blockages also cause illness, usually in a localized area of the body.  It is the role of the shaman to extract and remove these harmful energies from the body.”  Sandra Ingerman ~  Author of “Soul Retrieval; Mending the Fragmented Self”
 

An example of possible Soul Loss: Have you ever heard someone say?:  “Boy, He’s never been himself since..., or  She’s changed so much and is a different person ever since ...,  Ever since he’s come back from ...  – he’s never been the same.”   These are all possible examples of Soul Loss. 
  

o   Shamanic Extractions: For Shamanic Extractions, the trained Shaman is working to extract any misplaced energy.  No energy is truly bad from a shamanic perspective.  But when energy is misplaced or does not belong in the body, it has a great potential of causing illness. A Shamanic extraction is the technique of removing this displaced energy in a non-evasive manor. 

The shaman will first enter a shamanic state of consciousness [known as a trance state] to diagnose and find where misplaced energy might be in the body.  The deep meditative / trance state allows the shaman to connect with a higher consciousness as to see in a different way and to see what energetically is occurring.  The trained Shaman will be able to perceive the energy in some way that will indicate to her or him that it’s needed to be removed. 

Once the shaman has located this displaced energy, he or she will then merge fully with their compassionate spirit teachers or power animals.  [This merge helps protects the shaman from taking the displaced energy into her or his own body during the shamanic extraction.]  As the power of the Shaman increases, as like magnets, he or she is then able to pull out this displaced energy and is able to properly dispose of it.   During this process, the Shaman may use a frame drum or rattle, and may Chant as to assist them in staying in the trance-like state.

For the client, you are comfortably placed in a relaxed position.   Most clients find this process very relaxing and revitalizing.  Many have reported that they feel renewed, some have renewed energy, some see life in a brighter outlook, peaceful, some feel younger, and some don’t feel anything except they feel better. 

o   Soul Remembrance: In this practice, the practitioner journeys back to the time before the soul entered the body and re-discovers why we came into this lifetime. This remembrance is then integrated back into the body.  During these sessions, one’s life’s pre-destined work and destiny are retrieved.