Shamanism

Shamanic spiritual medicine utilizes methods and techniques used by healers of indigenous cultures brought to western civilization by anthropologists, educators and visionary physicians striving to recover ancient skills of spiritual healing.

Therapeutic shamanic methods are growing in clinical settings by trained practitioners.

From a shamanic perspective there are three types of spiritual illness.

• Power Loss

• Soul Loss

• Intrusions

At the birth of every human, it is believed a non-ordinary spirit-animal comes to protect the physical embodiment of the person. The most familiar recognition of unseen animal helpers comes from Native American and Chinese cultures. Each animal has it's own medicine in strengths and abilities, which we unconsciously learn from. Each has an instinctive ability to be prey or predator, strong or weak, and adapted to it's environment for survival. Perhaps you have sensed people who act like an Eagle - individual - visionary, Bear - huggable - warm and fuzzy, Dragon - fiery, Snake - wiggles away - can bite with venom, Rat - sneaky - does what needs to survive, Wolf - loner, runs with a pack. These animal spirit helpers are often called power animals

Power loss results when the spirit animal has gone away and another has not come to replace it, resulting in chronic (recurring) health problems, chronic depression, chronic misfortune or suicidal tendencies.

Power Animal Retrieval

A shamanic practitioner enters non-ordinary reality to look for, retrieve and return the energy of the power animal back to the client - reuniting them to form a bond and awareness to support emotional, physical, and spiritual development. From this perspective, it is essential to have a power animal around you for optimal health and wellness.

Soul loss happens when a trauma is experienced by a person or animal. (Yes, our pets too - can experience soul loss due to abusive human behavior) From a Shamanic perspective, sometimes trauma (whether slight or dramatic) feels so overwhelming a part of the memory-energy separates or fragments from the physical body. These fragmented parts may be frightened, feel lost or are left behind when moving away. The part can also be stolen by others - as in a physical attack. Whichever it is, the fragmented part is not accessible to the person, rendering them feeling like a piece of them is missing or as though they haven't felt like themselves since a surgery. Soul loss can happen during an accident or struggles with addictions. We then tend to look for external things to fill an internal void when we have soul loss. Other times with severe soul loss, there is a feeling as though you are watching your body from an outside vantage point.

Soul Retrieval

The shamanic practitioner enters non-ordinary reality with the help of their Helping Spirits. Some may review the actual events of the trauma to the client. The shaman returns with the fragmented part which left at the beginning of the trauma. The practitioner does NOT bring back a traumatized soul part. Once returned the fragmented parts are re-introduced to the body through the method of blowing the soul part(s) into the crown chakra and then into the heart chakra. The soul part brings back with it - talents, developmental skills, strengths or gifts it took with itself when it separated at the time of the trauma.

When soul loss happens, it leaves the energetic body with a gap, crack or hole which allows "other" energies to seep in or invade the body - leading to energetic or spiritual intrusion and illness.

These "other" energies may be negative like: anger or rage energy, grief energy, hate energy: and after entering the body can act like a localized illness, such as: heart pain, un-diagnosable body pain and some forms of cancer. This is called an energetic intrusion: and can over time gather more negative energy. Sometimes this energy may seem as though it has it's own identity. These intrusions are rarely evil. They are simply misplaced, taking up residence inside a person's body and never helpful.
Spiritual intrusions happen when the spirit of a deceased soul (who usually does not know they are deceased) enters the body, through the racks or gaps in the energy field, due to soul loss or power loss. These intrusions often believe the client's body is their own and have a way in, when the power animal is not present (power loss) or there is soul loss, which leaves the opening.

Release or Extraction of Intrusions

The shaman enters non-ordinary reality with the assistance of their helping spirits. The energies, whether energetic or spiritual, appear as metaphors - looking like an unsavory-looking reptile, insect, or dark-looking object. The practitioner removes the intrusion by various Shamanic methods. After removal, the helping spirits can fill the voided space with positive light-energy to help integrate a wholeness of the spiritual body-field. A soul retrieval is also helpful and recommended to replace the fragmented soul part, which left the area open to intrusions.

These "other" energies are helped or disposed of in compassionate, humane and spiritually-hygienic methods.