Shamanic Healing
Powerful Ancient Techniques a Boon for the Modern World

By Laureen Rama
Published in Connections-Newsletter of the Association of Massage Therapists and Wholistic Practitioners
March 1999

Shamanic healing techniques were known by all our ancestors, no matter which culture we come from. With the advent of more organized religions and a less earth-connected lifestyle, shamanic practices were lost in many cultures. Modern day shamans have been spontaneously rediscovering these ancient techniques and have been pioneering their application to modern day traumas. The results are remarkable, often miraculous.

Shamanic practice is the practice of deliberately connecting with "non-ordinary reality" for guidance, power, and healing. Non-ordinary reality has been called the spiritual realm or dimension of ourselves and of life, some believe it is our intuitive imagination, others feel it is the collective unconscious Jung described; it is the realm we access with our "sixth sense." Whatever people believe it is, the kinds of experiences people describe of being in touch with that realm are similar: intuitive hunches (e.g., we feel strongly we should take another route and miss a car accident by doing so), metaphorical or spirit beings coming in dreams or waking visions to bring important messages, washes of loving energy that heal.

Shamanic healing is very powerful and usually is best performed by a trained and experienced shaman on behalf of the client. When a shaman works with non-ordinary reality to ask for healing for a client, the healing practices that may be identified are infinite, but two are common: soul retrieval and removing blocks in spiritual energy (extraction).

Soul Retrieval

Sometimes we may lose a part of our essential self. In shamanic practice we refer to this as our soul. Psychologists call this soul loss dissociation. Soul loss is a natural coping response to trauma (e.g., accident, abusive situation, a job or family in which we cannot be our full selves). The loss of a part of ourselves allows us not to feel the hurt fully so we can cope with the circumstance we're in. Once we are more ready and able to cope, that part of ourselves often spontaneously returns to us. Often in therapy or other healing processes, a person has such a strong intention and readiness to heal that they call their own soul home. This is usually marked by breakthroughs in behaviour and thought patterns, renewed energy, and the surfacing of forgotten memories.

Soul loss can also occur because we give away a part of our essence to someone else, or allow them to take it. This hanging on to others' essences occurs because we want to stay connected with them or because we want a certain quality of spirit they possess. This leads to unnatural connections between people--a feeling of overcloseness and neediness that is often labelled co-dependency.

When we have soul loss, we feel something's missing, we have an emptiness and we may try to fill it through addictions, compulsive behaviour, or we may simply become depressed.

Soul retrieval is a powerful practice in which the shaman "finds" and "returns" our lost essence. If we are ready, this changes us instantly and then our work begins in integrating this wholeness into our lives. The focus in follow-up work after healing, which is best guided by an experienced shaman, is on using these new inner resources to create a positive future for ourselves.

It is best to ask someone who has taken my seven day training course, or Sandra Ingerman's five day training course, to perform this healing for you.

Removing Blocks in Spiritual Energy (Extraction):

In extraction healing, the shaman removes "spiritual baggage" or energy that does not belong to us or blockages we have created in our spiritual energy by not addressing intense emotions. These intrusions or blockages are lodged somewhere in the body. Removing these intrusions leaves us feeling lighter, more energetic, and often shifts emotional patterns we may have held onto. Extraction can also remove the source of muscle knots and bone twists. It sometimes effects remarkable healing of other physical ailments too. Similar to psychic surgery techniques in Reiki, those who have learned both, say that shamanic extraction moves more unwanted energetic material quicker.

I have had clients say that their patterns of muscle tightness changed after extraction healing. Usually they do not tighten up as much. I have had my spine straightened from scoliosis by a combination of shamanic extraction and Reiki energy work.

Stories of Those Who have Healed

A woman with arthritis in her hips finds she stiffens up and can barely move her legs after sitting for an hour. Her left foot is slowly turning in, she is sore at night, her steps are getting shorter and stiffer, she has some sciatica, and she has much muscle tension in her shoulders. After shamanic healing, she loosens up and right away can sit in lotus position. A recurring muscle knot in her left shoulder goes away and her left foot straightens. She is much more limber, can dance the night away and not stiffen up the next day!

A woman with advanced ovarian cancer receives extraction healing and soul retrieval. The intrusion that is the source of the cancer will not leave until she makes a full commitment to following her own creative urges everyday. She feels like she is marrying herself. Six months later, after receiving chemotherapy and other treatments, she is clear of cancer. She doesn't need to think of following her creative urges, it is just happening, she is following new career directions and she's looking forward to the rest of her life.

A number of women with menstrual pain and migraines begin having pain-free and migraine-free periods.

A separated dad gets his playfulness back and his kids can't get enough time with him--he's fun to be with!

Shamanic healing is powerful. When the person healing is ready, often after doing counselling, bodywork, or much inner reflection, instant breakthroughs to wholeness can occur. Wholistic practictioners are often in a position to recommend further healing avenues to their clients. I encourage you to learn more about shamanic healing so that you can refer your clients to it as appropriate. Some ways you can do this are reading Sandra Ingerman's book Soul Retrieval, visiting my website: www.soulrestore.com, or getting on my maillist to hear of upcoming workshops or to request articles and materials. I'd also be happy to speak to groups about shamanic healing and practice.

At this time of rapid change on our planet, each person brought to wholeness contributes to global healing and takes their place in offering their gifts to the world. My most important work now is training healers who can facilitate this wholeness as the demand for this healing grows. I invite you to participate in my advanced shamanic healing training courses.

Laureen Rama is available to lead retreats and workshops for private groups. She also teaches advanced shamanic healing techniques and offers shamanic healings in person or by distance.

Laureen can be reached at info@soulrestore.com or 1-403-851-1198.