Shamanism and Soul Retrieval

If you have ever endured one of those sleepless "dark nights of the soul" and survived, you may well recall a feeling of elation when the sun came up and you knew you would be okay. In fact, having deeply faced your blackest despair, you were mysteriously left feeling more a part of the world, more whole, and more filled with the power that comes from knowing who you truly are.

This sort of soulful transformation can sometimes come to us spontaneously, and it can also be the gift of receiving shamanic healing. It is a gift of the spirits that transcends the experience of ordinary reality. Often, we cannot overcome the limitations of our scars or our denial mechanisms by ourselves. We may need the help of a shamanic practitioner to venture to non-ordinary reality to retrieve parts of our self that "left" so that we could survive on earth, the so-called "planet of pain."

For 40,000 years, shamanic healers all over the world -- from Siberia to Africa to Europe to South America to the Native Americans -- have had one foot in ordinary reality and one in nonordinary reality, bridging the gap between humans and spiritual helpers. Whether the need was for physical, emotional, mental or spiritual healing, the shaman "journeyed" to helping guides for healing for their clients. Techniques of journeying differ among native people, but most cultures have used the sound of percussive instruments like drums and rattles to enter into the altered state through which spirit contact is available.

From the shamanic perspective, all life is imbued with spirit. Plants, rocks, animals, stars and the earth are filled with power. Modern civilization has become deadened to this awareness. Today, many people are totally cut off from nature's healing embrace, feeling disenfranchised from their environment, fragmented and disempowered. The shamanic seer has a vision of wholeness that has become lost to most of us. We long for this wholeness, we long to thrive, but often cannot manifest what we deeply know is our birthright.

In shamanism, according to Sandra Ingerman, author of Soul Retrieval, Mending the Fragmented Self, there are three major causes of illness: loss of soul, loss of power, and what is commonly called "intrusions." When people suffer trauma, she writes, the shamanic perspective maintains that part of the soul splinters off, causing soul loss, power loss and disease. Psychologists call this phenomenon "disassociation." In the shamanic framework, disassociated parts of ourselves can be located in other realities. The shamanic healer "journeys" to nonordinary reality to retrieve lost or stolen soul parts, obtain power animals and guidance for the client, and extract any intrusions (misplaced energy) present in the person's body or aura.

The first question one might have is "What is the soul?" This question has been much debated, of course, and some people have specific religious beliefs about the issue. Webster's New Dictionary first defines soul as "that which thinks, feels, desires, etc.," but I find this much too mechanistic and limiting. I believe there is a crucial transcendent quality to soul touched on by combining Webster's second and third definitions: "a spirit embodied or disembodied; innermost being or nature." This seems to capture most closely what, in my opinion, may always remain part of the great mystery of existence.

The shamanic practitioner pursuing soul parts becomes a disembodied traveler, seeking to retrieve actual, multi-dimensional parts of a person's soul which exist outside of our normal concept of time and pace. These parts may have splintered off for many reasons.

Soul loss often results from childhood abuse -- sexual, physical or emotional. This is tragically prevalent in children of alcoholic parents. Soul loss also frequently occurs when a spouse, parent, sibling or friend dies. It can occur in codependent relationships or divorces. It can occur at the time of an operation, car accident or other physical trauma.

Truly, there are many reasons why a soul would find it too painful to be fully present to a situation. The parts either leave on their own, taking refuge in nonordinary reality, or are stolen by others. If stolen, the shaman must "steal" them back -- a process that requires negotiation, trickery or actually doing a healing on the soul of the thief. This comes up often in cases of intergenerational abuse. For instance, the father of a client who was physically abused may be holding onto the client's soul part. Not only will the client get healing, but the father who was abused by the grandfather may also receive healing. Healing may go back several generations in one soul retrieval session, and personality changes in the perpetrator are often reported by the client in follow-up sessions.

Traumatic situations can also cause power loss as a result of separation from the original power animal that is said to accompany us from birth. The shaman will reunite the animal and human, so that we can embody the power, guidance and gifts our power animals bring into our lives. Often, the shaman will obtain additional power animals for the client. These animals are offering assistance to the person, helping them move into a new phase of healing and growth.

There are many, many different power animals, each bringing its own unique "medicine." Some people consider Bear to be the ultimate animal healer. Bear seems especially helpful in healing those deep childhood wounds that so many of us have incurred. Notice how frequently children are attracted to teddy bears and other stuffed animals. Many clients, when reunited with their original power animal will state such things as, "Well, that's amazing that I got a rabbit -- I used to sleep with a big, white bunny rabbit when I was little. I wonder what happened to it!"

Synchronicities between journeys and ordinary reality are everyday occurrences in shamanic work. One client for whom Squirrel was retrieved later remembered that she had experienced a profound epiphany after an unusual encounter with a squirrel on her back porch the week before. Another person had a swallow retrieved for her and mentioned that she'd had many flying dreams throughout her life.

Soul retrieval sessions can seem miraculous very often. The visions seen by a shaman are sometimes psychically literal, as if the shaman were viewing a photograph from the client's scrapbook. Sometimes the vision is metaphorical and would be interpreted in the manner of a dream. Another type of vision that regularly occurs is the retrieval of a soul part from a past life. That soul part may have become "stuck" in nonordinary reality, unable to evolve and become integrated into the client's current incarnation.

In one case, a person came to the shamanic practitioner seeking relief from a chronic backache. The backache was shamanically "seen" to be related to a past life in which the client was shot in the back and killed. The healing enabled the client to experience long-lasting relief from a back problem unsolved by several years of chiropractic efforts.

Not all physical problems are solved that instantly or easily. Shamans stress that the roots of a physical problem may be healed spiritually during a soul retrieval. The physical body is thought to be the outermost manifestation of spirit, and a problem that began spiritually will sooner or later materialize physically. Since shamanism is spiritual healing, a shaman may remove the "cause" of a problem, but the symptoms of the problem may need to be addressed medically.

Shamans, however, may also remove "intrusions" in the hope of improving the client's health. These misplaced energies lodge in a person's body, often existing as a result of someone else's intense emotions internalized by the client. Or, the intrusion can be created by the client's own repressed feelings. Intrusions are thought to cause chronic physical problems, and are often present in cases of sinus trouble, stomach and intestinal ailments, reproductive organ problems, and much more.

Where does the shaman go to perform these mysterious activities? The landscape of nonordinary reality is said to be divided into three distinct "worlds," which are the Upper World, the Lower World and the Middle World. These worlds can be accessed with very specific journeying techniques and healing methods practiced for thousands of years.

Shamanic healing should never be practiced without proper training. Michael Harner, the well-known anthropologist and author of The Way of the Shaman (a classic reference source on shamanism), has founded the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, which trains shamanic practitioners and supports shamanism internationally.

Soul retrieval is a powerful method for the recovery of spiritual wholeness. Despite trauma and despair, many people have been able to face and transcend their pain. With renewed wholeness comes empowerment, joy, insight, and the ability to truly show up for our lives!

Paula Rosenfeld has trained in methods of shamanic healing and soul retrieval with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. She is also a nationally certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork. Paula practices in the Chicago area and can be contacted for more information or appointments at (312) 409-4274.

For information on training workshops in shamanic healing, the Foundation for Shamanic Studies can be reached at (415) 380-8282. Their address is P.O. Box 1939, Mill Valley, California 94942.

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