Shamanic Healing

What Is A Shaman?

Shamanic healers have been found in virtually all cultures and throughout all times. Shamanism is not a religion, nor does it interfere with any religion. There are no doctrines, and while there are plenty of “rules,” most who are called to be shamans are called very early in life, long before the rules could be explained. It is not a path one chooses (or would choose, given the choice), it is simply something one IS. In this mystery-school of life, shamans are born gifted in unusual ways, and called to help our communities in ways just as unusual.

Though the attire and customs vary from tribe to tribe, the basic work shamans do has always been remarkably similar. To put a huge conversation in a few words, shamans “journey” to other worlds to gain power, insight, and healing in order to effect change in this world. They “see in the dark” and know things there is no rational way to know. They ask those who are suffering “When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing?” and from these questions the understanding of what has happened can be found and a healing begun.

My Training

The shaman’s personal life task is to refine all parts of themselves and integrate their psyche so deftly that they become effective travelers of the Universe at the same time as—hopefully—being fully grounded members of their “ordinary reality” communities. The work shamans do is intricate, magical, sometimes dangerous, and extremely potent. Their task is to maintain the health and harmony of the community as well as the well being of the individual.

My "training" as a shaman began long before I realized it (as is often the case), but my first recollections of seeing into other worlds began at age five. I’ve always been deeply intuitive, and for many years I was taught by other-worldly guides in my dreams. I did not learn that shamans actually existed in this world until my mid-thirties, and when I did, I began traveling extensively to learn from shamans and other indigenous leaders from around the globe. I also began honing my gifts to make them more beneficial to my own community.

Today, I call myself a contemporary shaman. My most significant expressions of healing comes through my novels. They are not merely stories, as my readers will be quick to tell you. They are filled with events and characters that “shapeshift” or meld themselves into healing agents that match exactly what the reader needs at just that moment. (I know that sounds a bit fantastical, but I did say this was magical work.)

My Work As A Shaman

While most of my work as a shaman now is as a teacher, I do offer a limited number of healing sessions. Below is an explanation and how you can work with me if you feel called. If you would like more information, I suggest you read my novel A Hundred Ways To Sunday and listen to my 30-minute conversation with three contemporary shamans that can be found on track two of the novel’s companion guided drumming CD.

Soul Retrieval and Extraction

The shaman believes that in times of great stress, shock, or longstanding suffering (in this life or previous ones), a part of the soul splits off and is lost to that moment. If you can imagine a person in shock, you see that they are not “all there.” But where did they go, and why is it that they “have never been quite the same” since? The shaman would say that the lost soul fragment became stuck in that moment, and needs to be “traveled to” and convinced to return so that the person can return to a fully integrated life. In addition, those who feel there is something influencing them that isn’t really “them” (this is not a personal cop out, it is something they simply cannot shake through traditional means), may need what a shaman calls an extraction—removal of energies that are not authentic to the person. In the soul retrieval journey, the need for an extraction may or may not arise and if needed, can be done at that time.

Soul retrieval is as common for the indigenous as it is for us to go to the emergency room to be checked out after a nasty accident or see a therapist after a loss we just can’t shake. Most people in our culture who feel called to a soul retrieval have already tried the traditional forms of healing (after all, shamanism is definitely edgy—even I think so and I’m trained in it!). Those who come have become desperate to heal the soul, and for whatever reason, their religious life—the more traditional avenue for healing the soul—is not of help.

For these people, I offer two hour soul retrieval sessions. In the first hour of our session, we will discuss the potential areas of soul loss and what your “ideal” state of health would be. In the second half, I will journey on your behalf, speak to your guides (as I do in the dream state), effect any and all changes possible at that time, and return to tell you what I found and what I believe you can expect as a result.

Two hour sessions are $250 and no follow-up sessions are required—the healing is contained beautifully in those two hours. For most, soul retrieval is a rare healing, and not performed more than once every six months (if ever again) unless a new loss occurs. Also note that those who seek soul retrieval over the phone will find there is virtually no difference in results, as the work is done on the journey level. To book a session, contact me at Robin@BeWhoYouAre.com or call 443-458-5236.