Shamanic Healing: What It Is, How It Works, and Why You Need It

Shamanic healing is a spiritual practice in which a shamanic practitioner or shaman uses spiritual guidance to promote the patient's desired mental or physical change. Often, it is used in conjunction with other healing methods. Scholars from various disciplines are fascinated with shamanic healing and its success stories, and the subject has ongoing peer-reviewed research. 

So, what is shamanic healing, how do shamanic healing sessions work, and what are their benefits? Explore below to find these answers! 

What is Shamanic Healing? 

Now, let’s learn the specifics of shamanic healing. 

History

Shamanic healing isn’t new by any means. On the contrary, it dates back millennia. Ancient Buddhists practiced shamanic healing, and it spread across various cultures worldwide. Shamanism is commonly associated with indigenous and tribal societies. Most commonly, it was practiced by indigenous people in northern Europe and Siberia. 

In the 20th century, Westerners sought to adopt the practice with varying levels of success. 

The name “shaman” debatably has roots in the Tungusic language spoken in Eastern Siberia. It roughly translates to “to know.”

Shaman

What is a shaman? Shamans are shamanic healing practitioners and were essentially the world’s first physicians. He or she is a spiritual leader who can communicate with the spirit world and manipulate spiritual energies. Historically, shamans were known to escort souls after death into the afterlife. 

Shamans are healers who shift states of consciousness to enter the spirit world. From there, they can change a patient’s emotional or spiritual state to meet their needs.

A shaman doesn’t simply “get certified” or give themself the title of “shaman.”  There are many programs out there promising that after their program, you are a certified shaman.   A true shaman has been through many difficulties in life, done extensive inner work and studied shamanic practices for years before offering healing for others. It is my belief that the community gives the shaman their title and prior to that, we are considered “shamanic practitioners.” 

Beliefs

Worldwide, a plethora of shamanic healing styles exist. Each includes different belief systems. However, some beliefs are common threads in the ornate rug that is shamanic healing. 

The first belief is that spirits exist. Further, they influence the lives of individual people and society. Spirits can be good or bad and affect the souls and lives of people accordingly.

The second is that shamans interact with spirits. By manipulating or removing malevolent spirits, shamans can treat illnesses.

The third is that the shaman’s spirit can leave his or her body and enter the supernatural world. Shamans can induce trances and spark visionary bliss in their patients.

How Does Shamanic Healing Work? 

There are two stages of shamanic healing. The first is the diagnosis, and the second is the treatment. 

Diagnosis

A proper diagnosis is essential in defining the issue at hand. The diagnosis is partially physical and partially spiritual to address invisible energies. 

Treatment

Once the shamanic practitioner has located the energies causing the issue, they can remove those negative energies. Sometimes, positive energies are lacking in the patient. In these cases, the practitioner reinstitutes them to resolve the issue. For example, the shaman may recover a lost part of the person’s soul.

As seen traditionally, the best outcomes of shamanic healing come when the patient is living among the shaman’s community. That way, the patient can focus on the healing journey and receive support from the community. 

In modern society, living among the shaman’s community may not be possible or practical. So, the shaman and the patient must devise a plan to simulate a supportive community environment. 

To communicate with spirits to treat the patient, shamans shift their state of consciousness. One way they do this is by taking psychoactive substances, such as psilocybin, peyote, or cannabis. These substances are known in this context as “entheogens,” meaning they bring forth a divine change. 

Another method, and the most common method, shamanic practitioners use to journey to the spirit world is participating in music, songs, and dancing. Shamanic music emphasizes voice and rhythm, and the sounds vary among different cultures. 

Modern Theory

Since modern studies exist on this topic, they offer further insight and perspective into the world of shamanic healing. Anthropologist Manvir Singh theorizes that people who believe in the powers of shamans have a psychological bias that helps them alleviate their issues internally. In other words, if the patient believes that the shaman can heal them, they will be healed. 

Regardless of the reasoning behind the success of shamanic healing, the cooperation of modern science and traditional shamanic practices can lead to exponential benefits.

Benefits

Shamanic healing helps alleviate spiritual, mental, and physical matters. Let’s take a look at a couple of the main benefits of shamanic healing.

1. Create Harmony
1. You may feel hopeless, unmotivated, and generally lacking passion for life. In shamanism, this is an indicator that the soul is in disharmony and needs to be balanced. The shaman will diagnose the imbalanced energies and restore peace to your soul. The result is feeling a stronger sense of meaning in life and desiring once again to live joyfully.
2. Strengthen the Soul
1. In shamanism, loss of the soul is believed to result in countless illnesses or even early death. Soul loss follows a traumatic event, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or any physical trauma. After such an event, the soul can fragment, or pieces of it can wither away. If you haven’t experienced this yourself, you’ve likely heard someone say a part of them died on the day the trauma happened.
2. Soul loss symptoms include depression or anxiety, suicidal thoughts, apathy, addiction, and forgetfulness. 
3. Shamanic practitioners will shift consciousness to enter the spirit world, seeking to restore the lost portion of your soul. This will help alleviate the symptoms felt after a traumatic event. 
3. Quiet Fear
1. Fear can trigger stress hormones, which cause symptoms such as high blood pressure, insomnia, and anxiety. Because of this, the body’s energy matrix is disrupted.
2. A shamanic practitioner will work to restore balance to the body’s energy to solve the root problem of these symptoms, which is fear.

What are some other possible benefits of shamanic healing? Shamans are believed to have the ability to cure infertility in women by summoning the soul of her future child. They may help your ability to focus and relax. With energy-balancing treatments, they may boost the body’s immune system. 

Shamanic healing may help you confront and decide on a significant life change. If you’re feeling frustrated or stuck in life, shamanic healing may help move you across the bump in the road you face. Relationship difficulties may also be assisted by shamanic practitioners. 

A practitioner can help you stay motivated and focused when working on a goal or dream or picking up a new project. If you’re feeling chaotic and scrambled, a shamanic practitioner or shamanic life coach may be the key to restoring harmony and quieting your mind so you can think clearly. 

When a practitioner grants you the energies your spirit was lacking, you will be filled with feelings of gratitude, joy, and connection. 

With these benefits in mind, it’s no wonder the healing nature of shamanism has been practiced and passed down for generations. 

Find a Shamanic Practitioner

If you desire to heal yourself, increase your positive energy, and resolve your specific illness, then starting shamanic healing sessions may be your next step.  I am a shamanic practitioner and would absolutely love the opportunity to work with you!  I currently offer in-person and distance sessions, which are performed through Zoom.  If you would like to book a healing session with me click this link.  If you are interested in learning more but unsure if you are ready to book a session, book a free connection call with me.  That is a 30 minute Zoom call to ask anything you want about any of the services I offer!

If you prefer in-person sessions but are not local to me, please take your time when searching for a shamanic practitioner. Interview each one and ask them about their training, their practice, and even look at reviews for first-hand experiences of people they have worked with.  Most importantly, listen to your intuition when selecting a shamanic practitioner. After all, you’ll need to be comfortable with them so they can properly diagnose and treat your malady. Don’t worry, though! With a bit of time and patience, you can find the right shamanic healer for you.