ABOUT SOUL RETRIEVAL
Shamanic
healing works with the concept that emotional and physical illnesses
are the same. Our soul is our life force or vitality. Anything can
cause soul loss. It might be the loss of a loved one, sexual,
physical or emotional abuse, surgery, accidents, and more. At times
of trauma, part of us goes away. This is good and protective,
however, it does not always find its way back.
Symptoms of
soul loss include dissociation, a feeling of watching your life like
a movie rather than as a participant, chronic depression, suicidal
feelings, post traumatic stress disorder, immune system deficiency,
inability to get over a loss, and having an unnatural connection
with a person.
Where do the
soul parts go? Into non-ordinary reality. The soul parts might be
lost and unable to return. They may be unwilling to return because
they don't know the abuse has stopped. They may have been stolen and
are still held by the thief. This is a type of psychic vampirism and
may contribute to co-dependency. It is often a dysfunction passed
down in families.
Traditionally,
the support of the community was an important aspect of soul
retrieval. Patients might have been told, "Your children want you to
come back, your brothers and sisters want you to come back, your
neighbours and kinsmen want you to come back, your horses want you
to come back...." It is for this reason of the support and power of
someone working on our behalf that we do not generally do our own
soul retrievals.
In soul
retrieval, the healing results depend upon the commitment of the
client. Self-healing comes after the soul retrieval. Soul parts
sometimes come back bringing memories and emotions. They usually
bring energy with them, sometimes in amazing amounts. One has more
power following soul retrieval.
PREPARATION
AND INTEGRATION
It is helpful to reflect
on what is not working in your life and to notice patterns of
recreating the same trauma. Let go of labels about this. No alcohol
is to be consumed for twenty-four hours before and after a soul
retrieval. The night before your soul retrieval, ask for a dream to
help in receiving your soul.
Following your
soul retrieval, leave time for yourself. Welcome your soul parts
back. The effects are unpredictable. Allow yourself about two weeks
for the effects to settle in. You might find during this time you
need to make changes that are life supporting.
Here are three
journeys to do on your own following your soul retrieval:
1.
Does the soul part have anything else to tell me about why it
left?
2. How
will the soul part help? What gifts, talents, or resources does it
bring?
3. What changes do I need
to make in my life that would make the soul parts feel supported in
being back home?
Eventually you
will want to feel fully integrated and no longer aware of the
separate nature of the soul parts that were returned. The point is
to welcome them home and integrate them. You don't want to stay too
long in a place where you continually notice your six year old soul
part is feeling shy, your twelve year old is angry, and the adult
you is eager, to give a simple example. However, you may find your
six year old knows how to trust and your twelve year old needs
creative expression, for instance, and that becomes a part of you.
Bring a
notebook with you to record the details of your healing and your
feelings in the moment. Be sure you have the phone number of your
soul retriever so you may call if questions come up.
Final journey:
Now that you have your soul parts back and you have done your work
of welcoming and integrating them, there is one more step that is
good to do. This is to see if you have soul parts of anyone else you
may be holding on to - accidentally, of course! - and need to
return. There is no guilt or blame here, have fun with this journey.
You may find you are hanging on to bits of family, friends,
ex-spouses, or lovers. Or, you may discover "Velcro souls" that
another has stuck onto you. Journey to the helping spirit that you
are most comfortable with and ask. If you do have soul parts to
return or Velcro souls to pull off and send back, ask for a ritual
to accomplish this. Do the ritual. You might want to partner with
another and serve as witness to each other's rituals.
Thanks and gratitude
to Sandra Ingerman.
All My Relations.