“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi
What if your deepest wounds weren’t just sources of pain, but also your greatest teachers? What if the very experiences that have caused you the most suffering actually carry within them the seeds of your most profound gifts? This is the revolutionary understanding at the heart of shamanic healing – one of humanity’s oldest and most powerful approaches to transformation and healing.
Understanding the Shamanic Worldview
Shamanism represents humanity’s earliest spiritual and healing tradition, practiced across every continent for over 100,000 years. Unlike modern approaches that often view trauma and pain as purely pathological, shamanic wisdom recognizes a deeper pattern: our wounds often become our medicine, and our greatest struggles frequently transform into our most powerful gifts.
This isn’t about toxic positivity or dismissing the reality of suffering. Rather, it’s about recognizing that within the darkness of our pain lies hidden gold – wisdom, compassion, strength, and medicine that can heal not only ourselves but others walking similar paths.
The Shamanic Understanding of Illness and Healing
In shamanic cosmology, illness – whether physical, emotional, or spiritual – is understood as an imbalance or disconnection from our essential wholeness. This disconnection can occur through:
- Soul loss: Parts of our essential self departing due to trauma or shock
- Power loss: Depletion of our vital life force energy
- Spiritual intrusion: Taking on energies or patterns that don’t belong to us
- Ancestral patterns: Carrying unhealed wounds from our lineage
The shamanic healer works to restore balance by retrieving lost soul parts, removing foreign energies, and reconnecting the individual with their sources of power and wisdom.
The Concept of Wounds as Medicine
The idea that our wounds can become our medicine is perhaps one of shamanism’s most profound teachings. This concept appears across indigenous cultures worldwide:
- The Lakota speak of the “sacred wound” that opens the heart to compassion
- Celtic traditions honor the “blessed darkness” that precedes wisdom
- Peruvian shamans understand that our “llankay” (difficulties) become our “munay” (love)
- Aboriginal cultures recognize that our greatest challenges often reveal our deepest gifts
Scientific Validation of Post-Traumatic Growth
Modern psychology has begun to validate this ancient wisdom through research on post-traumatic growth (PTG). Studies by Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Lawrence Calhoun have shown that many people don’t just recover from trauma – they actually grow stronger, wiser, and more compassionate as a result of their struggles.
Research indicates that individuals who have experienced significant challenges often develop:
- Enhanced appreciation for life
- Deeper, more meaningful relationships
- Increased personal strength and resilience
- Greater spiritual awareness and connection
- Clearer life priorities and values
This aligns perfectly with the shamanic understanding that our wounds, when properly honored and integrated, become sources of medicine.
The Shamanic Journey: Traveling Between Worlds
Central to shamanic healing is the practice of shamanic journeying – entering altered states of consciousness to travel to non-ordinary reality for healing, guidance, and power retrieval. This practice has been studied extensively by anthropologists and is now recognized as a legitimate altered state of consciousness with measurable neurological effects.
The Neuroscience of Shamanic States
Research by Dr. Michael Harner, Dr. Marlene Dobkin de Rios, and others has shown that shamanic journeying produces specific brainwave patterns:
- Theta waves (4-8 Hz): Associated with deep meditation, creativity, and access to unconscious material
- Alpha waves (8-13 Hz): Related to relaxed awareness and enhanced learning
- Gamma waves (30-100 Hz): Linked to heightened consciousness and spiritual experiences
These brainwave patterns facilitate access to deeper layers of consciousness where healing and transformation can occur.
The Three Worlds of Shamanic Cosmology
Shamanic traditions recognize three primary realms of consciousness:
The Lower World
- Home to power animals and nature spirits
- Represents our instinctual wisdom and life force
- Often experienced as beautiful, earth-like environments
- Source of personal power and grounding
The Middle World
- The realm of ordinary reality and its spiritual aspects
- Where we work with stuck energies and patterns
- Includes both helpful and challenging spirits
- Focus of healing work and energy clearing
The Upper World
- Realm of spiritual teachers and ascended guides
- Source of higher wisdom and cosmic perspective
- Often experienced as ethereal, light-filled spaces
- Provider of spiritual guidance and divine connection
The Role of Spirit Guides and Power Animals
In shamanic healing, we never journey alone. Spirit guides – including power animals, teachers, and ancestral spirits – accompany and assist us in our healing work. These aren’t mere symbols or metaphors but actual spiritual allies that provide:
- Protection during vulnerable healing states
- Guidance in navigating spiritual realms
- Power for healing and transformation
- Wisdom for understanding our experiences
- Compassion for holding our pain with love
Working with Power Animals
Power animals are spiritual allies that provide strength, guidance, and protection. Each animal carries specific medicine and teaches particular lessons:
- Bear: Strength, introspection, healing through solitude
- Eagle: Vision, spiritual connection, seeing the bigger picture
- Wolf: Loyalty, community, finding your pack
- Deer: Gentleness, sensitivity, moving through fear
- Snake: Transformation, shedding old patterns, rebirth
The relationship with power animals is reciprocal – as we honor and work with them, they offer their medicine to support our healing journey.
Soul Retrieval: Reclaiming Lost Parts of Self
One of the most powerful shamanic healing practices is soul retrieval – the process of recovering parts of our essential self that have departed due to trauma, shock, or difficult life experiences.
Understanding Soul Loss
Soul loss is a natural survival mechanism. When we experience overwhelming situations, parts of our soul essence may leave to protect themselves from further harm. While this serves us in the moment, chronic soul loss can lead to:
- Feeling incomplete or “not all there”
- Chronic depression or anxiety
- Difficulty forming intimate relationships
- Lack of energy or life force
- Feeling disconnected from joy or passion
- Recurring patterns of self-sabotage
The Soul Retrieval Process
In shamanic soul retrieval, the practitioner journeys to non-ordinary reality to locate and negotiate the return of lost soul parts. This process typically involves:
- Diagnostic journeying to understand what was lost and why
- Tracking soul parts in the spirit world
- Negotiating return by addressing the soul part’s concerns
- Power restoration by returning the soul part with ceremony
- Integration support to help the client welcome the soul part home
Research by Dr. Sandra Ingerman and others has documented significant improvements in clients following soul retrieval, including reduced symptoms of PTSD, increased vitality, and enhanced sense of wholeness.
Transforming Victim Consciousness into Medicine Keeper Awareness
One of the most profound aspects of shamanic healing is the transformation from victim consciousness to medicine keeper awareness. This isn’t about denying the reality of victimization or bypassing the healing process, but rather about reclaiming our power and finding meaning in our experiences.
The Victim-to-Healer Archetype
Many shamanic traditions recognize that those who have walked through the deepest darkness often become the most powerful healers. This pattern appears in:
- The wounded healer archetype found across cultures
- Initiation experiences that strip away false identity
- Death and rebirth symbolism in shamanic training
- Sacred suffering that opens the heart to compassion
Characteristics of Medicine Keeper Consciousness
When we successfully transform our wounds into medicine, we develop:
- Deep empathy born from personal experience
- Resilience forged through overcoming challenges
- Wisdom gained from walking difficult paths
- Compassion that comes from understanding suffering
- Purpose found in helping others heal similar wounds
The Integration of Ancient Wisdom and Modern Therapy
Contemporary approaches to shamanic healing often integrate traditional practices with modern psychological understanding. This creates powerful synergies that honor both ancient wisdom and current knowledge about trauma, neuroscience, and mental health.
Trauma-Informed Shamanic Practice
Modern shamanic practitioners increasingly incorporate trauma-informed principles:
- Safety first: Ensuring emotional and spiritual safety throughout the process
- Client choice: Honoring the client’s autonomy and pacing
- Cultural humility: Respecting indigenous traditions while making practices accessible
- Integration support: Providing ongoing support for processing experiences
- Collaborative approach: Working with other healing modalities as needed
Complementary Therapeutic Approaches
Shamanic healing works powerfully alongside:
- Somatic therapy: Addressing trauma stored in the body
- EMDR: Processing traumatic memories safely
- Psychotherapy: Providing cognitive framework for integration
- Energy healing: Balancing subtle energy systems
- Bodywork: Releasing physical tension and trauma
Common Shamanic Healing Practices
Journeying for Personal Guidance
Regular shamanic journeying helps individuals:
- Access inner wisdom and guidance
- Connect with spiritual allies and teachers
- Gain clarity on life decisions and direction
- Retrieve power and healing energy
- Process difficult emotions and experiences
Extraction Healing
This practice involves removing spiritual intrusions or foreign energies that may be causing illness or imbalance. Symptoms of spiritual intrusion can include:
- Sudden onset of illness without clear cause
- Feelings of being “not yourself”
- Chronic fatigue or energy depletion
- Obsessive thoughts or behaviors
- Feeling “invaded” or overwhelmed
Power Animal Retrieval
When individuals have lost connection to their personal power, shamanic practitioners may journey to retrieve power animals that can restore vitality and protection.
Ancestral Healing
Many shamanic traditions recognize that we carry both the gifts and wounds of our ancestors. Ancestral healing work involves:
- Identifying inherited patterns and traumas
- Honoring ancestral wisdom and gifts
- Healing generational wounds and patterns
- Returning ancestral burdens that aren’t ours to carry
- Strengthening connection to ancestral support
The Healing Process: What to Expect
Initial Assessment
A shamanic healing session typically begins with:
- Discussion of current challenges and goals
- Assessment of energy and spiritual state
- Explanation of shamanic principles and process
- Setting intentions for the healing work
The Healing Session
The actual healing may involve:
- Creating sacred space and calling in spiritual allies
- Diagnostic journeying to understand the spiritual dimensions of the issue
- Specific healing techniques (soul retrieval, extraction, power animal retrieval)
- Energy balancing and protection
- Integration and grounding
Integration and Follow-up
Shamanic healing is not a one-time fix but a process that requires:
- Integration of insights and energetic changes
- Lifestyle adjustments to support new patterns
- Ongoing spiritual practices for maintenance
- Follow-up sessions as needed
- Connection to community and support systems
Benefits of Shamanic Healing
Research and clinical experience document numerous benefits of shamanic healing:
Psychological Benefits
- Reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Increased sense of wholeness and integration
- Enhanced self-esteem and personal power
- Improved relationships and communication
- Greater clarity and life direction
Physical Benefits
- Increased energy and vitality
- Improved immune function
- Reduced chronic pain
- Better sleep quality
- Enhanced overall health and wellbeing
Spiritual Benefits
- Deeper connection to purpose and meaning
- Enhanced intuition and spiritual awareness
- Stronger relationship with nature and the sacred
- Access to guidance and spiritual support
- Greater sense of belonging and connection
Working with a Shamanic Practitioner
What to Look For
When seeking shamanic healing, consider practitioners who:
- Have extensive training in traditional shamanic practices
- Demonstrate cultural humility and respect for indigenous traditions
- Integrate modern understanding of trauma and healing
- Provide clear information about their approach and methods
- Offer integration support and follow-up care
Online vs. In-Person Sessions
Shamanic healing can be effectively conducted both in-person and at a distance. Many practitioners, including myself, offer online sessions that provide:
- Access to specialized expertise regardless of location
- Comfort of your own sacred space
- Flexibility for ongoing healing relationships
- Equal effectiveness to in-person work
As a shamanic practitioner based in Ireland, I offer both in-person sessions in Dublin and online sessions globally, allowing individuals worldwide to access this powerful healing tradition.
Getting Started with Shamanic Healing
Preparing for Your Journey
Before beginning shamanic healing work:
- Set clear intentions for your healing
- Create a supportive environment for integration
- Consider what wounds you’re ready to transform
- Open yourself to receiving spiritual guidance
- Prepare for profound shifts and changes
Building a Relationship with Your Spiritual Allies
You can begin connecting with spiritual support through:
- Simple meditation and prayer practices
- Spending time in nature and listening deeply
- Asking for signs and guidance in daily life
- Keeping a dream journal
- Practicing gratitude and reciprocity with the natural world
Guided Shamanic Journey Experience
To experience the power of shamanic healing for yourself, I invite you to join me in this comprehensive guided journey:
This meditation guides you through the process of meeting your wounds as teachers and receiving the medicine they carry for you.
The Future of Shamanic Healing
As we face unprecedented global challenges – mental health crises, environmental destruction, social fragmentation – the wisdom of shamanic healing becomes increasingly relevant. This ancient tradition offers:
- Holistic approaches to healing that address root causes
- Connection to spiritual resources and guidance
- Understanding of our interdependence with all life
- Tools for transforming trauma into wisdom
- Pathways to personal and collective healing
Conclusion: Embracing Your Medicine
The journey of transforming wounds into medicine is not easy, but it is profoundly rewarding. When we have the courage to face our pain with the support of spiritual allies and experienced guides, we discover that our greatest challenges often become our most powerful gifts.
Your wounds are not evidence of your brokenness – they are doorways to your medicine. The very experiences that have caused you the most pain may hold the keys to your deepest purpose and most profound gifts. Through shamanic healing, you can learn to:
- Honor your wounds as sacred teachers
- Retrieve the power and wisdom hidden within your pain
- Transform victim consciousness into healer awareness
- Connect with spiritual allies and support
- Find meaning and purpose in your suffering
- Use your medicine to help others heal
The path of the wounded healer is ancient and honorable. By walking this path with courage and the right support, you join a lineage of medicine keepers who have transformed their pain into power and their wounds into wisdom.
Ready to discover the medicine within your wounds? Book a shamanic healing session with Abi Beri to begin your journey of transformation. Based in Dublin, Ireland with online sessions available globally.
About the Author: Abi Beri is an IPHM accredited Integrative Holistic Therapist and experienced shamanic practitioner based in Ireland. Specializing in trauma-informed shamanic healing, soul retrieval, and family constellation work, Abi helps clients globally transform their wounds into medicine through both in-person sessions in Dublin and online consultations worldwide. With extensive training in traditional shamanic practices and modern therapeutic approaches, Abi creates safe, sacred spaces for profound healing and transformation.
