Soul Retrieval the Missing Link

Shamanism is the oldest form of spiritual practice and has been used the world over for thousands of years to support individuals emotionally and spiritually within the greater community.  When I discovered shamanism, and specifically the unique practice of soul retrieval, I was convinced that I had stumbled upon the missing link to our modern psychotherapeutic practices. I had trained in creative arts therapies, movement therapies, talk therapy and drama therapy through my work as a professional dominatrix and found that progress was slow for clients to heal old wounds. Creative arts and movement offered an avenue for my clients to access inner wisdom about past traumas without feeling directly re-traumatized, yet even after consistent long term therapy my clients still felt stuck in their stories, disempowered and frustrated about not being able to fully move forward. My dominatrix clients would come to me time and time again with the same role play scenarios where they re-enacted scenes of disempowerment and abuse attempting to strike a balance through consensual play or by taking on a more empowering role in the dramatic play. Through both avenues of therapies a greater sense of self-awareness had blossomed but they still felt as though they were missing valuable parts of themselves. They didn’t feel whole.

When I was introduced to soul retrieval, I had one of those aha moments. The kind where your eyes are open wide and you can never go back to seeing life the way it was before (and nor would you want to!) Could you imagine going right from a talk therapy session to the retrieval of that part of yourself that you've been talking about for years? Can you imagine being reunited with a piece of yourself that you haven't felt since you can remember?

I once had a client who was getting lost in telling her story. I stopped her and I asked, "Barbara, what is it that you really want?" She looked at me with surprise and said, "What is this? Making a Christmas List for Santa Claus?"

"Yes," I replied. "It's kinda like magic." And it is. Just as that part of you disconnects and leaves when it's not safe, it can come back to you when the threatening situation has dissipated and you are ready to welcome it back. And when it returns, it brings with it the innocence, vitality, and energy that it left with and is ready and willing to help you heal that old wound.