How does shamanic healing work? Shamans act as a bridge, bringing wisdom and information from the spirit realm into the physical plane. That wisdom is used to help heal individuals and restore balance in the Great Community as a whole.
The Shaman as a Bridge Between Worlds
Shamanic practitioners are skilled at navigating the invisible realms, like time, aspects of the psyche, the subtle body, dream worlds, and natural and mythical elements. Using altered states, they take information from the spirit world and translate it in a way the community can understand and process.
This is important! We might be in touch with higher energies, but if we can’t share the information in a way that lands with people, knowing it is meaningless.
How Does Shamanic Healing Work With Energy?
Shamanic healing works because shamans view all things as having an essence, or fundamental energy. In shamanic traditions, blocks in the flow of energy are believed to cause disharmony in the body or psyche. Shamanic practitioners know that energy likes to move and flow, and they know how to facilitate that flow through their own bodies.
When energy gets blocked, it can show up as depression, anxiety, physical ailments, general discontentedness, or struggle during life transitions. Shamanic healing is not a replacement for medical or mental health care, so if you’re dealing with any of these, please work with a doctor or therapist too.
Because shamans can see the pathway out of patterns, they are able to locate the root of a problem, interact with the energetic or spiritual component of the misalignment, and mediate between the spiritual realm and the physical realm to remove and heal the cause of the block itself. Aftercare matters too, and well-trained shamans offer continued support for integration.
How Do You Know If You’re Called to Be a Shaman?
Most people hear the call as a gentle nudge. You might also have an initiation or a traumatic experience that propels you into awakening a different worldview. Many of us spontaneously interact with the invisible realms, like hearing and seeing spirits. Almost all have an intense journey of self-healing, want to help heal others, and are called to restore balance in the community.
Against popular thought, I believe shamans are not more powerful than other people. Anyone can learn to access this part of themselves, though people called to the path are usually naturally gifted in spiritual ways.
Listening to the Nudge
Close your eyes and listen to your heart. What does it say? Imagine yourself as the confident healer you are ready to become. What does that look like? What does that feel like in your body? Does it get suddenly excited? Does it feel like a little nudge? Do you feel your heart scream yes, followed by a little burst of fear in your belly? If so, you’re on the right track. Fear and excitement are two sides of the same coin, and part of the shamanic path is getting better at responding to those nudges with less resistance.
Shamans usually have a very deep desire to help, and might even have a dream of exactly how they want to help. Take some time to sit with that dream, notice what you see, and let yourself know that it IS possible. And if you’re still wondering how does shamanic healing work in your own life, that nudge is a good place to start.
When You’re Ready to Be the Bridge for Your Clients
If you’re already working with clients, you may receive more from the unseen than you know how to translate into guidance that truly lands. The Way of the Hollow Bone Master Healer Certification is a nine-month path for healers ready to navigate the spirit realms with confidence, locate the root of what’s blocking their clients, and bring that wisdom back in a way people can understand, integrate, and live. Apply now if you can feel that nudge to go deeper.