Shamans believe that when a person suffers from a physical or psychological trauma a part(s) of the soul splits off and no longer contributes to the person’s whole being. Instead it stays fixed in the event, but in non ordinary reality. This dissociation is called soul loss, and it often results in loss of memory, or a feeling of incompleteness. This disengagement makes it easier to survive traumas such as accidents, abuse, or emotional disturbances. Children can suffer soul loss from events that are traumatic to them, but may seem trivial to adults. Soul loss can also occur when another person “holds” onto a part of us, and doesn’t let go. (An old lover perhaps.)

Once the traumatic event is over complete healing can occur when the soul part(s) that is missing is returned. The shaman facilitates this event by journeying into non ordinary reality and, with the help of spirit allies, finding the missing soul parts and bringing them back home. Then there is a period of integration, where the client gets to know the returned soul part(s) again, and together they work to heal the old wounds.

All people and animals can enjoy the power, strength and comfort of an alliance with a spiritual power animal. The spirits of wild animals work with shamans, guiding them through their journeys, giving advice and performing healings. Often the first thing a modern shamanic healer does for a client is retrieve a power animal for them. The person then bonds with the animal by honoring it in ordinary reality, visiting it during quiet meditation, and dancing in a way that lets the animal move through his or her limbs.

Whether you believe in spirits or not, they do exist and can cause problems. There are many ways a spirit can become attached to a living person, animal, place, building, land, river, forest, country, etc. All things, all beings can suffer from an unwanted spirit attachment. I use the method of compassionate caring to assist the spirits to their true home and to remove energy that does not belong to the person or place. Often the presence of an attached spirit is recognized by new and sudden behaviors, feeling like a part of your body isn’t yours, and new or odd pains that suddenly appear. Once these beings leave, often they symptoms also disappear.

Our words have power, far more power than most of realize. The curse at the person who cut you off in your care, the negative self talk we all do, this all builds up and the result is that we limit our personal power by the words we use, the emotion we put behind them and the life we give them when we say them. when a problem has been running in a family for generations, it may be a result of a curse placed many generations ago on an ancestor. That hurtful intention stays in place and affects the generations that follow until it is spiritually located and removed with compassion.

Unintentional curses are the most common. When someone declares to himself with conviction: “I’ll never love again!” it acts like a curse as one becomes locked into that energy. Things that we hear from our parents can affect us like curses as well.