Causes of soul loss

In many cultures throughout the world illness is viewed as loss of the soul; that is, our essence, life force, the spark that keeps us alive. Emotional or physical trauma can cause our soul to flee our body in order to survive the experience. Sometimes this is in our awareness as an out-of-body or near-death experience, but more commonly we just know something is missing in our lives. We might just suffer from chronic depression, have suicidal tendencies, post-traumatic stress or unending grief, or less specific complaints. Surgery, war, accident, natural disasters, addictions, death of a loved one, and any kind of abuse sexual, physical or emotional, are just some of the traumas that can result in a sense of soul loss.

Psychologists might view this as dissociation. However it is not the label that matters, rather what can be done to bring about therapeutic change. Soul retrieval is an effective way of helping people to overcome the impact of trauma and soul loss, as it does not involve reliving the experience, but rather it bypasses the mind by allowing the client to operate safely in an altered state. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other ways of working. Traditionally the shaman brought back the lost soul and reintegrated it in the client. Nowadays it is common for clients to be assisted to retrieve their soul parts themselves.

Prior to carrying out soul retrieval it is necessary to discover the circumstances in which the loss occurred in order to be able focus on what is to be recovered. This does not involve reliving the experience, rather it is to establish that soul retrieval is appropriate, rather than, say, spirit release.

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How it is done

Before beginning a traditional shamanic soul retrieval clients are helped to feel safe and relaxed. They are invited to imagine a safe place in nature where they can begin their journey into a world of the imagination where plants and animals, trees and rocks can communicate and guide us to achieve the task in hand. Sometimes this world has little resemblance to the one in which we live, but at other times it can resemble the world about us. In this world we can function without the trauma. The constant beat of the shaman's drum reminds the client that they are not alone, that they are safe and that they must return to the reality of this world at the end of their journey. On the journey they usually “ collect ” symbolic items which represent their lost soul fragments. On return the practitioner helps to reintegrate these within the clients. After completing the journey they are invited to remember what happened as often further insights can be gained. There is no right or wrong experience.

Some people like the traditional approach using the drum and others prefer to work in a similar way without it, equally effectively.

The final stage is for the client to learn to live with retrieved soul parts. It can take time to adjust to the change. It is often useful to have a follow-up session to discuss progress.

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