What Actually Happens in a Shamanic Healing Session?

Shamanic healing can sound mysterious if you've never experienced it, so here's exactly what happens, step by step.

Before you even arrive, I prepare the space, not just physically, but energetically. I call in the spirits of place, my allies, and your compassionate ancestral line to assist with the work ahead. The room is scented with essential oils, though I no longer smoke the space the way I once did.

When you arrive, we sit and talk first. I'll explain what's about to happen. You'll lie down, and you'll hear me singing, drumming, rattling, and sometimes writing things down as I go. You don't need to do anything at all.

At this point, I step into the role of the shaman, and I witness the healing work my allies carry out. I want to be clear: I do not touch you at any point during the healing. There's no physical contact whatsoever, so whatever you feel isn't coming from me.

Most people drift off very quickly, though it's a different kind of sleep to ordinary rest, more of a theta state. You're aware, and not aware, at the same time, and I stay aware of you throughout, noticing as you come round and drift back down again.

When the healing is complete, I let you know gently, and give you another spray of flowers in your aura. I ask you to stay still for a few moments before I help you back up to your seat, where you're offered water and grounding snacks, usually dates and nuts, to help you recalibrate into the here and now. Time seems to fall away entirely during a session, people often think they've been lying there for five or ten minutes, when in reality it's closer to ninety. That's part of why the stillness and food matter afterward, they give your sense of time and place a little while to properly settle back in.

Then we talk. I share exactly what took place during the healing, word for word as it came to me, because it isn't mine to interpret or change. It often makes little sense to me, but it tends to land somewhere much deeper for you, in ways I couldn't predict. This part is usually the most emotional, tears aren't unusual, as things are revealed that nobody else could have known. It's held with complete reverence, for you, for your soul, and for whatever step brought you to the healing in the first place.

Often, especially with soul retrieval, you'll be given a small piece of integration work, usually something involving nature, to complete within a couple of days. Beyond that, the rest of your day is left deliberately open. No meetings, no contracts, nothing planned, just space to let whatever needs to unfold, unfold naturally.

One week later, you'll receive your healing story, a written account of everything that took place.

With love,

Sarah
Yoga Health and Wellness®

Want to go deeper?

• New here? Try 5 Simple Ways to Regulate Your Nervous System (free)

• Ready for structured support? Explore Regulated

• Yoga: Yoga

• Somatic coaching: Somatic Coaching

• Reiki: Reiki

• Shamanic healing: Shamanic Healing

• Not sure where to start? Book a free Discovery Call