I have learned to appreciate that very few people in the UK have ever visited a traditional shaman, let alone a contemporary practitioner, which would make it difficult to picture what actually happens in a shamanic healing session and possibly a bit mysterious. So, for the benefit of the 99.999% of people that don’t know, this article explains what a session with me looks like at a practical level, ,without getting into a discussion of the magic or metaphysics of it all...
The practical basics
For starters, a session is usually booked to last about 3 hours and is usually held on a one-to-one basis at my practice space in my home in Sheffield. Chaperones are always welcome to join us, if you would prefer, and there is a comfy seat that they can sit on during the session, or they are welcome to chill in the garden if the weather is nice. My practice space is wheelchair friendly, including the bathroom. Sessions will either be scheduled during the school day as I am a parent, or (my preference) in the evening.
Preparing for the session
Soul-level healings tend to work best when the soul is ready to receive medicine, which is when it is relaxed and prepared. Although you do not have to go to any elaborate lengths, if you can get some time in nature in the days leading up to the session, that is good, and if circumstances allow, maybe protect a little time around the appointment, not only the session itself. If you can finish work slightly earlier, leave your phone aside for a while, or avoid arranging another commitment immediately afterwards, even a small gap can be a way of acknowledging that this time matters to you, which is an indicator that your soul is always listening for. Don’t worry too much if you can’t practically do this – we can also make some time at the beginning to settle together when you arrive. If you have some time and energy to reflect briefly, you might want to ask yourself some questions:
You can record this by writing a few sentences, making a voice note or simply thinking about these questions. You don’t need to arrive with a polished explanation, just a few words are enough. ‘I feel disconnected,’ ‘I’m going through a change,’ or ‘I’m not sure, but I want to explore this’ are all starting points.
Arrival: tea,conversation and questions
Whatever time we agree, I will have prepared the space and myself prior to your arrival, so the first thing we do will usually be a nice cup of tea and a chat. I would ask you to bring along a small offering for the spirits, which doesn’t need to be elaborate and a small amount of tobacco or fruit/grain, or some alcohol (vodka / rum etc.) would be more than enough. I would suggest that you refrain from alcohol on the day of our session. You won’t need to dress in anything special either –just comfortable clothing that you might watch the telly in are enough, but I would ask that they are clean and tidy because we will be entering a sacred space together and that should be respected. Maybe surprisingly, I will also be dressed relatively ordinarily, so please don’t expect me to arrive in a full array of feathers, bones and bear skins etc., because I don’t go in for unnecessary theatre.
Your choices: comfort and consent
Unlike a psychotherapist, I won’t need you to give me a detailed breakdown of what brought you to me, and I don’t need to know anything you do not want to discuss, so any conversation between us at this stage can be led by you and what you feel moved to talk about – even if it seems unrelated to the session. What matters most at this stage is that you are comfortable in my presence and happy to proceed. Throughout the ceremony, there is not likely to be much physical contact between us beyond a few specific moments, but I will demonstrate what these may look like before we start and check that you are comfortable with them. If not, I will ensure that they are performed from a distance. As a guide, this is usually limited to asking you to rest your leg or arm against mine (e.g. calf-to-calf, elbow-to-elbow or foot-to-foot); Upon receiving spirit medicine, I may use my rolled up hand as a tube through which I will blow it to the areas I am guided to, which is generally the top of the head or the heart area. You have the right to change your mind at any time with nothing more than a wave of your hand. Similarly, while we are in the formal ceremony, you won’t need to do anything except relax and allow me to work at the soul level, but if at any time you want to stop, even if it is just to go to the loo, you can just raise a hand or say something and I will stop as soon as I can.
What happens during the ceremony
When you agree that you are ready to begin, I will begin the formal part of the ceremony, which will start with clearing physical and energetic bodies and the space with incense and smoke smudges (unless you request that I don’t, in which case I will use a rattle to do this), lighting candles on the altar and making our offerings to the spirits that will bring your medicine today. I will call in the spirits around us and say prayers for the work that we are doing, at which point you will sit or lie down with a blanket and a blindfold (both optional) and I will enter a trance to start my journeying to the spirit world.
The journeying section of the ceremony is something that I cannot readily predict, but it will usually involve some, or all of: drumming, rattling; dancing; humming; singing, praying or embodying particular spirits. There maybe a short journey that acts as a diagnostic session, followed by a break, then a long one for the main healing journey, or I may carryon in one unbroken trance for the next hour or more. I may carry back medicine for you, or this may be performed in the spirit world; I may have a message for you, or I may have forgotten entirely what happened during the journey, but trust entirely that the medicine has been delivered.
What you might experience
Most people describe this experience as something like an energetic shift within themselves, which may feel like the release of pressure that they were not consciously aware of until it lifted, a release of stuck emotion, a feeling of remembering a long-forgotten or unknown part of yourself, a profound insight into your own or family patterns of suffering, or it may be less dramatic in the moment (I will discuss all of this in later articles). Whichever it is, we will close the ceremony together and may mark it in a small way, such as by making a small bracelet or giving a prayer of thanks.
The follow up
After the ceremony closes, you may be feeling relaxed in a way that you have not experienced for a long time. Nobody has yet reported that they feel unsafe to drive themselves home, but if this is the case, you are welcome to relax as long as reasonably needed, or I can arrange a taxi to collect you asper your preference.
Over the following few days, I would recommend you take it easy on yourself to let the medicine work. If you need to avoid alcohol for a day because of a specific type of healing that has been performed, I will advise you on this, but in general, life can continue as it was on the surface, while the medicine works at the deep soul level and you feel the benefits within.
Last thoughts
I am not a medical doctor or a therapist, but I observe similar levels of confidentiality around my clients as any professional therapist should, so you can rest assured that anything shared with me is protected at the highest levels of integrity.
If you have any questions that have not been covered in this, please do send me a message on whatsapp where I am happy to answer any questions without any expectation.