Why I’m So Focused on Ancestral Healing

Why I’m So Focused on Ancestral Healing

It’s become increasingly clear that our world is deeply out of balance—socially, environmentally, spiritually. The challenges we face, both personally and collectively, didn’t begin with us. They are echoes of unresolved pain, trauma, and disconnection passed down through generations.

Through my extensive studies in shamanic practices, I’ve come to understand just how deeply our ancestral lines shape our present lives. Ancestral healing offers us a way to bring long-buried wounds into the light—not to relive them, but to acknowledge, honor, and ultimately release them. This is how we begin to break the cycles that no longer serve us or our descendants.

This work is deeply personal for me. Addiction has run through my family for generations, creating cycles of pain, disconnection, and dysfunction. That pattern is now clearing—but not without deep commitment and inner work. There have also been traumatic events that feel far from random. Both my son and I experienced freak accidents that resulted in the loss of parts of our left hands—incidents that seemed to echo something much older, something inherited.

Relationship struggles, family separations, and a repeated pull toward toxic environments have also been part of my lineage—and my lived experience. But that too is shifting. Slowly, and through difficult choices and uphill battles, I’ve been clearing these imprints. I’ve chosen healing, even when it hurt. I’ve chosen consciousness, even when it meant standing alone.

Ancestral healing is not easy work. It asks us to feel deeply, to witness pain we may not have caused, and to take responsibility for what we continue to carry forward. But it is also some of the most liberating and transformative work we can do. It reconnects us with the wisdom, resilience, and strength of those who came before us—and helps clear the path for those who will come after.

This is why I’m devoted to this work. It’s sacred. It’s necessary. And it’s absolutely worthwhile.

Healing the Invisible Wounds: How Trauma-Informed Therapies Guide Us Toward Wholeness and Empowerment

Healing the Invisible Wounds: How Trauma-Informed Therapies Guide Us Toward Wholeness and Empowerment

In a world where many carry the silent burden of trauma, healing can feel elusive. Whether from childhood experiences, loss, abuse, systemic oppression, or life-altering events, trauma often disrupts the way we see ourselves, others, and the world. The path back to wholeness isn't about "getting over it"—it's about integrating what happened in a way that restores our sense of safety, agency, and hope.

That’s where trauma-informed therapies come in—a compassionate, evidence-based approach to healing that recognizes the deep and complex impact trauma has on the mind, body, and spirit.

What Does It Mean to Be Trauma-Informed?

A trauma-informed approach doesn’t start by asking, “What’s wrong with you?” Instead, it asks, “What happened to you?” This fundamental shift in perspective changes everything.

Trauma-informed therapy acknowledges:

The prevalence of trauma: Many people, regardless of background, have experienced trauma.

The impact of trauma on the brain and body: It shapes our nervous system, triggers survival responses, and influences behavior, memory, and relationships.

The importance of safety and trust: Healing only happens when we feel secure, respected, and in control.

Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

1. Safety: Emotional and physical safety are foundational.

2. Trustworthiness and Transparency: Clear communication builds trust.

3. Empowerment: Clients are recognized as the experts of their own experiences.

4. Peer Support: Connection with others who have experienced trauma can reduce shame and isolation.

5. Collaboration: Healing is a partnership between therapist and client.

6. Cultural Humility: Therapists remain open to and respectful of diverse identities and life experiences.

Types of Trauma-Informed Therapies

While many therapeutic approaches can be trauma-informed, certain modalities are especially effective for trauma recovery:

1. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

EMDR helps individuals process traumatic memories without having to re-experience their emotional intensity. By engaging bilateral stimulation (often through guided eye movements), EMDR allows the brain to reprocess and release stuck trauma responses.

2. Somatic Experiencing

Developed by Dr. Peter Levine, this body-centered approach focuses on the physical sensations associated with trauma. It helps clients discharge stored survival energy and restore nervous system regulation.

3. Internal Family Systems (IFS)

IFS explores the "parts" within us—like the wounded inner child, the protector, or the critic. By helping these parts feel seen and heard, individuals can move toward internal harmony and self-leadership.

4. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

This structured therapy blends trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral techniques to help individuals identify and change unhelpful thought patterns while processing traumatic memories.

5. Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy helps individuals re-author their life stories, shifting from a trauma-dominated identity to one rooted in resilience and meaning.

From Surviving to Thriving: The Journey to Wholeness

Trauma can fracture our sense of identity and disconnect us from our inner power. But trauma-informed therapies create a bridge back to ourselves.

Through this work, many people rediscover:

Self-compassion: Learning to meet themselves with gentleness instead of judgment.

Emotional regulation: Gaining tools to soothe anxiety, anger, or dissociation.

Healthy relationships: Rebuilding trust, boundaries, and intimacy with others.

Personal agency: Taking back control of their story and choices.

Ultimately, trauma-informed healing isn't just about “feeling better”—it’s about reclaiming the wholeness that trauma tried to steal. It's about stepping into self-empowerment, not by erasing the past, but by integrating it and allowing it to become a source of strength, wisdom, and purpose.

Final Thoughts

Trauma may change us, but healing transforms us.

If you or someone you love is carrying the weight of trauma, know this: help exists, healing is possible, and you are not broken—you are becoming. Trauma-informed therapies offer not just recovery, but a path back to the fullest, most empowered version of yourself.

Healing Trauma with Shamanism

Healing Trauma with Shamanism: A Journey Back to Wholeness

In the modern world, trauma has become an all-too-common companion, lurking beneath the surface of anxiety, depression, chronic illness, or unexplained emotional pain. While clinical therapy and Western medicine offer invaluable tools for recovery, many are turning toward ancient wisdom traditions for deeper, soul-level healing. One such path is shamanism—a spiritual practice rooted in the belief that true healing comes from restoring balance to the soul.

What is Shamanism?

Shamanism is one of the oldest spiritual practices known to humanity, dating back tens of thousands of years. Found in indigenous cultures across the globe—from the Amazon rainforest to the Siberian tundra—shamanism is not a religion but a way of interacting with the spiritual world for guidance, healing, and insight.

At the heart of shamanism is the shaman, a healer who enters altered states of consciousness to travel to non-ordinary realities. Through journeys, rituals, and energy work, the shaman communicates with spirit guides, ancestors, and power animals to retrieve lost soul fragments, remove energetic blockages, and restore harmony to the body, mind, and spirit.

How Trauma Affects the Soul

From a shamanic perspective, trauma can cause parts of our soul or vital essence to fragment and flee. This phenomenon, known as soul loss, can occur after events such as abuse, accidents, grief, betrayal, or prolonged stress. Signs of soul loss might include:

A feeling of emptiness or numbness

Depression or chronic fatigue

Addictions or compulsive behaviors

Difficulty moving on from a traumatic event

A sense that something is missing

While modern psychology describes these symptoms in terms of mental health disorders, shamanism addresses them at a deeper, energetic level, aiming not just to manage symptoms but to recover the missing pieces of the self.

Shamanic Techniques for Healing Trauma

Shamanic healing is a holistic process that can complement traditional therapy or stand alone for those drawn to spiritual practices. Here are a few core techniques used in healing trauma:

1. Soul Retrieval

In a soul retrieval ceremony, the shaman journeys into the spiritual realm to locate and bring back the lost soul fragments of the client. This process often leads to profound emotional release and a renewed sense of vitality and wholeness.

2. Extraction Healing

Trauma can create energetic imprints or intrusions in the body. Extraction involves identifying and removing these negative energies to restore flow and clarity within the energy body.

3. Power Animal Retrieval

Shamanic traditions believe everyone has spirit allies—power animals who offer protection and strength. Reconnecting with one’s power animal can restore a sense of empowerment and courage, especially after traumatic events.

4. Ceremony and Ritual

Rituals such as fire ceremonies, drumming, chanting, or sweat lodges are used to release pain, invoke guidance, and symbolically transform suffering into a healing experience.

The Power of Ceremony and Connection

Healing through shamanism isn’t just about individual techniques—it’s about reconnecting with the sacred. In a world that often feels fragmented and fast-paced, shamanic practices offer a path to slow down, ground ourselves, and remember our place in the web of life.

Community, ceremony, and connection to nature are essential aspects of this healing path. Whether it’s sitting in circle, working with plant medicine, or spending time in solitude with the earth, shamanic healing reminds us that we are never truly alone.

Is Shamanic Healing Right for You?

Shamanic healing is not a quick fix—it is a journey. It requires openness, trust, and a willingness to explore beyond the physical and psychological into the spiritual and symbolic. It can be beneficial for those who feel stuck, who sense that traditional approaches aren’t reaching the root of their suffering, or who are seeking a deeper connection to their inner world.

If you feel called to this path, it’s important to seek out a trained and ethical practitioner—ideally someone with a strong grounding in both traditional shamanic training and an understanding of trauma-informed care.

Final Thoughts

Trauma may fracture the soul, but it does not define us. Shamanism offers a sacred invitation to remember who we truly are—not broken, but whole; not lost, but waiting to return home.

In the end, healing is not about erasing pain but transforming it into wisdom, strength, and connection. Shamanism doesn’t just help us heal—it helps us awaken.

Shamanic soul retrieval: reclaiming the lost pieces of yourself

In the journey of life, there are moments so painful, so shocking, or so overwhelming that a part of us seems to disappear. We feel fragmented, disconnected, or as if something essential is missing. In shamanic practice, this phenomenon is known as soul loss, and the sacred process of bringing those lost parts back home is called soul retrieval.

What Is Soul Retrieval?

Soul retrieval is an ancient shamanic healing practice that restores wholeness to the soul. Shamans believe that when we experience trauma — whether physical, emotional, or spiritual — a piece of our soul can split off as a protective mechanism. This is not a flaw, but a survival response. However, over time, the absence of that soul part can lead to symptoms such as:

Chronic fatigue or illness

Depression or anxiety

A sense of emptiness or numbness

Difficulty moving on from a past event

Feeling "not quite yourself" or "broken"

Addictions and self-sabotage

Through journeying into non-ordinary reality (a deep meditative or trance-like state), a shaman tracks and retrieves these missing soul fragments — often guided by spirit allies — and returns them to the person’s energy field.

Signs You May Need Soul Retrieval

Soul loss is more common than many realize. It can occur during:

Accidents or surgery

Abuse (emotional, physical, sexual)

Loss of a loved one

Breakups or betrayal

War, displacement, or natural disasters

You may not consciously remember the moment of soul loss, but the effects are often deeply felt.

What Happens During a Soul Retrieval?

Each practitioner’s approach is unique, but a typical session includes:

1. Setting Intentions: Clarifying the emotional or energetic issues you're facing.

2. Shamanic Journeying: The practitioner enters a trance state with the help of drumming, rattles, or breathwork.

3. Retrieval: The practitioner locates the lost soul parts and brings them back — often accompanied by symbolic messages or spiritual allies.

4. Integration: Rituals, visualization, or guided work to welcome and integrate the soul parts into your life.

5. Aftercare: Continued self-care and reflection to support the healing process.

Active Participation Is Essential

It’s important to understand that soul retrieval is not a passive experience — the true power of this work lies in how the client actively engages with the healing process after the session. The return of soul parts offers an opportunity, not a guarantee, for transformation.

To fully integrate the reclaimed pieces of the soul, the individual must:

Consciously welcome these aspects back into their life

Reflect on the messages or emotions that arise

Make lifestyle or behavioral changes to support healing

Establish boundaries, practices, or rituals that nourish the soul

Stay open to shifts in identity, purpose, or perception

Integration is where the healing becomes embodied. Without it, the returned soul parts may remain dormant or disconnected.

The Power of Reconnection

Soul retrieval is not a quick fix — it's a sacred reunion. It brings vitality, clarity, and purpose. People often describe feeling lighter, more present, and emotionally empowered after a soul retrieval. It can reignite creativity, restore lost passions, and offer closure to long-standing wounds.

What’s most beautiful is this: when we retrieve our soul parts, we’re not just healing — we’re reclaiming our birthright to be whole.

In a Modern Context

In our modern world, where many suffer from burnout, disconnection, and spiritual numbness, soul retrieval offers a profound path back to self. It reminds us that healing is not about perfection — it’s about wholeness. And sometimes, to move forward, we must journey inward and backward, gathering the forgotten pieces of who we truly are.

Final Thought:

If you've ever felt like a part of you is missing — like something got left behind along the way — soul retrieval may be the key to unlocking the vibrant, fully alive version of yourself waiting to return. And remember: the shaman opens the door, but you must walk through it.

Ancestral Healing

Shamanic Ancestral Healing: Reconnecting with the Wisdom of Our Lineage

In a world that often prioritizes logic and modernity, the ancient practices of shamanism offer a sacred path back to our roots. Among the many healing modalities in shamanism, Ancestral Healing stands out as a profound journey into the legacy of our bloodlines — not just to understand where we come from, but to heal what has been passed down.

What Is Shamanic Ancestral Healing?

Shamanic Ancestral Healing is a spiritual and energetic process that seeks to connect individuals with their ancestors — not just biologically, but spiritually — to identify and release inherited traumas, patterns, and unresolved emotions. In many indigenous cultures, it’s believed that the unhealed wounds of our ancestors can echo through generations, manifesting in our own lives as emotional pain, physical illness, limiting beliefs, or persistent life challenges.

Shamans, or practitioners of shamanic healing, act as bridges between the physical and spiritual worlds. Using tools like drumming, guided journeying, ritual, and plant medicine, they facilitate contact with benevolent ancestral spirits and guides to bring healing to generational lines.

Why Ancestral Healing Matters Today

We inherit more than eye color or facial features from our ancestors. Emotional wounds, unspoken grief, and cultural dislocation can imprint themselves energetically on descendants. In the context of trauma — especially historical trauma such as war, colonization, slavery, or forced migration — these imprints can become deeply embedded.

By consciously addressing these patterns, shamanic ancestral healing allows us to:

Break generational cycles of trauma and dysfunction

Reclaim lost gifts, wisdom, and resilience from our lineage

Feel a deeper sense of belonging and connection

Create a healthier legacy for future generations

The Process of Healing

A typical ancestral healing session may involve:

1. Intention Setting: Clarifying what you want to heal — whether it’s a repeating pattern, family issue, or inner block.

2. Journeying: Entering a trance-like state through drumming or visualization to connect with ancestral spirits.

3. Communication: Receiving messages, insights, or symbols from ancestors or guides.

4. Clearing and Integration: Releasing energetic burdens, performing rituals, or calling on elements (earth, fire, water, air) to transform energy.

5. Integration: Journaling, dreamwork, or creating an altar to stay connected with ancestral energies post-session.

Ancestors as Allies, Not Just History

Shamanic wisdom reminds us that ancestors are not just figures of the past — they are living presences in the spiritual realm. Healing ancestral wounds isn’t about blame; it’s about understanding. When we heal, we don’t just free ourselves — we also liberate those who came before us and empower those yet to be born.

A Personal Journey

Many who walk the path of ancestral healing report profound shifts: clarity around life purpose, emotional release, improved family relationships, and even spontaneous healing of chronic conditions. These transformations often emerge not through intellect, but through deep spiritual experience.

Final Thoughts

Shamanic Ancestral Healing invites us to honour our roots, transform our wounds, and embrace our place in the great web of life. Whether you feel the call to explore your lineage or simply wish to understand yourself on a deeper level, this sacred practice offers a powerful gateway.

Remember: Healing your ancestry isn’t about fixing the past — it’s about freeing your present and illuminating your future.