Soul Retrieval

Your Soul Is Free

The body is temporal, that means that it is impermanent.  The only part of you that is really real and permanent is your soul.  That’s why so much attention is placed on the soul in shamanic work and shamanic healing.  In fact, during a shamanic journey part of the shaman’s soul leaves ordinary reality and travels to the upper world or the lower world.  This demonstrates that at least part of our soul can leave the body.

Part of your soul leaves your body when you dream.  Your soul may also leave the body to protect itself from emotionally or physically damaging.  Usually the soul fragment, the part that left, returns but sometimes it doesn’t.  If the soul fragment doesn’t come back on its own, a shaman must intervene and return the soul essence.

Some of the more common reasons why a soul might fragment include:

• To protect itself from an abusive or dangerous situation.
• To avoid witnessing others fighting (a common response of children in violent homes)
• To avoid the force of the accident.
• To avoid dealing with grief after the death of a loved one.

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These soul fragmentation events were healthy protection mechanisms at the time of the causal event but if the fragment fails to return the absence can result in long-term issues.  Often the soul fragment will return on its own.  However, sometimes it doesn’t realize that it is safe to return, or even know how to return. 
 
Soul Fragmentation Symptoms

I think what a shaman would call soul loss or soul fragmentation my counselor/psychologist wife might call disassociation.  While we may have different names for similar conditions the way the situation is approached is different.  A psychologist might use talk therapy with the disassociated parts or gestalt therapy.  A hypnotherapist might use parts therapy.  A shamanic practitioner goes on a shamanic journey, finds the fragmented part, and brings it back for reintegration.

Some of the symptoms that could indicate soul fragmentation to a shaman include:

• Depression,
• Feeling incomplete,
• Inability to move forward on some issue,
• Lost memories,
• Feeling like you not in control your life,
• Feeling like part of me died when . . . ,
• Feeling like so-and-so stole my soul, and
• Feeling that something is missing from life.

The Soul Retrieval Process

Shamanic soul retrieval is often a three-step process.  The shaman first goes on a shamanic journey to discover if there is a soul fragment that needs to be returned.  If so, the shaman will then talk with the client about soul retrieval and make sure that the client will accept the retrieved soul fragment.  If so, the shaman takes a second journey to retrieve the soul fragment(s).  Upon return the shaman will blow each fragment back into the client’s body of the client. 

Do It Yourself Soul Retrieval

While you can ask a shamanic practitioner to perform the soul retrieval for you I think that it is empowering for individuals to learn to undertake shamanic journeys and do their own work.  If you are not sure that you want to deal with a shamanic practitioner and don’t want to learn to journey then you might try the following:

• Put the question to the universe.  Ask, “Do I have a fragmented soul and if so, is the fragment ready and willing to return?”,
• Pray,
• Ask for a healing dream, and
• Ask your guardian angel or guardian spirits to return soul pieces to you.

Soul Reunification

First, always be open to the return of a soul fragment.  If soul fragmentation occurred when a person was young then the soul fragment may feel like the lost, young child.  We are all different and so feelings and responses to successful soul retrieval are unique.  Don’t expect that there is a textbook response that you should feel.  Some people feel great joy, some people sadness, some people feel fuller, some people feel lighter, some people feel nothing.  Remember there is no “right” way to feel. 

Celebration

I all cases when a soul fragment returns and you feel new wholeness then celebrate.  You are more whole than you were before and that is always cause for celebration.  Celebrate the return of your vital essence just like you would celebrate the return of a long lost loved one.  It would be wonderful if we lived in a world where soul fragmentation never happened.  A world so full of love and kindness that all of us always felt completely loved and supported. Unfortunately that’s not the world in which we live and so soul fragmentation is sadly common. 

Take care of yourself . . . Take care of each other,
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Dr. Dave