The Hollow Bone: Healing

Shamans view illness holistically. They assess the health of a person by tracking their alignment of Mind, Body and Spirit. This Sacred Balance is essential for our health and relates not only to our internal health (relationship to self) but also to our external health (relationship to others and the world around us).

Rather than trying to cure a symptom, which is the tradition of western allopathic medicine, shamans look at the whole system and track the symptom to its source. Shamans believe that all illness has a spiritual origin, which is based in some trauma that the patient has experienced. The trauma energetically imprints that person and if left unhealed or untended can develop into a chronic emotional, mental or physical condition. Therefor, shamans heal the spiritual origins of illness, so the imprint of trauma no longer informs our reality or health and we can return to a state of Grace.

Cross culturally, most shamanic healing focuses on the following aspects: Power loss, Soul Loss, Intrusions, Spirit releasing, ancestral work, and in the Peruvian Q’ero tradition, energetic imprints in the luminous energy field.

Most shamanic cultures believe we are born with one or more spirit guardians in the form of a Power Animal. A power animal protects our physical and spiritual vitality. This special guardian connects you to your body, your wisdom, and to the Earth, while guiding, protecting, grounding and inspiring you. Shamans believe that when we become disconnected from our power animals we lose our personal power.

A power animal retrieval reconnects you with your special guardian, rebuilding stamina, vital energy, a sense of purpose and a connection to your gifts. Instruction is given after the retrieval to help you maintain and honor your relationship with your animal.

Soul Loss is a shamanic term used to describe an imbalance caused by the loss or disassociation of some part of our vital essence. It is a spiritual illness caused by trauma that can result in emotional or physical disease. In our modern society this trauma and emotional splitting can come in many forms: Emotional or physical abuse, incest, rape, assault, divorce, separation, loss of a loved one, accidents, illness, surgery, or wartime experiences.

In these instances a natural human response is to disassociate from our bodies to cope with the pain. However, sometimes these fractured parts of our souls do not return, and without wholeness of our entire being we can find functioning in the world difficult and painful.

Sometimes we experience soul loss because we have given part of our vital essence to someone else, or allowed them to take it. This may happen because we believe we are helping someone, or someone who doesn’t want to let go of us is trying to hold on. However, no one can use our vital essence except us. The result of ‘soul theft’ is often an unnatural or unhealthy connection to another person that begins to feel awkward and uncomfortable to us.

Chronic depression
Apathy, numbness, lack of vitality or fatigue
An unhealthy connection to any individual, past partner or family member
A feeling that you are watching your life from the outside
Chronic illness or a weak immune system
Feelings of emptiness which you try to fill with external things
Difficulty staying present in your body or having memory gaps
A propensity towards addictions or destructive behaviors

In extreme cases there can be multiple personality disorders, a complete inability to function, or coma. Soul retrieval is an ancient form of spiritual healing in which the shaman, (through prayer, visioning, soul flight and tracking) locates the lost vital essence (or soul parts) of the client and reintegrates them to restore Sacred Balance.

Soul retrieval returns the gifts and personal power that our lost soul parts embodied.

Spiritual intrusions are caused by negative thought forms, such as anger, grief or other unresolved feelings, that we have taken into our bodies in response to hurt or a projection from someone else. An intrusion can also begin from chronic self abuse and negative self talk or from a physical injury. The expression of being “stabbed in the back” is more than a simple metaphor. In the shamanic perspective, these are psychic darts and arrows that we encounter when negative thoughts and feelings are directed towards us. An Intrusion can manifest as localized pain in the body, illness or depression. Left untended an intrusion can turn into a chronic illness. Intrusions often appear in situations where our Spirit has been weakened and made vulnerable by soul loss or power loss. A spiritual extraction involves removing and releasing the intrusion, clearing the affected area and is generally followed with a soul retrieval.

Severe grief or trauma at the time of death can leave a soul confused, angry, or disoriented. Rather than moving into the light these suffering beings remain on the earth plane attaching themselves to people (possession) or places (hauntings).

Symptoms of possession may include:
Depression
Inexplicable mood swings or personality shifts,
Substance abuse, binges, or uncontrollable addictions

Spirit releasing compassionately helps these souls move to a place of peace and frees the client from the influences of the suffering being.

The spiritual clearing of land, a home, office or other space may be needed if you or others are having any of the following experiences in a particular location:

A room, space or place feeling cold, dark or depressing for no apparent reason Experiencing human activity where there is none

A repeating theme of unfortunate “accidents” or “bad luck” incidents in a location

In general, activities one would associate with a place being “haunted”. Clearing involves communicating with the suffering being(s) and moving them to a place of peace, followed by re-energizing and balancing the space.

We carry in our bodies the stories, illnesses, tragedies, pain, and grief of our ancestors. Oftentimes we are unconscious of how the energy of old family wounds informs how we think and act in everyday life. This is why we see patterns of abuse, incest, addiction, poor health and many other traits passed down through generations. From a shamanic perspective, these traits are seen as energetic imprints in our Luminous Energy Field (read Illuminations) which need to be cleared so the ancestral pattern ceases to inform our behavior or health.

In my practice I have found that many people with traumatic family histories need ancestral healing for personal healing to occur.

A debilitating belief or emotion which you share with other members of your family lineage.
A particularly destructive behavior such as substance abuse, addiction or incest which runs through your family
Health problems or accidents that appear in “themes” along a male or female lineage. For example: men of the family having heart attacks in their mid 40’s or back injuries that befall women of the family at a particular age.

Ancestral healing involves clearing the imprint from our body by integrating several different shamanic healing methods. Generally this requires several sessions which would include an Illumination, extraction, soul retrieval and the spirit releasing of deceased relatives. Ancestral healing helps us step out of the patterns we have lived so we can walk our path with clarity and make peace with our family histories.

Our physical body is surrounded by a Luminous Energy Field (like an aura) which is an invisible matrix that holds the imprint of all our karmic, personal and ancestral memories, traumas and wounds. These imprints can become activated to mirror a personal history that repeats itself by compelling us towards behaviors, relationships, accidents or illnesses that replicate the original trauma. An Illumination is the shamanic clearing of the negative imprints in our Luminous Energy Field, it is an ancient energy healing technique that comes from the Q’ero shamans of Peru, the descendants of the Inca.

You feel stuck in a behavioral pattern which continues to repeat itself
You are struggling to heal from traits (health or emotional) that are part of your ancestry
Emotional traumas of your past continue to haunt you and do not respond well to other healing modalities

In the Inca tradition of Illumination, the imprints to the Luminous Energy Field appear as sluggish energy around the chakras. During the healing, the heavy emotional energy of the imprint is drained through the chakra, then the imprint itself is erased through the use of focused intention and breath. When the imprint is erased, we are no longer informed by the wounds of our past or ancestry.

A typical session for a shamanic healing may take 2-3 hours. You may come by yourself or bring friends, family members or your therapist to a session. What is important to me is that you are with people with whom you feel nurtured, safe and supported. All shamanic work is private and strictly confidential. I usually start by discussing what shamanism is and by learning about your history and struggles. Together we identify what issues are in need of healing.

With dimmed lights, I will then create Sacred Space, beginning with prayer, song, invocation, calling the directions, rattling and drumming. I begin each healing with a profound, passionate prayer asking the Spirits to help with a healing that is most helpful at this time in your life. In a partial trance supported by the sound of the drum, I receive instruction from my Spiritual helpers on what needs to be done. Each healing is unique to the client and reflects what the individual needs. Typically, I will perform a combination of healing methods, depending on how I am directed by Spirit. Your healing may include a soul retrieval, power animal retrieval, or extraction.

At the end of the healing, energy is blown into the heart and crown of the head, rattling around the body seals the healing. The drumming stops and I share the story of the healing information I received for you, which is either tape recorded or written. Illuminations, ancestral healing and clearings involve slightly different methods. All of this work comes from a place of Divine Love from the Creator.

After the healing I will discuss with you any “homework” or lifestyle change that may be necessary to support your healing process. I encourage people to contact me within a week or two after the healing to discuss any effects they are experiencing from the work, and to determine if additional work needs to be done.

Depending on the nature of the work involved, significant healing can be accomplished in 1 to 3 sessions. Many clients find that one session is all they need. The success is affected by the intensity of your desire for healing, and your willingness to actively create healing patterns in your life.

Having a clear intention and desire for healing (as well as being willing to let go of old patterns that are unhealthy) strengthens the effects of the healing.

What is not working in my life?
What feels out of balance?
What is missing, or what qualities have I lost which I long to reclaim?
Are there unhealthy patterns in my life which keep repeating?
Are there people in my life to which I have an unhealthy connection?
Are there places in my body where I am regularly feeling pain?
Does my life feel out of control?
Are there themes in my ancestry which are getting repeated in my life?
Why am I feeling called to seek spiritual healing now?

Ask for a dream the night before, or pray for relief from your suffering as a way of setting your intention. It is important to avoid alcohol or recreational drugs for 24 hours before and after your healing. After your session it may take 1-3 days to fully integrate the healing you have received. Be sure to take time afterwards to nurture yourself. The effects of the healing can be gradual or dramatic, each individual experiences this differently.

You may wish to follow your session with some shamanic counseling so you can cultivate your own inner strength and balance. I encourage people to educate themselves about shamanism. Excellent books to read are, Sandra Ingerman’s, Soul Retrieval or Welcome Home, Alberto Villoldo’s, Shaman, Healer Sage as well as Michael Harner’s, The Way of the Shaman.

Appointments for long distance healings can be scheduled if it is not possible to meet in person. Generally, I find that healings done in person have the most powerful impact and I strongly recommend an in person session over a long distance one, but there are times when this is simply not possible.

When this is the case, we can set up a healing time by phone. I will start by conducting a phone interview to identify which issues are in need of healing. Then, off the line, I will ask you to stay in an uninterrupted, and receptive state of stillness while I energetically connect to what healing needs to be done. I will perform the healing-sending the healing energy to you. This will be followed by a phone call where I will describe what transpired during the healing and tape record the session. The tape will be mailed to you afterward. In general, certain types of healings (particularly clearings) are best done in person. Also, with certain individuals I may require an in person session.

You may wish to follow a healing session with some shamanic counseling. This may involve making life choices that support your healing process, or shamanic “inner work” designed to reclaim balance and identify life issues. An instructional session can assist you in becoming more adept in your own shamanic practice by learning to communicate with your power animals and teachers. My focus in a counseling session is to help you develop the tools needed to access your own spiritual wisdom, to develop your own “inner shaman”, and to live your life from a place of Sacred Balance, or Grace.

I also schedule private instruction sessions with individuals who wish to develop specific shamanic skills.

I encourage people to continue with traditional therapies and counseling as part of their healing process. I would be happy to work with your therapist to support your healing. All shamanic work is private and strictly confidential.

All healing work comes from the heart and payment is accepted on a sliding scale basis. Payment may be made with cash, VISA, MC or checks made out to; The Hollow Bone.

Cost is based on a $50/hour basis. Most sessions average about 3 hours or $150/session

You can pay more if you can, less if you can't. Your additional support allows me to help those less fortunate.

Call 608-255-4333 or coyote@thehollowbone.com to set up an appointment. A 24-hour notice is needed for cancellations. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.