SOUL LOSS & SOUL RETRIEVAL
Soul loss is a shamanic term used to describe an imbalance caused by the loss or disassociation of some part of our vital essence (soul part). 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, home, business or career. Also accidents, illness, surgery, or wartime experiences…these are just some of the examples. PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is often associated with Soul Loss.
During a traumatic event, it is a natural human response to disassociate from our bodies to cope with the pain. We go numb, or withdraw and this protects us temporarily from feeling hurtful feelings. Commonly, when a trauma is more brief, as in a car accident, we may go through a period that feels like shock, but then slowly come back to ourselves as the danger has passed. However, if the trauma is more chronic: like childhood incest or being in an abusive relationship — or physically dangerous: like being assaulted, or in a war zone. This disassociation (or soul loss) becomes more serious and prolonged: We feel apathetic towards life, or chronically fearful, or have relentless depression. Also, we may try to fill the void of this emptiness with addictions such as drugs, alcohol, food, or sex. From a shamanic perspective, prolonged and chronic difficulties indicate that the lost soul part has not been able to return on its own and requires an intervention, for without the wholeness of having all our parts back and intact, we can find functioning in the world difficult and painful.
Soul Stealing
Sometimes we experience soul loss because we have given part of our vital essence (a soul part) to someone else, or allowed them to take it. We may do this because we love someone, or we believe we are helping someone. Conversely, if someone has taken this vital essence, it may happen because they are trying to control us or don’t want to let go of us.
If you are going through a break-up that is not mutual, and despite your strongest convictions you keep getting back together, your ex may have a ‘piece of you’, which gives the feeling of being “corded” to each other — it may feel impossible to break away. However, no one has the right to use your vital essence except you. We all have a right to autonomy and sovereignty in our bodies. Shamanically, this is called ‘soul theft’ and it presents as an unnatural or unhealthy connection to another person that may feel awkward, controlling and uncomfortable to us.
Symptoms of Soul Loss
- Chronic Depression
- Saying, “I have never felt the same since, ‘ blank ‘ happened.”
- Apathy, numbness, lack of vitality or fatigue
- An unhealthy connection to any individual, past partner or family member
- Inability to end a relationship
- Feeling like your ‘soul was stolen’ by an abuser
- A feeling that you are watching your life from the outside
- PTSD nightmares, or “flashbacks” of an old trauma
- Chronic illness or a weak immune system
- Feelings of emptiness which you try to fill with external things — addictions
- Difficulty staying present in your body (disassociation) 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, and tracking) locates the lost vital essence (or soul parts) of the client, heals them, and merges them back into the client to restore the person’s spiritual wholeness and Sacred Balance.
One of the benefits of a soul retrieval, is that it returns the gifts of strength, resilience and personal power that the lost soul parts embodied. People often report feeling calmer and more at peace than they have felt for years after receiving a soul retrieval.