There are moments in our lives that have such a huge impact on us that it’s as if magic has happened. Such a moment happened for me and set my life on a new course.

There was a time where I had dealt with so much verbal and emotional abuse that I didn’t even recognize myself. I sure wasn’t the person I had started with in the beginning of the relationship. And honestly, I didn’t feel like I had the strength to do anything about it!

A friend sensing my disconnect with myself suggested I take a weekend workshop in shamanism to learn more about connecting with the sacred and myself. I did….and it changed my life dramatically.

It happens to all of us at some point in our lives. We begin to long for deeper meaning..…for a greater connection to our world…..we experience a sense that we have lost something sacred.

It happens to our souls….the very essence of who we are. We often feel we have lost or given up an integral part of ourselves. Some call it soul loss or soul sickness. In “Psych-talk” it is sometimes called the “giving up” syndrome. Whatever name you give it, we can’t will away the call of the soul.

For many, the wake up call comes with reaching the golden ring only to discover that it wasn’t what we thought it would be. Others face the soul’s call when dealing with a tragedy or a life threatening disease. And some, like me, come to it from demoralization or a loss of hope.

From a shamanic viewpoint, soul sickness is often misdiagnosed in western medicine. Many medical practitioners find their patients exhibiting the classic signs but treat them for the symptoms rather than the cause. This only leads to more soul sickness as the patient then begins to feel an even greater sense of hopelessness when the loss is not dealt with.

Symptoms of soul loss/sickness are:

* Feeling of disconnection to self
* Experiencing a “war” within the self
* A sense of emptiness
* Generalized physical symptoms with no known cause
* Surviving rather than living…..giving up
* A lack of hope
* Inability to handle life
* Unexplained fatigue

Soul loss or soul sickness can be considered a form of lost energy. Not actually lost but not accessible by the one experiencing it. This loss comes from a conflict within the individual. In modern terms we might say the person is out of alignment with a part of themselves. That part being their soul.

The energy of soul loss or sickness is being experienced in a different landscape…….a different language. In order to restore the energy or soul loss, we must be able to travel that world or speak that language. It is not the language of the right brain......the rational conscious mind. The language is of the unconscious self, which is connected to the Higher Self.

To the Spirit Healer, life is an intricate sacred dance between the realm of Spirit and the natural world. A Spirit Healer is one who sees…..one who works directly with the different realms as a vehicle for healing.

The Spirit Healer can help the seeker to reconnect to that part of their soul, which is never lost, only lost connection to. The Spirit Healer can help the seeker to realize they are not their body but a soul that is outside the body and here for all eternity (in one form or another).

The Healer’s method is diametrically different than that of the traditional Western doctor, for the Spirit Healer knows that to heal, one soul must feel connected to another. The Spirit Healer, becoming his soul, travels the archetypal realms and “speaks” to the seekers soul. It is this one-on-one connection that creates the healing.

It is useless to tell someone experiencing soul loss or sickness to “snap out of it”. Many do not even realize when or where they experienced the loss/sickness and none know what to do. Healing cannot take place on the rational level. It must come from the sacred realm of the soul.

Working with others to reclaim soul loss is a powerful process experienced through one’s own soul. We become our true self by accessing the connection with ourselves, with others and our world.

In order to become a Spirit Healer, one must learn many different healing modalities as well as be the vehicle. We may be guided but we must have some knowledge in which to “ground” the guidance.

Author's Bio: 

Debra has a background in Psychology, is a published author, Master Trainer of NLP, Certified Hypnotherapist and a Shamanic facilitator.

Debra grew up with nature based, shamanic practices. She studied with Hank Wesselman, Helen Bangs, various Indian Medicine Women and was a lead trainer for Advanced Neuro Dynamics. She is authorized as a facilitator of “Shamanic Journeys”, a Spiritual Counselor and Minister.

Find out more about the Journey of the Spirit Healer at: http://www.spiritsmuse.com/ancientwisdom.html