Shamanic Counselling

Shamanism is humanities oldest tradition for healing and problem solving for individuals and society. The word "Shaman" comes from the Evinki people of Siberia and literally means "one who knows", but has come to refer to a group of closely related practices and traditions from across the globe.

A Shaman is someone who uses rhythmic drumming, dancing or song to enter an altered state of consciousness where the soul is free to journey to the spirit world and gain knowledge, power or healing for oneself or another.

The Spirit world is regarded in many cultures as divided into three levels, the Upperworld, the Middleword and the Lowerworld. The Middleworld is our every day reality. The Lowerworld is entered via some opening in the earth, such as a foxhole, a spring or a cave. The story of Alice in Wonderland could be regarded as a Shamanic journey to the Lowerworld. Shamanism goes hand in hand with an annimistic view of nature: everything is alive and embodies a spirit - cats, dogs, trees, stones, mountains, streams - and via these spirits they are interconnected with everything else.

Shamanism is not itself a religion although shamanic influences exist in many religions including Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Shamanic counselling involves teaching the client the skills of Shamanic Journeying and how to use those skills for practical problem solving and for healing. It differs from other forms of "guided imagery" in that these other Worlds and Spirits are regarded as having an objective existence beyond the individual imagination.