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www.shamansociety.org 37 Farrahs story began to unfold upon my second visit to Grandmother. As soon as I entered her room she was beside herself and asked how I knew about her daughter. In Farsi I said When I touched you I was able to see your pain. Joseph informed me between sessions that Farrah had contracted polio as a child and lost the use of her limbs. Despite her physical limitations she was very happy loving and somewhat mobile. Now in our second session Grandmother shared that when Farrah was sixteeen a young doctor in Iran had approached the family telling them he could cure Farrah of her affliction and that she would be able to walk again. He performed spinal surgery leav- ing Farrah with excruciating pain that no medicine could alleviate. She only screamed day and night. After three months of being bedridden at home the family returned Farrah to the hospital in hopes that the doctors and nurses could better manage her pain. Grandmother visited every day but had to leave at night to tend to her other five children. Later they learned that Farrah was moved to the hospital basement each night because her continuous screaming would not allow the other patients to sleep. Then one day seven months after the surgery Farrah just stopped scream- ing. Soon after she died alone on her hospital bed. Farrah was quickly and quietly buriedalong with her familys final memories of her her suffering and the circumstances that led to her death. The family members suffered silentlyif they grieved at all. I saw Grandmother three more times. Her pain progressively lessened and it became clear that her pain was emotional and spiritual rather than physical. Our last session was with Joseph Grandmoth- er and all her children. Grandmother sat upright in her chair at the head of the circle we formed. Although frail and hard of hearing she was totally present listening and engaged in everything that was taking place. I began by sharing how Grandmother had taken on the pain of her daughter and had wanted to die with the same fate as Farrah. I added that Grandmother was now free of the pain that had haunted her all these years. I also affirmed that Grandmother did not need to die with the same legacy as her daughter. Al- though the family members reactions varied from receptiveness to skepticism each readily shared their memories of Farrah and her impact on him or her. After this session Joseph shared that Grandmother entered into a calm state of being. Although she passed in and out of consciousness her pain subsided and the medications were discontinued. Even though the family still needed time to heal I realized that my work with Grand- mother was complete. Two months after my last visit I checked in with Joseph to see how Grandmother was doing. He wrote She is now hours to days left of remain- ing here with us. Her breathing is very slow. She has been in a coma for the last three days and is at home with hospice care. She is very peaceful. I find her to be very much at peace and waiting to go. The day we all met together was the turning point for her heart and a return to a relationship with God. The family is ready for her transition too. Shortly thereafter she peacefully made her transition. Even though I knew Grandmother for a short period of time I was deeply affected by our encounter. Her open- ness and willingness to trust a complete stranger to come into her home and touch her soul was a deeply humbling and loving experience for me. Recogniz- ing that a transcendent force was created between us the lines between the one healing and the one being healed became blurred. I too came away from that experience with greater inner peace. My work with Grandmother is an example of how shamanism can offer a culturally rich and effective way to help individuals process their emotional and spiritual paineven when that pain op- erates beyond the persons consciousness and even when it has been suppressed for decades. By accessing spiritual guides and honoring insights while taking into account and working with Grand- mothers Iranian cultural roots I was able to deliver culturally sensitive care that supported her in the ways she needed to move through lifeand death. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ellie Zarrabian Ph.D. Founder and Spiritual Director of Centerpeace Foundation httpwww.centeronpeace. com -- A Holistic Center for Psychotherapy and Spirituality based in Los Angeles CA. Dr. Zarrabian works with individuals interested in exploring spirituality as a way to resolve conflict deepen or heal relationships or to finding a career that is in alignment with a higher spiritual calling. www.shamansociety.org 15 of tomorrow. About thE Author Annette Hst based in Copenhagen Denmark has studied practiced and taught shamanism internationally for over two decades. Her 25 years of research and teaching of old Scandinavian shamanic traditions include lecturing on seir at the National Museum of Denmark. She is co-founder of Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies with Jonathan Horwitz. For more about her work on shamanism and other articles on seir see www.shamanism.dk.