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www.shamansociety.org 9 responsibility as shamanic practitioners to show clients how to develop this inner landscape that creates true joy peace and harmony that is not dependent on what is happening in the world around us. We can show clients how to create a life filled with passion and meaning. Finding In-Depth and Comprehensive Soul Retrieval Training The resurgence in shamanism raises the question of how to find the right training to become a shamanic practitio- ner. Many people are asking questions about the proper length and content of soul retrieval training. Before discussing this let me back up a bit and explain how my own soul retrieval training evolved over the years. In the late 1980s I taught weekend soul retrieval workshops all over the United States and in Europe Australia and New Zealand. I discovered that in weekend workshops there was not enough time to adequately train practi- tioners to deal with issues we face in a modern Western culture. There is a lot to understand about the results of bridging the powerful and ancient method of soul retrieval into a modern day psychologi- cally sophisticated culture. A longer time frame was needed so in 1990 I devel- oped a five-day soul retrieval training. I dont mean to romanticize in- digenous cultures but they tended to support people from birth honoring the gifts they were born with to share in their communities. Indigenous people were taught how to live a harmonious life and also knew what caused the disharmony that can result in illness. Whats more soul retrieval ceremonies were performed immediately after a trauma occurred in someones life. Life is not so simple in the Western world. We are not always supported to live a life filled with meaning. We often cannot connect the dots to how our lifestyle has created the emotional and physical illnesses we are dealing with today. People lose parts of their souls at very young ages and show up for soul retrieval work many years after a trauma occurs. Shamans in indigenous cultures did not have to go back 40 50 or 60 years looking for lost soul parts. And indigenous shamans did not work with a psychologically sophisticated population such as ours. I think the following considerations are crucial for anyone looking for soul retrieval training that will provide clients with deep and meaningful ways to create long-term healing. The workshop should include teach- ing the after-effects of soul retrieval work. Practitioners need to know how to deal with healing crises that come up after soul retrieval and deepen the more subtle effects of the work. It is especially important to let clients know that they cant always expect a miraculous instantaneous change. Practitioners should carefully reassure and counsel a person who does not receive an instantaneous healing. Some soul loss can occur when a cli- ent is a baby or toddler and this loss can create a habitual life pattern that runs the persons entire life. Many re- curring traumatic themes occur in life as a result from soul loss at an early age for example a repetitive pattern of always finding oneself betrayed in relationships. Good soul retrieval training teaches ways to help a client break old patterns and create a new positive present and future different from the traumas of the past. Practitioners should look for training that teaches ways to help clients fully integrate their soul parts so that the soul retrieval creates long-term heal- ing instead of short-term effects that quickly fizzle out. Its important to learn how to share with clients what is seen in a soul retrieval journey in a way that inspires them to move on with their healing process instead of re-traumatizing them by taking them back into the traumas of their past. This is a vital skill because so many clients are re-traumatized by shamanic practi- tioners who dont know how to tell healing stories. For example it is not healing to share with clients that a damaged or hurt soul part is being returned. The soul part coming back is now whole not damaged. Similarly a practitioner should not bring back a soul part that is afraid or does not want to come back. Clients should never be given this type of information. The definition of soul is essence which cant be harmed or hurt. A soul retrieval returns to the client the pure essence that brings the client into a state of healing and wholeness. A good soul retrieval teacher presents ways to phrase healing stories so that the practitioner blesses each client by plant- ing seeds of love hope and inspiration. Every time practitioners share a jour- ney with a client they are planting seeds that grow into plants with deep roots. People today dont need more bad news. They need to hear stories of hope and inspiration about the gifts talents and strengths that are now available to them after a soul retrieval which will improve the quality of their life. Frankly this takes simple common sense on behalf of the practitioner to understand the impact of his or her words on another. Words can be used to bless or curse someone. Ethics is a topic that should be cov- ered in soul retrieval training as well as in any course on shamanic healing. Two examples It is unethical to confirm through a shamanic journey whether the client was or was not a victim of sexual abuse. This is a complex topic that also has legal ramifications and cannot be gone into in this short article. A good training in soul retrieval will discuss this topic thoroughly. It is unethical to perform a soul retrieval long-distance without someones