Printed in Awareness Magazine July/August 2003
Urban Shamanism:
Using shamanic healing practices to treat depression
By: Elham (Ellie) Ezzati, M.A.,C.M.T.
Shamanism-- What is it and where does it come from?
Shamanism is believed to have developed during the New Stone Age and the Bronze Age
period. The word shaman derives from the Manchu-Tungus word šaman, literally meaning, “he
who knows.” Shamans can be found in all indigenous cultures of the world from South Asia, the
Americas, to Russia and the Balkans, the Middle East, India and Africa. It is questioned whether
shamans of all cultures can be seen in the same light. There are, however, certain commonalities
with in the shamans’ world view as well as their ritualistic practices that make some
generalizations possible. For example, shamanism may be applied to all religious system in which
the central personage is believed to have direct intercourse through an ecstatic state with the
transcendent world that permits him or her to act as healer, diviner, and psychopomp
(Encyclopedia Britannica online, par.1).
Shamans use these ecstatic states only for the purpose of helping to bring about health and
wholeness within individuals and communities. Once shamans enter these states, they are fully in
control of their journeys to other realms and are conscious of everything that transpires. They
are also able to evoke spirits and inner allies that will be protectors and givers of power
(Nicholson, 1987, p.xii).
The belief system of the shamans and the rituals they use to perform the healings vary from
culture to culture. For example, Nicholson explains that Native American shamans hold the belief
system that the universe has three levels—sky, earth and underworld—connected by a central
axis. These shamans use techniques to journey from one of these regions to another in order to
access the information they need to help the individual (p.viii). Muslim Indian shamans, on the
other hand believe that there are three classes of living beings “higher” than men: Farishta
(angels), shaitan (satanic beings) and jinn (demons or spirits). They believe that it is the
interference of the shaitan and the jinn that can cause chaos and disorder in a person’s life
creating an overall state of imbalance (Kakar, 1982, p.24).
Modern Day or Urban Shamans
Urban shamans are every day healers who continue to practice the essence of traditional
shamanism in today’s modern society. In a sense, any individual working with in the healing arts
profession is to some degree a modern day shaman. They use a core belief system
(Cognitive/behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy or touch therapy, etc) as well as techniques and
rituals (weekly visit to the therapist’s office, lying on the couch or the table, talking about life
events or dreams, etc.) in order to promote mental and emotional health. However, a more
traditional shaman would access an altered state of consciousness as a way to get more
information about his/her clients.
Sandra Ingerman (1991), author, healer and educator is an urban shaman who uses a
technique called “soul retrieval” as way to bring back the lost vitality and essence in a person’s
life. She explains that, “soul loss is a result of such traumas as incest, abuse, loss of loved one,
surgery, accident, illness, miscarriage, abortion, combat stress or addiction” (p.11). She goes on
to further explain that, “individuals who suffer from soul loss often carry with them a painful
sense of incompleteness and disconnection…may spend years in therapy or self-help groups
trying to uncover traumas and to become whole” (p.12). She uses soul retrieval as a way to help
bring back the lost life force energy and vitality of the individual.
Does it actually work?
Jeanne Achterberg (1992), author and professor of psychology at Saybrook Graduate School
has done experiments to see if in fact shamanic healing rituals have any benefit for people. Her
experiments show that any healing ritual has a significant impact on a person’s well-being (both
physical and psychological). She shows that incorporating ritual of any kind by healing
practitioners is a way to encourage hope, reduce depression and anxiety in patients (p.161).
She believes that it is the activity of the ritual, particularly if it prescribes a series of behaviors
that has the critical psychological effect of pacing people through difficult times is what makes
the difference. These rituals provide a roadmap for the unseen, unknown and uncharted
territory. These rituals can be but are not limited to acts such as, “chants, songs, or prayers to
quiet a troubled mind, making space for mental and spiritual clarity” (p.162).
Another study by Marlene Dobkin de Rios (2002), a medical anthropologist and
psychotherapist reveals that using shamanic healing practices with U.S. Latino immigrant
population suffering from psychological and emotional disorders is far more beneficial and
productive than using straight insight or talk therapy. She believes that psychotherapy has its
roots in shamanism and most indigenous people are apt to feel more comfortable with these
rituals rather than the Western model for healing (p.1576).
Joan’s Story
Joan was referred to me by a friend of hers. Her initial reason for wanting to come in was
because of her chronic depression. She mentioned that she had been receiving psychological
counseling for a number of years and while her symptoms seemed to have improved significantly
her depression still lingered. She felt there were unresolved issues in her life that seemed to not
get worked out. Not only had she seen a therapist for a while but some years back she had also
gotten involved with occult practices. While her spiritual practice had helped her initially, lately
she felt it compounded her depression. She wanted out of the order but was having trouble
letting go.
She had heard about my work from her friend and was curious to know whether I could help.
Upon her inquiry, I decided to consult my own spirit guides to find out if in deed I could help her
and if she would benefit from a shamanic healing. The answer was a clear, “Yes.”
The next time Joan and I saw each other, the session began with the same ritual I practice at
the beginning of every shamanic healing session. I had her lie on the table facing up and I stood
beside her at the head of the table. I then held my hands in a prayer position and allowed myself
to enter into a quiet place within myself where I could invoke the presence of the spirit world to
help guide me through the process. As I entered an altered state, I consciously began to
surrender and let go of my will so that I would become an open channel for Joan. Once I was able
to let go of my thoughts and ideas of what the session needed to look like or what was to take
place, I then knew the session was ready to begin.
What transpired next is different with every individual. With some I may not need to talk and
instead perform the healing in silence, while with others I may have a continued dialogue. In Joan’
s case, I felt I needed to tell her what I was seeing. While in an altered state, I began seeing
images of scenes that flashed rapidly in front of me. One scene after another depicted a man with
a young girl or a woman. While each scene was different from the next and each one took place in
a different time period, the theme was the same; each one clearly showed a man abusing,
exploiting or taking advantage of the child/woman.
As I described each scene, something began to shift in Joan. First she began to gently sob
then gradually her sobs turned into painful cries. She began to resonate with the images and said
that this is exactly what she had been feeling all her life but not able to put into words. While she
suspected that her father had abused her, she could not confirm it. He continued to deny it to
this day and this left her paralyzed and not able to move on with her life.
As I continued to share the scenes with her, eventually something interesting began to
happen. Joan began to see the same images I was describing. Pretty soon I would start
describing a scene and she would finish telling the rest of it. Each time she finished describing a
scene her body would relax more. It seemed as though the images were helping her let go of the
pain she had been holding onto for so long. We continued going back and forth for the next hour
or so until there were no more images visible to either of us. It was then that I knew the session
had ended.
Joan and I continued to work together for the next several months processing the events of
that session. The images had opened up a doorway for her allowing her to deal with each scene
as thought she had actually experienced the events in her body. This process enabled her to do
the inner work required to gradually understand and let go of her deep hatred and resentment
towards her father.
As she continued to do the inner work her sense of self became stronger. Her depression
began to gradually lift and each time I saw her she seemed to have let go of a layer of darkness.
She also became more confident in her own intuitive abilities and began incorporating it into her
daily life. She no longer felt she needed an external source of affirmation for her spiritual beliefs
and practices. Later, she used her gift to work with abandoned and abused animals. She was able
to communicate with them and help them release their trauma so that they could be adopted into
more loving homes.
In the following years since I worked with Joan and other amazing individuals who happen to
cross my path, I am always reminded of this wonderful Chinese proverb:
When the winter is severe
the pine trees in this ancient land
stay green throughout the year.
Is it because the earth is warm and friendly?
No, it is because the pine tree has within itself a life-restoring power.
References
Achterberg, J. (1992). Ritual: The foundation for transpersonal medicine. Revision, 14(3), 158-165.
Retrieved on March 9, 2003, from MasterFILE premier database.
Dobkin de Rios, M. (2002). What can we learn from shamanic healing: Brief psychotherapy with
Latino immigrant clients. American Journal of Public Health, 92(10), 1576-1579. Retrieved on
March 9, 2003, from MasterFILE premier database.
Ingerman, S. (1991). Soul retrieval: Mending the fragmented self. New York: Harper Collins.
Kakar, S. (1982). Shamans, mystics & doctors: A psychological inquiry into India and its healing
traditions. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Nicholson, S. (1987). Shamanism. Wheaton, Ill: The Theosophical Publishing House.
Shamanism. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved April 10, 2003, from http://search.eb.
com/eb/print?eu=117459
Urban Shamanism:
Using shamanic healing practices to treat depression
By: Elham (Ellie) Ezzati, M.A.,C.M.T.
Shamanism-- What is it and where does it come from?
Shamanism is believed to have developed during the New Stone Age and the Bronze Age
period. The word shaman derives from the Manchu-Tungus word šaman, literally meaning, “he
who knows.” Shamans can be found in all indigenous cultures of the world from South Asia, the
Americas, to Russia and the Balkans, the Middle East, India and Africa. It is questioned whether
shamans of all cultures can be seen in the same light. There are, however, certain commonalities
with in the shamans’ world view as well as their ritualistic practices that make some
generalizations possible. For example, shamanism may be applied to all religious system in which
the central personage is believed to have direct intercourse through an ecstatic state with the
transcendent world that permits him or her to act as healer, diviner, and psychopomp
(Encyclopedia Britannica online, par.1).
Shamans use these ecstatic states only for the purpose of helping to bring about health and
wholeness within individuals and communities. Once shamans enter these states, they are fully in
control of their journeys to other realms and are conscious of everything that transpires. They
are also able to evoke spirits and inner allies that will be protectors and givers of power
(Nicholson, 1987, p.xii).
The belief system of the shamans and the rituals they use to perform the healings vary from
culture to culture. For example, Nicholson explains that Native American shamans hold the belief
system that the universe has three levels—sky, earth and underworld—connected by a central
axis. These shamans use techniques to journey from one of these regions to another in order to
access the information they need to help the individual (p.viii). Muslim Indian shamans, on the
other hand believe that there are three classes of living beings “higher” than men: Farishta
(angels), shaitan (satanic beings) and jinn (demons or spirits). They believe that it is the
interference of the shaitan and the jinn that can cause chaos and disorder in a person’s life
creating an overall state of imbalance (Kakar, 1982, p.24).
Modern Day or Urban Shamans
Urban shamans are every day healers who continue to practice the essence of traditional
shamanism in today’s modern society. In a sense, any individual working with in the healing arts
profession is to some degree a modern day shaman. They use a core belief system
(Cognitive/behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy or touch therapy, etc) as well as techniques and
rituals (weekly visit to the therapist’s office, lying on the couch or the table, talking about life
events or dreams, etc.) in order to promote mental and emotional health. However, a more
traditional shaman would access an altered state of consciousness as a way to get more
information about his/her clients.
Sandra Ingerman (1991), author, healer and educator is an urban shaman who uses a
technique called “soul retrieval” as way to bring back the lost vitality and essence in a person’s
life. She explains that, “soul loss is a result of such traumas as incest, abuse, loss of loved one,
surgery, accident, illness, miscarriage, abortion, combat stress or addiction” (p.11). She goes on
to further explain that, “individuals who suffer from soul loss often carry with them a painful
sense of incompleteness and disconnection…may spend years in therapy or self-help groups
trying to uncover traumas and to become whole” (p.12). She uses soul retrieval as a way to help
bring back the lost life force energy and vitality of the individual.
Does it actually work?
Jeanne Achterberg (1992), author and professor of psychology at Saybrook Graduate School
has done experiments to see if in fact shamanic healing rituals have any benefit for people. Her
experiments show that any healing ritual has a significant impact on a person’s well-being (both
physical and psychological). She shows that incorporating ritual of any kind by healing
practitioners is a way to encourage hope, reduce depression and anxiety in patients (p.161).
She believes that it is the activity of the ritual, particularly if it prescribes a series of behaviors
that has the critical psychological effect of pacing people through difficult times is what makes
the difference. These rituals provide a roadmap for the unseen, unknown and uncharted
territory. These rituals can be but are not limited to acts such as, “chants, songs, or prayers to
quiet a troubled mind, making space for mental and spiritual clarity” (p.162).
Another study by Marlene Dobkin de Rios (2002), a medical anthropologist and
psychotherapist reveals that using shamanic healing practices with U.S. Latino immigrant
population suffering from psychological and emotional disorders is far more beneficial and
productive than using straight insight or talk therapy. She believes that psychotherapy has its
roots in shamanism and most indigenous people are apt to feel more comfortable with these
rituals rather than the Western model for healing (p.1576).
Joan’s Story
Joan was referred to me by a friend of hers. Her initial reason for wanting to come in was
because of her chronic depression. She mentioned that she had been receiving psychological
counseling for a number of years and while her symptoms seemed to have improved significantly
her depression still lingered. She felt there were unresolved issues in her life that seemed to not
get worked out. Not only had she seen a therapist for a while but some years back she had also
gotten involved with occult practices. While her spiritual practice had helped her initially, lately
she felt it compounded her depression. She wanted out of the order but was having trouble
letting go.
She had heard about my work from her friend and was curious to know whether I could help.
Upon her inquiry, I decided to consult my own spirit guides to find out if in deed I could help her
and if she would benefit from a shamanic healing. The answer was a clear, “Yes.”
The next time Joan and I saw each other, the session began with the same ritual I practice at
the beginning of every shamanic healing session. I had her lie on the table facing up and I stood
beside her at the head of the table. I then held my hands in a prayer position and allowed myself
to enter into a quiet place within myself where I could invoke the presence of the spirit world to
help guide me through the process. As I entered an altered state, I consciously began to
surrender and let go of my will so that I would become an open channel for Joan. Once I was able
to let go of my thoughts and ideas of what the session needed to look like or what was to take
place, I then knew the session was ready to begin.
What transpired next is different with every individual. With some I may not need to talk and
instead perform the healing in silence, while with others I may have a continued dialogue. In Joan’
s case, I felt I needed to tell her what I was seeing. While in an altered state, I began seeing
images of scenes that flashed rapidly in front of me. One scene after another depicted a man with
a young girl or a woman. While each scene was different from the next and each one took place in
a different time period, the theme was the same; each one clearly showed a man abusing,
exploiting or taking advantage of the child/woman.
As I described each scene, something began to shift in Joan. First she began to gently sob
then gradually her sobs turned into painful cries. She began to resonate with the images and said
that this is exactly what she had been feeling all her life but not able to put into words. While she
suspected that her father had abused her, she could not confirm it. He continued to deny it to
this day and this left her paralyzed and not able to move on with her life.
As I continued to share the scenes with her, eventually something interesting began to
happen. Joan began to see the same images I was describing. Pretty soon I would start
describing a scene and she would finish telling the rest of it. Each time she finished describing a
scene her body would relax more. It seemed as though the images were helping her let go of the
pain she had been holding onto for so long. We continued going back and forth for the next hour
or so until there were no more images visible to either of us. It was then that I knew the session
had ended.
Joan and I continued to work together for the next several months processing the events of
that session. The images had opened up a doorway for her allowing her to deal with each scene
as thought she had actually experienced the events in her body. This process enabled her to do
the inner work required to gradually understand and let go of her deep hatred and resentment
towards her father.
As she continued to do the inner work her sense of self became stronger. Her depression
began to gradually lift and each time I saw her she seemed to have let go of a layer of darkness.
She also became more confident in her own intuitive abilities and began incorporating it into her
daily life. She no longer felt she needed an external source of affirmation for her spiritual beliefs
and practices. Later, she used her gift to work with abandoned and abused animals. She was able
to communicate with them and help them release their trauma so that they could be adopted into
more loving homes.
In the following years since I worked with Joan and other amazing individuals who happen to
cross my path, I am always reminded of this wonderful Chinese proverb:
When the winter is severe
the pine trees in this ancient land
stay green throughout the year.
Is it because the earth is warm and friendly?
No, it is because the pine tree has within itself a life-restoring power.
References
Achterberg, J. (1992). Ritual: The foundation for transpersonal medicine. Revision, 14(3), 158-165.
Retrieved on March 9, 2003, from MasterFILE premier database.
Dobkin de Rios, M. (2002). What can we learn from shamanic healing: Brief psychotherapy with
Latino immigrant clients. American Journal of Public Health, 92(10), 1576-1579. Retrieved on
March 9, 2003, from MasterFILE premier database.
Ingerman, S. (1991). Soul retrieval: Mending the fragmented self. New York: Harper Collins.
Kakar, S. (1982). Shamans, mystics & doctors: A psychological inquiry into India and its healing
traditions. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Nicholson, S. (1987). Shamanism. Wheaton, Ill: The Theosophical Publishing House.
Shamanism. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved April 10, 2003, from http://search.eb.
com/eb/print?eu=117459
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