I had engaged with psychodynamic psychotherapy for seven years and while it had helped me process my trauma experiences and feel better about myself I knew there was more to do. I needed something that worked more with my body and spirituality. After noticing that shamanism kept popping up in my life I decided to commit to exploring it in early 2020 and searched for a shamanic counsellor. I soon came across a profile of a person that I instantly resonated with and was lucky that she had space for me. Over the course of eighteen months Chris’ practice developed and I was observing shifts in my deeply embedded patterns of behaviour. I was also journeying which was something I had convinced myself I couldn’t do because I didn’t have an inner visual capacity. Chris developed a training course and invited me to join it.
In October 2023 I qualified from Christine Holt’s training course in Somatic Shamanism. (Therapeuticshamanichealing – Shamanism, Psychotherapy (somaticshamanism.co.uk)
Somatic Shamanism is a modality that integrates somatic therapies, parts of self work and shamanism. It is a person-centred practice which encourages the client to discover solutions for themselves in a supportive environment. The work is therapeutic in nature and includes both biographical exploration and access to transpersonal experience. It is not prescriptive therefore it is not possible to plan a session in advance. The starting point is to work somatically with an issue, either with focusing or if appropriate through parts of self work. Depending on what unfolds in the moment it may be appropriate to continue with parts of self work for the whole session or there may be something that comes up for which shamanism may be helpful.
I am a Western contemporary practitioner, obviously not being born or initiated into shamanism in the traditional ways. Whereas in traditional shamanism typically the shaman ‘heals’ the person requiring healing, in Somatic Shamanism the practitioner facilitates a process in which the client accesses self-knowledge directly through their physical sensations, feelings, thoughts, images and where appropriate with the support of spirit in the transpersonal realm.
The possibilities of what can be worked with are limitless.
Examples include:
exploring a repetitive reaction you have, from anger to withdrawal
a physical ailment/condition
feelings/actions around a specific situation
addictive behaviour
ongoing feelings/patterns you are aware of: low confidence, difficulty trusting, anxiety, depression, not feeling good enough…..
What a session looks like
Sessions can be in person or on zoom.
We will start by having a brief chat about the issue you want to work with. Then I will guide you in a meditation to assist you in grounding and beginning the process of tuning into your body.
The main part of the session will be the somatic and possible shamanic processes.
We will have some time at the end to talk through what happened and how you feel.
The session is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Payment Options
My ethos is to support those who are committed to their personal healing, growth and development. In addition to offering reduced rates for the first year as a newly qualified practitioner I also offer a sliding scale so that you can pay what you can afford. This is on a trust basis. You are not required to provide evidence of your income.
Standard investment is £50. Sliding scale £45/35. For those in receipt of state benefits it’s £25.
Payment is due in advance of the session or cash on the day. A minimum of 48 hours notice is required when cancelling a session. If cancellation is made within 48 hours of the session the full fee will be payable except in an emergency.
For further information or to book a free 30 minute consultation please email me.