Have you ever felt, after some painful experience in your life, that you “never recovered,” you weren’t your “old self,” or that a part of you “died”?  These feelings may indicate what shamans call “soul loss”: a part of your vital energy (soul) left you during a traumatic event, such as an accident, illness, loss of a loved one, or physical, sexual or emotional abuse.   To correct soul loss, a soul retrieval is done.  In the soul retrieval session, the shamanic practitioner (Joan) enters into a shamanic journey meditation in which she finds and returns lost soul parts and removes energy blockages by using energy work. Soul Retrieval sessions are 90 minutes for $120.

 

What happens in a soul retrieval session?

To begin the session, I sing to your chakras (energy centers), as a way of entering healing space, grounding and centering.  You stand in the center of the room, and I sing improvisationally to cleanse each chakra from root up to crown and then down again.  I also burn the herb/incense sage, if that is all right with you, ie., if you are not allergic.

 

Next, I explain what we are going to do in the session, and we talk about any questions you might have. This is also a time to share any insights that you gained from the preparation you have done prior to the session (see information on “how to prepare for soul retrieval”).  For example, some people like to explain how and when they feel they lost soul parts.  It’s completely your choice to share or not, either way is fine with me: I do not need to know where you lost soul parts before I retrieve the soul parts, but sometimes clients like to share this as part of their healing process.

 

In the tradition of soul retrieval that I follow, the practitioner does all the work during the actual session itself. (In the days and weeks following the session, your task will be to continue to integrate your soul parts through meditating, journaling, etc. I explain the integration process during the session.)  You will be lying down on a massage table, and it actually helps me if the client does not try to meditate or does not fall asleep but is simply the anchor in the present.  You are welcome to watch me if you want.

 

To do a healing, I enter a meditation called a shamanic journey by listening to a recording of a repetitive drumbeat.  The journey takes about 20 minutes. During the journey, I might be sitting, standing, dancing, singing, lying on the ground, or doing energy work in the space above your body. The process does not involve touching the physical body of the client. The journey unfolds like a waking dream in which four types of healing may occur:

 

1. Soul Retrieval – lost parts of your vital energy (soul) return
2. Power Animal Retrieval – the return of part of your vital essence that resembles an animal (a kind of “totem animal”) often associated with physical health
3. Extraction – removing negative energy
4. Messages from Guides – information from your inner guiding spirits about how to resolve a problem in your life.  For example, “Tell her to take the job offer.”  However, this is not an intuitive “reading” where you ask questions and the practitioner answers them.  Rather, this is an actual energy work session.

 

I ask my spirit guides to lead me to whatever healing needs to happen.  Almost always there is soul retrieval, power animal retrieval and extraction; sometimes there are messages from guides.

 

At the end of the journey, if there are soul parts or power animals to return, I return them by blowing into your chakras (energy center) at your heart and crown (top of head). I rattle around you to seal up the soul parts and I do the thanking the spirits song.  Then you can sit up and I explain what I experienced on the journey, and what soul parts returned.  I tape record this description of the journey and give you the tape for your future reference.

 

In the tradition of soul retrieval that I follow, the practitioner does all the work during the actual session itself. In the days and weeks following the session, your task will be to continue to integrate your soul parts through meditating, journaling, etc.  How to do this is explained in this email.

 

HOW TO PREPARE FOR SOUL RETRIEVAL

Use meditating, journaling, etc. to do the following:

1. Recall where and under what circumstances you may have lost soul parts
2. Consider what your life may be like after the soul parts return.  Get ready, be open, for your life to change and for you to be different.  In what ways would you like to see your life improve?
3. If possible, tell the people in your life that you may be making changes.
4. For more information on the theory and process of soul retrieval, you may want to read the book Soul Retrieval by Sandra Ingerman.
5. It is preferable to schedule your soul retrieval so that you will have quiet time afterward to process the session and begin soul part integration. Arrange to have the session for a day and time when you can go home afterwards, rather than to work, social engagements. etc.

 

HOW TO INTEGRATE SOUL PARTS AFTER SOUL RETRIEVAL

(Please note that this is a suggested plan.  Each person's soul part integration process is unique.)

In the first 24 hours after soul retrieval:

1. Welcome each part home
2. Give thanks in your own way for this healing. 
3. Take a ceremonial bath.  This grounds the energy that has returned to you, and is a rebirth experience for the newly rejoined soul parts.  You might want to use aromatherapy oils, nice candles and especially bath salts, which help ground the energy.
4. Sing and dance your power animal (very important!)  Use spontaneous movement and vocalizing to create a simple song and dance to call up the power of this spirit guide.  This song and dance will develop into a repeatable form: it will be the same each time you do it. To do this: go into a room by yourself and say, "Power animal, sing and dance through me."  You will find yourself doing some type of body movement, sounds and words that will express the energy of the power animal. To have a connection with a power animal like this is a wonderful gift!  The power animal brings energy that you need in your life. Once you have a power animal song & dance, please continue doing it every day for the 28 time period after your soul retrieval, and after that continue doing it on a regular basis your whole life, to call forth the power of your animal guide.

 

The Three Questions to ask your Soul Parts

 

Each day for the next 28 days after soul retrieval, please ask each soul part these questions, using meditating, stream of consciousness writing, stream of consciousness drawing, or other forms of inner reflection:

1. Why did you leave?
2. What do you know? (This might be memories or skills.)  What gift or knowledge do you bring me?
3. What do you need to be happy? (Please give serious consideration to acting on suggestions or requests from the soul parts.)

Tell each part that you love them, that you're glad they're back, and that you want them to stay.

 

FOLLOWUP PHONE CALL OR EMAIL

 

Please call or email me two days after the soul retrieval so we can discuss how you're feeling, any reactions, questions, etc. you might have.  Thank you, it's an honor and a privilege to do this work for you.

 

Joan Forest Mage     

773-327-7224   

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   www.lifeforcearts.org

 

 

 Ways you can contact soul parts after soul retrieval

There are many ways to contact a soul part.  This is intuitive work, and intuitive information comes to us through the senses of auditory (hearing) visual (seeing) and kinesthetic (feeling). For example, seeing the soul part in your imagination would be visual; hearing words or thoughts in your head would be auditory, and sensing feelings in your body would be kinesthetic. The soul part may communicate with you in any or all of these are ways.

 

Here are the most common ways to communicate with your soul parts. Any of these methods begins by bringing yourself to a meditative state.  Sit comfortably, relax, close your eyes, and breathe slowly and deeply. Then, silently or out loud, ask the soul part one of the three soul part integration questions: “Why did you leave?  What do you know?  What do you need to be happy?”

Meditation in the 3 Perceptual Modes

• Visual – You will see pictures in your mind’s eye that answer the question. You will see your soul parts; they will look like yourself at whatever age it left you. For example, your five year old soul part will look the way you did when you were five years old, your teenage soul part will look the way you did as a teenager. You will ask the soul part one of the questions, and you receive the answer in a visual picture. For example, if you ask, “What do you need to be happy?” you may see an ice cream cone.  That would be the soul part saying, “Eating ice cream would make me happy.”
• Auditory - You will hear a voice inside your head answering the questions.  For example, if you ask, “Why did you leave?” your soul part may answer, “Because Father died and I was sad.”
• Kinesthetic – You will feel sensations or movement in your body answering the questions.  For example, if you ask, “What do you know?” you may feel your chest area (heart energy center) become light and open; literally “light-hearted.”  This means that soul part knows how to feel happy and light-hearted.

 

Stream of Consciousness Expression in the 3 Perceptual Modes

• Stream of Consciousness Writing – You will need a pen and paper.  Ask one of the soul parts one of the three questions, and ask the soul part to write you the answer on the paper. For example, silently or out loud, say, “Twenty year old soul part, what do you know?” Then take pen to paper and begin stream of consciousness writing.  Don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t censor: write down whatever is going through your mind, allowing the soul part to speak through the words on the paper.  Keep writing until you get to the end of the paper.  Then go back and read what you’ve written.  You will see where what you have written changes from random thoughts going through your mind to the voice of the soul part answering the question.
• Stream of Consciousness Drawing – You will need paper and something to draw with, such as a pen, pencil, crayons, watercolors, chalk, etc.  Ask one of the soul parts one of the three questions, and ask the soul part to draw you the answer on the paper. For example, silently or out loud, say, “Five year old soul part, what do you need to be happy?” Then begin stream of consciousness drawing.  Don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t censor: draw whatever is coming to you, allowing the soul part to express itself through creating the drawing.  Keep drawing until you feel finished.  Then go back and look at what you’ve drawn.  Ask yourself how the drawing is the answer to the question.  For example, if it is a drawing of a guitar, it probably means playing the guitar would make that soul part happy.
• Stream of Consciousness Body Movement – You will need a space conducive to dance/body movement.  Ask one of the soul parts one of the three questions, and ask the soul part to express the answer through dance/body movement. For example, silently or out loud, say, “Seventeen year old soul part, why did you leave?” Then begin stream of consciousness body movement.  Don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t censor: let the body move in whatever way it wants, allowing the soul part to express itself through body movement.  Keep moving until you feel finished.  Ask yourself, either while you are moving or after you stop moving, how the movement answered the question.  For example, you may find yourself making movements as though pushing away something, meaning that the soul part left because it felt someone or something was imposing

FAQ 

 

• How many soul parts will I get back?  Most people have several parts missing.  I bring back whatever parts the guides lead me to. I ask for whatever healing needs to happen. I usually bring back from 4 - 10 soul parts. I don't bring back parts that don't want to come back or that would give you any trouble.
• How often do I need a soul retrieval?   Soul retrieval itself does not need to be done very often in a lifetime.  It is not like psychotherapy, where you might go every week for weeks or months. In this way, soul retrieval is one of the most efficient forms of healing every created, and also one of the most ancient. If a person is consistently losing energy, this indicates a problem with core belief (ex., the person believes he/she should give away his/her energy, doesn't deserve to have energy, etc.) or understanding of energetic protection (becoming more aware of the energy field around his/her body so it is not drained or lost).  I work with these issues in several types of sessions that I offer, such as Shamanic Journeying and Energy Work, Healing Story and Soul Part Dialogue, etc. - these are all described on the website on the "Sessions for Individuals" page. I would work with you to determine which sessions would best serve your needs. 
• What results can I expect from the soul retrieval? Some people have very dramatic changes from a soul retrieval -overnight, they're not depressed anymore, or their physical condition improves 100%.  For other people, the effect may be more gradual, such as subtle changes in feeling more relaxed, more energized, better able to make decisions, etc.  A good rule of thumb is to look back six months after the soul retrieval session and assess what changes have happened in your life since the healing that you can attribute to the soul retrieval. 
• As a practitioner, how much experience have you had with doing soul retrievals?  How many have you done?  Between 1995 - 2004, I did about 300 - 400 soul retrieval healing sessions.  I conducted a research study on the soul retrievals I did from 1995 - 2002. This was part of the work I submitted to De Paul University' School for New Learning for my master's degree, which was is independent studies with the focus area "Creating healing ritual through the arts."  It was based on a survey administered to 175 clients, 119 of whom responded to the survey.  The survey measured client response to the soul retrieval session.  Findings of the survey indicated that 90% of clients reported dramatic or good results from their soul retrieval session. Dramatic results (reported by 15% of respondents) were described as "the problem I came to heal was solved overnight." Good results (reported by 75% of repsondents) were described as "saw beneficial results I attribute to the journey such as feeling more peaceful, more energized, having a greater sense of well-being, more able to take action, got some helpful insight from the journey, etc."
• I have a friend I would like to gift with a session. That's great! Please tell them to contact me and we will arrange the session, and you can pay me for it.
• Do you ever do soul retrieval and healing work without telling the person for whom you are doing the work?  Usually, I do not do shamanic work for people without their knowledge.  This is to uphold professional ethics of non-invasiveness. Also, especially with soul retrieval, an imporant part of the process for most people is to do their own work of contacting and integrating their soul parts. 

However, there are exceptions.  For example, I might do a soul retrieval for someone who is incapacitated,  such as being in a coma, and who therefore cannot agree directly to my doing the work.  In this case, I would travel to the spirit realm to ask the permission from the client (in spirit) and my spirit guides .

 

Another situation can occur in a journey for a client, when the guides lead me to do a soul retrieval for someone who is not the client.  Sometimes one has to work with people in the client’s life in order to resolve an issue. For example, if the client has a soul part of his mother’s attached to him, the mother’s soul part may need to be returned to the mother to bring the energy of the whole situation into balance. 

 

I always double check with my guides to make sure I am supposed to do energetic healing for a person who has not directly asked me in physical form to help him or her. As an added measure of assurance, I almost always leave it to my guides and the person's guides, and the person's Highest Self, to do the soul retrieval or other energy work for a person who has not directly asked me to help him/her.