Shamanic Journey Sessions

What is a shamanic journey? 

Shamanic journeying is a ancient skill and transformational practice known to 'medicine women' and 'medicine men' across many cultures and throughout history. It involves 'traveling' an 'as inner journey' within a different realm or reality that is separate, yet related to, ordinary reality. It was the role of the shaman in indigenous societies to meet and work with what she or he encountered in this other realm for another person or even on the whole tribe's behalf.

Perhaps surprisingly though, it has been found that most people can actually learn how to carry out shamanic journeying for themselves. This requires some clear guidance, a few precautions, proper preparation, an open heart, and some practice. In a shamanic journey session though, most people simply rest while the person who is experienced in shamanic journeying actually takes the journey for them, returning with whatever has been received from the journey for the client's intentions. 

"The practice of shamanic journeying is a way for us to feel personally empowered in our lives. It provides us with a way to have direct revelation and is a simple approach for accessing spiritual guidance. It is a way to get us out of our heads as well as to expand our awareness and consciousness." (Sandra Ingerman, 2004) 

What are shamanic journeys for?

There are three broad traditional purposes of shamanic journeys - empowerment, healing and guidance. To be empowered means to be given the inner resources to be able to enact or do whatever is appropriate and necessary. This involves being brought into a state of personal balance, harmony with what one is connected to, and an ability to access the creative potential and personal / spiritual help available  Healing relates to becoming whole, so experiences and changes during and following a shamanic journey may take place physically, emotionally, mentally, at a soul level, and spiritually. Guidance often comes in the form of insights, information or simply the felt sense of the situation that the journey is for.

Journeys can be applied to the care of any area or situation in your life. They can enhance what is already positive or be used to help deal with a challenge or even a crisis. People can use shamanic journeys for everything from enhancing health and relationships to such areas as abundance, beliefs, work and spiritual issues, to name a few.  

What happens during a shamanic journey session?:

A shamanic journey session begins with some discussion of what is happening in your life that has brought you to the session. This enables your wishes or intentions for the journey to become quite clear. During a journey a regular drum beat or some other form of music is used for 20 - 30 minutes. This helps the person who is journeying for you to enter into the journey until it is time to return to ordinary awareness with you still resting. Following this the 'energy' that represents the 'essence' of what has been received for you on the journey is then physically blown into your heart and crown chakras. This is the normal practice as explained in 'The way of the Shaman' (Harner). Some details of the experiences of the actual journey are usually then shared with you. These tend to help bring further understanding and guidance. A shamanic journey session usually requires one and a half to two hours. There is nothing in particular that you need to bring.  

What does science tell us about shamanic journeys?:

Here is some of what science can contribute to this fascinating area - We know that when a person goes on a shamanic journey, either for themselves or for someone else, their awareness moves from an ordinary state of consciousness (OSC) to a non-ordinary state (NOSC). The music or drumming helps this to occur, as does the skill of the journeyer in allowing this. The different level entered into during a journey has been called a shamanic state of consciousness (SSC).

Research shows that the brainwave patterns of an SSC (e.g. when on a shamanic journey) corresponds with those experienced during times of healing, specific forms of heightened awareness and intuition. SSC brainwave patterns are measurably different to those of 'everyday awareness' (an OSC), dreaming (including REM) or even those of meditation. Some research has shown that time and space are irrelevant to the transpersonal phenomena of healing etc. (e.g. Dossey) so it starts to make sense that the person journeying can 'transfer' the 'state', 'energy' or 'gift' received to another person just afterward. 

What is it like to be in a shamanic journey if you are the one taking the journey?

The experiences possible when on a journey are as varied, if not even vaster than that of life. This is because a person who is journeying is often profoundly open to experiencing on many levels. It can also be, however, that a shamanic journey enables a state of profound rest or release from agitation, or alternately significant disruption to one's usual 'comfort levels'! Some journeys, not many, can be a profound psychological death-rebirth experience for a person, and this may even be experienced physically and emotionally. Most journeys are very pleasant and somewhat joyful or 'ecstatic', particularly if prepared for properly. There are some contraindications for journeying. It is not always best to carry out journeys in all situations and some individuals with mental health issues or an organic brain disorder can find them overwhelming. 

Here is one world-renowned shaman's description: "In the SSC, the shaman typically experiences an ineffable joy in what he sees, an awe of the beautiful and mysterious worlds that open before him. His experiences are like dreams, but waking one's that feel real and in which he can control his actions and direct his adventures. While in the SSC he is often amazed by the reality of that which has been presented. He gains access to a whole new, yet familiarly ancient universe that provides him with profound information... He is a self-reliant explorer of the endless mansions of a magnificent hidden universe. Finally, he brings back his discoveries to build his knowledge and to help others." (Harner, 1980) This does set a pretty high standard! Some journeys can also be fairly basic and direct.