I have practiced shamanism for over a decade. First as a student of the Spirits, in the silence and darkness of my own journeys, then trained by their human intermediaries through Michael Harner's Foundation for Shamanic Studies in Canada, between 2023 and 2025.
Shamanism, although the term originates with the Tungus people of Siberia, is as old as humanity itself. It is found on every continent, in different forms but with striking similarities: the same conviction that everything is alive, connected, and traversed by forces that the rational eye no longer knows how to see. It is neither a belief nor a religion. It is an empirical, sensory experience, a way of navigating the great web of life.
Practitioners of shamanic healing today fall into three broad families: those who practice within a living, unbroken tradition in their culture of origin, those who build a bridge between ancestral traditions and the contemporary Western world, and those whom Spirit calls to take on a shamanic role within their community, whatever their ties to a traditional practice. I recognize myself in this third path. Since childhood, I have moved between two worlds without it ever needing explanation. This calling came before its form.
A session often begins with a diagnostic journey, followed by rituals guided by allied spirits. Depending on what presents itself and what you carry, several forms of healing may be called upon: soul retrieval, to recover fragments of yourself lost along the way through wounds and difficult passages. Power animal retrieval, to connect with a protective spirit who becomes an ally on your path. Shamanic extraction, to free your energetic system from the blockages that disturb its balance. Space clearing, to purify a place of any unwanted presence or energy. Accompanying the dying and their loved ones, to support spirits in their transition. And tailor-made rituals, to mark a turning point, welcome a renewal, or find a deep connection with your own nature.
Some feel immediate relief. Others need time to integrate what has opened. I often encourage integration work after the session, because what has been traversed deserves to be received with care. You are the main actor in your own healing: my role is to help you connect with your own strength, not to take its place. Shamanic healing does not replace medical care; it can be its silent companion.
For those drawn to this practice in the specific context of tattooing, the Liminal Marks form a space of their own: where shamanic healing and the permanent mark come together in a single act.
If you wish to deepen your understanding of shamanism, I recommend "Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy" by Mircea Eliade, and "The Way of the Shaman" by Michael Harner. More resources await you in the Thoughts & Reflections tab.